9 Amazing anti-anxiety foods you never knew!

 

 

In our daily life, we live by responding to everything around us whether they are threats or good things. 

This is because we are human beings, we have developed a brain that is capable of thinking, analyzing, and reasoning certainly.

Similarly, being anxious is inevitable as we keep wondering about our everyday issues and concerns.

If the reaction from those threats or worries resulted in, restlessness, irritability, fatigue, sweating, lack of focus, insomnia, palpitation, fear, and nausea it will be probably a good sign of anxiety.

Luckily, some food we eat are rich in nutrients which may play great part in wiring our brain and mind as well.

Different nutrients might influence our mood positively sooner or later through intervening in different chemicals such as GABA, serotonin, noradrenaline, and dopamine.

If you use to experience anxiety quite often, here are the food that you should consider thoroughly as they can improve your mood as well.

 1. Dark chocolate

According to the recent research in 2014, it has been confirmed that dark chocolate consumption suddenly would reduce stress and anxiety for only 40g. 

Concurrently, other studies have suspected that dark chocolate and cocoa eating is associated with improved mood.

But how? Chocolate has high tryptophan content a precursor of serotonin which serves as a mood-enhancing chemical in the brain in a short period of time.

Apart from maintaining our composure, chocolates possess flavonoids which also prevent neuroinflammation and cell death and hence healthy brain.

2. Asparagus

Aside from dietary fibers, asparagus consist of vitamins A, C, E, and K and trace mineral chromium that reduce anxiety.  

Chromium helps blood sugar to be even and stable that leads to more insulin sensitivity. As a result, this may affect brain chemistry and stress hormones positively.

It is also advised to chop it up into a salad, steam it, grill it and consume it at multiple occasions as long as stress or anxiety is on the door knocking for the sake of maintaining your mood.

3. Probiotics

These include fermented food with living bacteria which are good for us. Probiotics may also be helpful in calming your temper sooner or later.  

According to research from the University of Brighton from 2003-2019, they published that probiotic foods might be used to relieve depression and anxiety disorders. 

Fermented foods tend to minimize inflammatory chemicals, promoting the action of tryptophan which is paramount in the brain-gut axis in different psychiatric disorders. 

 Once you get anxious, including the following foods should be helpful in regaining mood;

• Pickles
• Cheese
• Yogurt
• Sauerkraut
• kombucha and kefir 
  

 4. Fatty fish

Fishes as one of the delicious foods may help to promote satiety and regulate blood glucose levels. 

Additionally, as they are consumed their Omega-3-fatty acids they are also thought to regulate neurotransmitters, reduce inflammation and enhance brain functions and mental health as well.

Consumption of Omega-3-fatty acids supplementation in form of EPA and EHA may also boost our feeling through neurotransmitters serotonin content in them.

As anxiolytic food you should also consider these fishes;

• Salmon
• Tuna
• Sardine
• Mackerel
• Anchovies 
• Trout 

5. Meat and turkey

Meats possess a wide range of nutrients that are essential to our body. Besides they should be consumed in case an individual is in bad mood as they are rich in zinc. 

In fact, zinc and its supplementation are known to raise GABA and glutamate which eventually reduce neuronal excitability.

Moreover, zinc is linked to nerve development while its large store into the brain is associated with emotional involvement.  

This trace mineral deficiency may induce chronic anxiety and depression as a result.

If you use to have chronic anxiety, a disturbed temper you should also try the following foods;

• Oysters
• Red meat
• Turkey
• Liver
• Beef
• Egg yolk

In turkey you get various nutrients by which amino acid called Tryptophan is amongst them.

Your body need this amino acid for producing the hormone serotonin which serve as sleep regulator and mood enhancement and eventually anxious feeling reduction.

6. Pumpkins seeds 

Potassium and magnesium from this food help the body in the regulation of electrolyte balance and hence blood pressure. 

Potassium-rich foods such as pumpkin seeds and the following ones may lessen the symptoms of both stress and anxiety. 

• Almonds
• Legumes
• Spinach
• whole grains
• Nuts 

According to Uma Naidoo “the diet with insufficient magnesium were unveiled to increase the anxiety-related behavior because of reduced serotonin in the brain".

 

Magnesium is also linked to the anxiety and mood stabilization. It also increases GABA which encourages relaxation of the body and calmness.

 7. Eggs

Eggs ingestion enrich the body with high quality proteins and vitamin D.

Eggs white contains plenty of essential amino acids such as tryptophan that lead to serotonin production and hence calmness and cool head once they are consumed. 

Sudden egg consumption as the person is affected by stress or anxiety may minimize this problem that affect one in seven people per year.

 

8. Avocado

A piece of avocado might ameliorate your mood! Yes, you’ve read clearly. 

Through its vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) it facilitates the body to make several brain chemicals that influence your temporary state of mind positively. 

Not only pyridoxine, avocados possess other B complex vitamins including; niacin, thiamine and riboflavin that enhance the function your nervous system in general. 

Their deficiencies are associated with increased anxiety and being easily agitated.   

9. Red and Blue berries

 As other fruits, berries also contain high antioxidants that may ease the symptoms of anxiety disorders which may be acute or chronic ones. 

 

Vitamin C from blueberries is thought to enhance our temper and finally even-mindedness. It is better to take these foods with other probiotic foods for balancing mood.

• Black berries
• Cranberries
• Blueberries
• Raspberries

It should be better to eat berries instead of high sugar sweet. This is because high sugar sweet consumption when hungry could cause the brain to work at sub-optimal level and puts it at greater risk for depressive symptoms which are linked to anxiety.

  

Bottom line

Anxiety is a normal mental disorder that can be triggered by different health concerns in environment and can be experienced by anyone. 

An individual who is anxious commonly experience; irritability, fatigue, sweating, lack of concentration, insomnia, palpitation, fear and nausea.

Auspiciously, different foods may intervene in your mood restoration.

Any of these; dark chocolate, piece of avocado, asparagus, fermented foods, some fruits such as berries may save your day. 

These foods nourish our body with different vitamins, minerals, and other macronutrients that have been proved to make better anxious moments through different body mechanisms.

well balanced meal should be an awesome tool to maintain our mood and avoid chronic anxiety that can arise from deficiency of some nutrients that are crucial to our brain functioning.

If anxiety overwhelm or happens for long time you should go to specialized health care providers for further consultations. 

 

 

Sources

 

1. Ansari, W. El and Berg-beckhoff, G. (2015) ‘Nutritional Correlates of Perceived Stress among University Students in Egypt’, pp. 14164–14176. doi: 10.3390/ijerph121114164.
2. Khan, S. and Khan, R. A. (2016) ‘Journal of Depression & Anxiety’, 5(1), pp. 1–3. doi: 10.4200/2167-1044.1000220.
3. Science, H. N., Control, S. and Biosciences, H. (no date) ‘Project team of the 21’, 51(5), pp. 139–145.
4. www.health.havard.edu/blog/nutritional-strategies-to-ease-anxiety-20160413441&hl=RW accessed on 4^th august 2020