When you’re suffering from crippling anxiety it can feel nearly impossible to spare any excess energy on worrying about what you should or shouldn’t eat. Choosing food that is good for your body and brain, however, is one of the easiest things you can do to support your mental health. By making a few simple changes to your overall diet, you can experience improved anxiety symptoms.
The Importance of Water
Water has been shown to decrease the intensity of anxiety. Water has a huge effect on our overall mental health since dehydration will slow circulation, thereby getting less oxygen to the brain. The University of Connecticut’s Human Performance Laboratory researched the effects of not enough oxygen in the brain, and they found that dehydration resulted in “degraded mood, increased perception of task difficulty, lower concentration, and headache symptoms.” Dehydration can be avoided by sufficient water intake, with a good rule of thumb being half your weight in ounces of water per day.
Magnesium Rich Foods
It’s been studied that diets low in magnesium induced anxiety-related behaviors. Therefore, eating foods rich in magnesium can be of benefit to people experiencing anxiety. Some of the best sources of magnesium include spinach, pumpkin seeds, avocado, dark chocolate, and bananas.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3s are highly anti-inflammatory and are most commonly consumed through eating fatty fish. With growing evidence linking depression to inflammation, lowering inflammation is an essential part of using nutrition for your mental health. Combining Omega-3s with turmeric and black pepper has shown even greater benefit in alleviating anxiety. Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, is behind the anxiety and depression-alleviating properties of turmeric. Curcumin helps balance out the neurotransmitters responsible for a mood like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.
Herbal Teas
Electing for a cup of herbal tea is a far better choice for your stress and anxiety than the afternoon coffee. Unlike the high levels of caffeine in coffee that release stress hormones and fuel anxiety, herbal teas don’t include caffeine and instead promote feelings of relaxation and comfort. Some of the best herbal teas to try for mood include lemongrass, peppermint, saffron, turmeric, and ginseng.
Many people suffer daily from anxiety since it is the most common mental illness in the United States. Luckily, there are simple dietary changes you can make at home to help alleviate the intensity of your anxiety. At Avalon Malibu, our staff provides both standard nutritional intervention and dynamic dietary support to our patients. All patients arriving at Avalon Malibu for rehabilitation first have a nutritional assessment and guidance session because we believe in giving individualized treatment that focuses on complete healing. For more information on how we can help you, call us at (844) 857-5992.
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