Simple Carbohydrates

Sugary foods and drinks, and foods that have been refined or contain simple carbohydrates, are going to have an impact on your body’s blood sugar level, causing a spike after your meal and a quick crash afterward. Skip these foods in favor of complex carbohydrates and water, which your body needs to stay hydrated - and even mild dehydration can lead to feelings of anxiety.

Hot Dogs (And Other Processed Foods)

Hot dogs, along with other processed foods that range from pastries and baked goods to processed snack foods, may cause anxiety and be linked to mental health problems. According to one British study, eating a diet heavy in processed, fatty foods increases your risk of depression by 58 percent as compared with those who eat whole or unprocessed foods, such as fish, vegetables, and unrefined grains.

Why is this? Experts say that these foods, which are high in fat and refined grains and sugars, feed almost exclusively harmful bacteria and microbes in our guts, overtaking populations of healthy intestinal bacteria, which can lead to gastrointestinal upset and a general feeling of malaise, which can trigger anxiety or even feelings of depression.

Alcohol

If you’re one of those people who likes to unwind with a beer or glass of wine after a stressful day, you may want to reconsider your coping mechanism. Alcohol may appear to have a calming effect in the immediate, because it is a sedative. But as alcohol works its way through the body and is broken down into sugars, it can cause dehydration, blood sugar spikes and crashes, and other changes that can leave you feeling far more anxious. It can interfere with good sleep, and can leave you feeling worse than you did the day before.