Eat Away Your Anxiety

You won't hear this very often from a nutritionist: Sometimes you've got to emotional eat. There are instances when you can eat away whatever is eating you. Before you get too excited and run out to Krispy Kreme, find out what foods actually work and what will make your anxiety worse.

• Eat complex carbohydrates. During anxious times, turn to carbohydrates. Carbohydrates act as a tranquilizer by increasing the amount of serotonin, the neurotransmitter in your brain that calms. Complex carbohydrates, such as baked potatoes, whole-wheat bread or low-sugar whole grain cereal, take longer to digest than sugary carbohydrates, so the effect is longer lasting. This helps prevent rebound hypoglycemia often caused by too much sugar, which would make the anxiety worse in the long run. For the best results eat your carbs straight, without fat or protein to interfere with the effect.
• Don’t get too hungry. Ever notice how edgy people on diets are? Chronic hunger can cause anxiety, even in folks not prone to it. That’s because blood sugar levels are too low to sustain brain levels of seratonin.
• Include omega-3 fatty acids in your diet: Although evidence isn’t conclusive, there is evidence that including essential fatty acids in your diet helps alleviate anxiety and depression. Good sources are salmon, flax oil, nuts and seeds and some specially bred eggs.
  
• Take a multivitamin and mineral supplement. Even subclinical malnutrition or deficiencies can lead to feelings of anxiety. The B vitamins, whose role it is to unlock the energy in food, are especially crucial, particularly B-6, which helps manufacture serotonin in the brain. Choose a daily supplement that supplies 100 percent of the daily recommendation of all vitamins and minerals.
• Stay well hydrated. Chronic dehydration, however slight, can cause anxiety. Gulp! Be sure to get your eight glasses a day.
• Break the caffeine habit. Colas, coffee, tea or chocolate, no matter where you get your caffeine, too much of it can overwhelm your nervous system and take you from heightened alertness over the edge into nervousness, anxiety and, in excess, panic attacks. For many folks, eliminating caffeine from their diet may be the biggest benefit.
• Eliminate alcohol. Many people reach for a drink to calm their nerves, but the result can be just the opposite. For some, the hangover, insomnia, increased urination, subsequent dehydration and thirst set the stage for anxiety. In some cases alcohol can lead to panic attacks. A glass of diluted 100% fruit juice is a better drink choice in stressful situations.
• Try herbal remedies. Many herbs are showing promise as anxiety relievers, including, St. John's Wort, chamomile and lemon balm. Be sure to check with a health-care professional before using any of these, particularly if you are on other medications, pregnant or nursing. While not an herb, a supplement of the amino-acid, tryptophan, has been shown to relieve anxiety in some people. That may be because your brain can make seratonin out of tryptophan.
• Exercise. It's not a food, but it can't be ignored in any discussion of stress. Plenty of exercise is the one of the best all-natural ways to reduce stress and anxiety. It relieves muscle tension, reduces blood pressure and, if prolonged, produces endorphins that make you feel relaxed.