Foods That Help Reduce Anxiety

Many people in today’s world suffer from stress and anxiety; many of us have incredibly busy lives, with no time to relax. When stress builds up and isn’t released in a constructive way it can cause adverse effects and ugly symptoms.  When you are stressed you may notice that you have digestive troubles, this is because the digestive tract can slow down when your body is in overdrive. It is working so hard in other places of your body that is pays such little attention to your digestive tract.  Most of this is because of the kinds of foods we eat when we have busy lives; quick and easy preparation is may seem like the best choice when you are on the go all the time, but the truth is, is that this food doesn’t have the nutrition that your body needs.

If you find yourself struggling with anxiety or depression because of stress, there are several things you can do to improve your mood.  Diet alone cannot cure anxiety and depression, but it can certainly improve your mood. Improving your mood is the key to feeling better.  There are a variety of different foods that you can add to your diet in order to help reduce your symptoms and improve your mood.  The Mayo Clinic gives plenty of nutritional information regarding anxiety; they list a few specific foods that can help.

Tryptophan is a substance that causes a chemical reaction in the brain that can encourage relaxation and help boost your mood. When you add foods with Tryptophan in it can help ease some symptoms of anxiety because is can encourage you to relax. Milk, bananas, soy, oats, cheese, nuts, and peanut butter are all excellent sources of Tryptophan that should be added to your diet if you are experiencing any anxiety like symptoms.

B Vitamins are another excellent source to help reduce anxiety. Eating foods with B vitamins can help increase strength and overall nourishment for your body. Increased strength can help you easily fight off anxiety symptoms; and with better nourishment you are likely to avoid many symptoms. Foods that have B vitamins include whole grains, beans, and dark green vegetables that are leafy.

Increasing the amount of protein in your diet can help relieve anxiety symptoms. If you find yourself suffering from high-anxiety but you have low energy during the day, go grab a high-protein snack. Low-blood sugar may be the cause for you low energy and high anxiety.  When you are suffering from anxiety, it is important that you keep your blood sugar steady, you will feel better overall. Chicken, fish, and lean beef are excellent sources of protein that you should add to your diet.

Complex carbohydrates can also help stabilize your blood sugar and give you more energy. Anxiety can cause you to feel exhausted all the time; if this is the case, complex carbohydrates are what you need. Carbs will boost your blood sugar as well as help you fight off  exhausting anxiety symptoms.  Fruits and vegetable carry plenty of complex carbohydrates, whole grains do as well.

A dietary change may be needed if you find yourself experiencing anxiety more often than you are comfortable with. Eating right and exercising are great ways to take care of your body, but it always helps when you know what foods you should eat. Mental health is important, if you aren’t mentally healthy then you can’t possibly be physically healthy. Some of the foods listed above may seem boring and bland, but fret not, there are plenty of tasty recipes for you to try out.

If you are interested, this website has an excellent list of foods and recipes that will help you reduce anxiety and stress, check it out: http://greatist.com/happiness/25-meals-to-boost-your-mood-032712/