Find out how food and anxiety are linked (2024)

FAQs

Find out how food and anxiety are linked? ›

Avoiding processed foods and foods high in sugar means the body experiences fewer highs and lows of blood sugar, which helps to further reduce feelings of anxiety. Very simply put, a sugar rush can mimic a panic attack.

In some people, certain foods or food additives can cause unpleasant physical reactions. In certain people, these physical reactions may lead to shifts in mood, including irritability or anxiety. Try to eat healthy, balanced meals. Healthy eating is important for overall physical and mental health.

Follow the 3-3-3 rule.

Look around you and name three things you see. Then, name three sounds you hear. Finally, move three parts of your body — your ankle, fingers, or arm.

Vitamins B9 and B12 are both thought to treat symptoms of anxiety. Folic acid has many uses in the body, and a vitamin B9 deficiency has been linked to higher levels of anxiety and depression. When taken in conjunction with B12, these B super-vitamins help metabolize serotonin, which is important for mood regulation.

If you eat lots of processed meat, fried food, refined cereals, candy, pastries, and high-fat dairy products, you're more likely to be anxious and depressed. A diet full of whole fiber-rich grains, fruits, vegetables, and fish can help keep you on a more even keel.

Working toward a well-balanced diet with adequate fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and healthy fats remains a good recommendation for those who struggle with anxiety.

Natural strategies like regular physical activity, aromatherapy, deep breathing, mindfulness, and chamomile tea may help you reduce anxiety symptoms. If you feel your anxiety is getting worse, consider professional help. Talk therapy, prescription medication, or both, may help with severe or persistent anxiety.

But exercise includes a wide range of activities that boost your activity level to help you feel better. Certainly running, lifting weights, playing basketball and other fitness activities that get your heart pumping can help.

What deficiency causes anxiety? ›

Findings from preclinical and clinical studies show magnesium and zinc deficiency can lead to anxiety, and supplementation can help alleviate anxiety-like symptoms.

Have berries for breakfast. Berries are brilliant brain boosters and can have a powerful effect on lowering anxiety levels if consumed regularly. “Darker berries, such as blueberries, blackcurrants and blackberries in particular, are rich in antioxidants that protect the brain against oxidative stress,” Naidoo says.

Lower stress and anxiety

Bananas have several compounds which help reduce stress while also helping you sleep better. Most noticeably, it contains vitamin B9 — a nutrient with antidepressant properties. It also contains tryptophan, which, much like vitamin B6, has sleep-inducing properties.

Vitamin B1(thiamin) and mental health. Mental health problems such as memory loss, anxiety, depression, irritability, and insomnia are also associated with deficiencies in vitamin B1. The brain uses this vitamin to help convert glucose or blood sugar into energy.

Low vitamin D levels are associated with increased symptoms of depression and anxiety. For this reason, vitamin D screening should be performed in the prevention and treatment planning of these mood disorders.

Lena Beal, MS, RDN, LD, a therapeutic dietitian at Piedmont, shares the most common signs a person isn't eating enough: Anxiety and depression: “Studies have shown that not eating enough can cause prolonged periods of anxiety and depression in teens and adults,” Beal says.

Raul Perez-Vazquez, MD, says that some people also lose their appetite due to the increase in cortisol (the stress hormone) that can happen during times of high anxiety. “In the acute or immediate setting, stress causes increased levels of cortisol, which in turn increases acid production in the stomach,” he says.

Your gut and your brain are directly linked and can communicate in a number of ways, so experiencing anxious thoughts can affect your gut, too. Through this gut-brain connection, gut health can also have an effect on anxiety, and a key player in this is the gut microbiome.

Compared to food-secure adults, adults with very low food security were more likely to screen positive for depression (odds ratio [OR] 7.72; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.52–10.80), anxiety (OR 6.19; 95% CI: 4.51–8.51), and high perceived stress (OR 10.91; 95% CI: 7.78–15.30).