A Healthy Diet to Beat Anxiety

 Everyone experiences anxiety. In fact, being unable 

to do so can be a sign of a serious psychological 

problem. In our hazardous world, anxiety is a 

strategy the body uses to help the mind recognize 

danger and keep well out of its way. As with most 

mental illnesses, it's not the presence of anxiety 

alone that creates problems. It is more about how 

severe it is and how much it gets in one’s way of 

life or quality of living. 

Most people feel anxious at some time in their lives. 

However, only about five per cent of people 

experience severe anxiety and rarely seek 

professional help. Anxiety is a mixture of physical 

and mental symptoms. They are part of what 

psychologists call the “fight or flight” response. 

When the body is under threat it automatically 

prepares either to defend itself or run.

Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. It helps one 

deal with a tense situation in the office, study 

harder for an exam, or remain focused on an important 

speech. In general, it helps one cope with the tasks 

and demands of everyday life. But when anxiety 

becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday 

situations, it can become a disabling disorder. 

Fortunately, effective treatments for anxiety 

disorders are available, and research is yielding new 

and improved therapies that can help most people with 

anxiety disorders lead productive and fulfilling 

lives. 

However, studies have shown that having a healthy 

diet may reduce signs and symptoms of anxiety. 

Although food can't cure an anxiety disorder, 

consider some diet changes and that would benefit a 

severely anxious person:

• Avoid or limit caffeine intake as much as 

possible. Caffeine is present in many soft drinks, 

not just in tea and coffee and it can set up its own 

vicious cycle. It can speed up heart rate and disrupt 

sleep --- which later on become prevailing signs of 

anxiety. Trying to overcome tiredness by drinking 

more caffeine only makes the long-term problem worse.

• Avoid too much alcohol. Similarly, alcohol 

can worsen the symptoms of anxiety, and disrupt 

sleep. Many people reach for a drink to calm their 

nerves, but the consequences of overindulgence can 

outweigh the benefits of initial relaxation. For 

some, a hangover, insomnia, and dehydration make one 

feel worse than before one had a drink. In excessive 

amounts, alcohol can actually act as a depressant, 

making the drinker feel sluggish or more anxious. 

Alcohol, like a simple sugar, is rapidly absorbed by 

the body. Like other sugars, alcohol increases 

hypoglycemia symptoms. It also causes mood swings.

• Eat complex carbohydrates, also known as 

carbs. During anxious times, turn to comforting 

carbs. These foods act as a mild tranquilizer by 

increasing the amount of serotonin, a calming 

neurotransmitter in the brain. Complex carbs such as 

potatoes, wholewheat bread, and pasta take longer to 

digest than sugary simple carbs like white bread.  

That way, one can stay fuller longer and blood sugar 

is likely to stay steady, eliminating stress and 

anxiety.

• Be sure to drink eight or more glasses of 

water a day. Dehydration can lead to fatigue, 

headaches and stress. One should be well-hydrated and 

drinking lots of water a day can decrease symptoms of 

anxiety. 

• Take multivitamins and mineral supplements. B 

vitamins, whose role is to unlock the energy in food, 

are crucial. Vitamin B-6 helps manufacture serotonin 

in the brain. Choose a daily supplement that supplies 

100 per cent of the daily recommendation of all 

vitamins and minerals.

Although tension and daily stresses are unavoidable, 

one can relieve tension and manage stress and anxiety 

better by watching out for what one eats and what one 

does not eat. Remember that a healthy body and a 

healthy mind are often one and the same thing.