If you are one of the 40 million Americans each year who suffer from anxiety, it’s important to handpick the foods you consume on a daily basis. Anxiety causes symptoms that range from racing heart rate and sweaty palms to headaches, lost sleep, and decreased productivity at home or work.
The range of anxiety disorders suffered by Americans are brought on by a combination of genetics, brain chemistry, life events, gender, physical activity - and diet. Surprisingly, poor dietary choices can bring on bouts of anxiety, and simple lifestyle changes can have a significant impact on your anxiety levels.
Never Skip Meals
Many of the foods on the “do not eat” list for anxiety sufferers are there because of their impact on the body’s blood sugar level. Missing a meal can be just as detrimental to you as eating the wrong thing. It causes blood sugar levels to dip dramatically and can cause abrupt mood changes (e.g., the “You’re not you when you’re hungry” advertising slogan.) If you suffer from anxiety, eat small, balanced meals throughout the day and supplement with healthy snacks that will keep your blood sugar levels steady.
Listen To Your Body
If you eat a meal and feel ill or “off” after, you may have a food allergy or sensitivity. These reactions can include symptoms like hives, itching, upset stomach, or cramping. They can also cause you to feel light-headed or faint, or cause mood changes that can lead to anxiety attacks.
If you suffer from an anxiety disorder, or if you are beginning to feel chronic anxiety symptoms, avoid the following seven foods at all costs.
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.
A six-ounce glass of red wine at dinner may hit the health spot, but avoid being a heavy drinker – and especially those bad-for-you binges that will only cause an uptick in anxiety.
Caffeine
Caffeine may give you the boost of energy you need to make it through the day when you’re tired of dragging. But too much caffeine, or a chronic java habit, can leave you jittery and anxious.
Caffeine not only interferes with your regular sleep, but studies show that caffeine can interfere with your body’s serotonin levels, which can lead to feelings of depression and irritability.
Because caffeine is also a diuretic, it can cause dehydration, which can worsen feelings of stress and anxiety. When our bodies are tired and we rely on a jolt of java to keep going, we don’t give our bodies and minds time to rest and recuperate. This can cause further exhaustion and aggravate feelings of stress.
Sweets
Sweets and foods that contain ingredients like corn syrup or honey can give us a temporary feel-good mood-booster, because sugar is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, giving us a rush of energy.
But because the body will quickly produce insulin to remove these high sugar levels, the good feeling is only temporary - the body will be left with very low sugar levels, and you’ll be left feeling tired, shaky, and irritable. Those rapid blood sugar swings are taxing on the body and perhaps more so on the mind.
The best way you can avoid this is to avoid sugary junk foods, and instead opt for healthy snacks, like fruits, nuts, or granola bars, that have long-releasing energy potential.
Chlorinated Drinking Water
Chlorine may help kill the bacteria in our water supplies that would make it unsafe for consumption. But consider for a moment that chlorine’s antibacterial properties may be causing it to wipe out the normal, healthy intestinal bacteria that we need to keep our bodies running normally. Because most tap water is chlorinated, we eliminate the gut bacteria that help our digestive systems, which may cause gastrointestinal upset, an ill feeling after meals, and may contribute to feelings of irritability and anxiety.
Starchy Foods
Just as simple sugars can cause major swings in our blood sugar levels, so too can starchy foods, such as breads, rice, potatoes, pastas, and other baked goods. Practice good portion control when consuming these types of foods to avoid blood sugar rushes, and crashes.