Anti Anxiety Diet

Does the deadline seem more manageable when you're armed with a bag of cookies? It's true that food soothes. But when life's stresses add up to an anxiety attack, you don't need the food that you eat to make you more even anxious.

Thinking about the foods you consume can be difficult during the holiday season, but for those who tend to suffer with the added stress that comes this time of year, eating right may be essential to your survival.

Most of us understand that eating healthy foods and keeping your snacking to a minimum is important, but studies have shown that panic attacks and general anxiety can be greatly reduced if you take care to eat right. Here's how the Anti-Anxiety Diet can help you choose the right foods to stay calm -- even when you're faced with stressful situations:

1. Complex carbs act as tranquilizers by increasing your amount of serotonin, the neurotransmitter that calms, in your brain. This includes lots of fruits and whole-wheat foods to increase your complex carb intake.
2. Tryptophan -- a precursor to seratonin -- has a calming effect on the body. This includes turkey and milk choices, both of which contain tryptophan.
3. Caffeine can make you jittery and anxious. substitute a cup of calming herbal tea, such as St. John's Wort or chamomile, for your morning pick-me-up.
4. Chronic dehydration -- however slight -- can cause feelings of anxiety. That's why your diet must include plenty of water, often with some lemon or lime added to liven it up.
5. Frequent, small meals can help keep blood-sugar levels even. Eat a variety of healthy snacks to reduce the jitters that can accompany low blood sugar.



Healthy Dos and Don'ts


Do:
Take a multivitamin supplement that includes B and B6. Even undetectable malnutrition can lead to feelings of anxiety

Exercise daily. The endorphins produced make you feel relaxed, plus exercise reduces muscle tension and blood pressure

Drink plenty of water or other fluids like herb tea

Don't:
consume alcohol. Sure, a glass of wine before a big date takes the edge off, but the calming effect of alcohol is short-lived. Once it has worn off, there is a likelihood that your level of anxiety will actually increase

Eat every treat presented to you. It is OK to say “no thanks” even to mom.