Combat Anxiety Workshop Step 3: Eliminate Anxiety-Provoking Foods from Your Diet

Calm Your Nerves & Combat Anxiety: Step 3

step 3

Identify and Eliminate Anxiety-Provoking Foods from Your Diet

What you eat has a very direct and significant impact on your body's internal physiology and biochemistry. In the last twenty years the relationship between diet, stress, and mood has been well documented. It's known that certain foods and substances tend to create additional stress and anxiety, while others promote a calmer and steadier mood. Certain natural substances have a directly calming effect and others are known to have an antidepressant effect. Many of you may not yet recognize connections between how you feel and what you eat. You simply may not notice that the amount of coffee or cola beverages you drink aggravates your anxiety level. Or you may be unaware of any connection between your consumption of sugar and anxiety, depression, or PMS symptoms. The information in these sections is based on my personal experience and reading in the field of nutrition. It is intended to be suggestive only — not prescriptive. If you wish to make an in-depth assessment and reevaluation of your diet, I recommend that you consult a nutritionist, or a physician who is knowledgeable about nutrition. Next Page: Learn what substances can aggravate anxiety

Substances That Aggravate AnxietyStimulants: CaffeineOf all the dietary factors that can aggravate anxiety and trigger panic attacks, caffeine is the most notorious. Many people find that they feel calmer and sleep better after they've reduced their caffeine consumption. Caffeine has a directly stimulating effect on several different systems in your body. It increases the level of the neurotransmitter norepinephrine in your brain, causing you to feel alert and awake. It also produces the very same physiological arousal response that is triggered when you are subjected to stress-increased sympathetic nervous system activity and a release of adrenaline. In short, too much caffeine can keep you in a chronically tense, aroused condition, leaving you more vulnerable to generalized anxiety as well as panic attacks. Caffeine further contributes to stress by causing a depletion of vitamin B1 (thiamine), which is one of the so-called anti-stress vitamins. NicotineNicotine is as strong a stimulant as caffeine. It stimulates increased physiological arousal, vasoconstriction, and makes your heart work harder. Smokers often object to this notion and claim that having a cigarette tends to calm their nerves. Research has proven, however, that smokers tend to be more anxious than nonsmokers, even when there are no differences in their intake of other stimulants, such as coffee and over-the-counter drugs. I have found that smokers, after quitting, not only feel healthier and more vital but are less prone to anxiety states and panic. Stimulant DrugsOver-the-counter drugs containing caffeine have already been mentioned. In addition to these medicines, you should be aware of prescription drugs that contain amphetamines, including Benzedrine, Dexedrine, Methedrine, and Ritalin. While these drugs used to be widely prescribed as appetite suppressants as well as antidepressants, they are rarely used today. Being strong stimulants, they are risky to use if you have a history of anxiety or panic attacks.Next Page: More substances that stress the body

Substances That Stress the Body: SaltExcessive salt (sodium chloride) stresses the body in two ways: 1) it can deplete your body of potassium, a mineral that's important to the proper functioning of the nervous system and 2) it raises blood pressure, putting extra strain on your heart and arteries and hastening arteriosclerosis. You can reduce the amount of salt you consume by avoiding the use of table salt, using a natural salt substitute (such as tamari) both in cooking and on the table, and limiting salty meats, salty snack foods, and other processed foods containing salt as much as possible. As a rule of thumb, it's good to limit your salt intake to one gram or teaspoon per day. PreservativesThere are presently about 5,000 chemical additives used in commercial food processing. Common artificial preservatives include nitrites, nitrates, potassium bisulfite, monosodium glutamate (MSG), BHT, BHA, and artificial colorings and flavorings. Our bodies are simply not equipped to handle these artificial substances and, in most cases, very little is known about their long-term biological effects. To date, some that have been thoroughly tested have been found to be carcinogenic and thus have been removed from the market. Others currently in use, especially monosodium glutamate, nitrites, and nitrates, produce allergic reactions in many people. You should try to eat whole, unprocessed foods as much as possible — the foods your body was designed to handle. Try to purchase vegetables and fruits that haven't been treated with pesticides (organically grown) if these are available in your area.Hormones in MeatRed meat, pork, and most commercially available forms of chicken are derived from animals that have been fed hormones to promote fast weight gain and growth. There is evidence that such hormones stress these animals (steers and hogs sometimes die of heart attacks on the loading platform). While there is at present no conclusive evidence, many people believe that these hormones might also have harmful effects for the human consumers of meat and meat products. Try to reduce your consumption of red meat, pork, and commercially available poultry, replacing it with organically raised beef, poultry, and fish such as cod, halibut, salmon, snapper, sole, trout, or turbot. Next Page: Get dietary guidelines that will help alleviate anxiety

Low Stress/Anxiety Dietary GuidelinesThe following guidelines are intended to be suggestive rather than prescriptive. I've developed them out of my reading in the field of nutrition and after several years of personal experimentation with my own diet. These guidelines are not intended to take the place of a detailed dietary assessment, recommendations, and meal plan devised by a competent nutritionist, dietician, or nutritionally oriented physician. Although all of the guidelines below are important, they are listed in order of their direct relevance to anxiety reduction.

Eliminate as far as possible the stimulants and stress-inducing substances — caffeine, nicotine, other stimulants, salt (down to one gram or teaspoon per day), and preservatives. (Caffeine and nicotine are the most critical for reducing anxiety.)
Eliminate or reduce to a minimum your consumption of refined sugar, brown sugar, honey, sucrose, dextrose, and other sweeteners such as corn syrup, corn sweeteners, and high fructose. Replace desserts, sugary beverages, and sweet snacks with fresh fruit and sugar-free beverages. Moderate alcohol consumption, since your body converts alcohol to sugar.
Reduce or eliminate refined and processed foods from your diet as much as possible. Replace with whole and fresh foods (preferably organic).
Eliminate or reduce to a minimum any food that you establish as an allergen.
Reduce consumption of red meat as well as poultry containing steroid hormones and other chemicals. Replace these with organic poultry and/or seafood (fish such as halibut, salmon, snapper, sole, trout, and turbot are recommended).

Next Page: More dietary guidelines

Eliminate as far as possible the stimulants and stress-inducing substances — caffeine, nicotine, other stimulants, salt (down to one gram or teaspoon per day), and preservatives. (Caffeine and nicotine are the most critical for reducing anxiety.)
Eliminate or reduce to a minimum your consumption of refined sugar, brown sugar, honey, sucrose, dextrose, and other sweeteners such as corn syrup, corn sweeteners, and high fructose. Replace desserts, sugary beverages, and sweet snacks with fresh fruit and sugar-free beverages. Moderate alcohol consumption, since your body converts alcohol to sugar.
Reduce or eliminate refined and processed foods from your diet as much as possible. Replace with whole and fresh foods (preferably organic).
Eliminate or reduce to a minimum any food that you establish as an allergen.
Reduce consumption of red meat as well as poultry containing steroid hormones and other chemicals. Replace these with organic poultry and/or seafood (fish such as halibut, salmon, snapper, sole, trout, and turbot are recommended).

Next Page: More dietary guidelines

Increase your intake of dietary fiber by eating foods such as whole grains, brans, and raw vegetables. (Note, though, that too much fiber can cause gas and bloating and interfere with the body's ability to absorb protein.)
Drink the equivalent of at least six 8-oz. glasses of bottled spring water or purified water per day.
Increase your intake of raw, fresh vegetables. A mixed-vegetable salad every day is an excellent idea.
Include one fresh (not frozen or canned) cooked vegetable in your diet each day.
Reduce animal fat and cholesterol-containing foods such as red meat, organ meats, gravy, cheeses, butter, eggs, whole milk, and shellfish to no more than 20 percent of the calories you eat. Polyunsaturated vegetable-based fats contained in cooking and salad oils should also be taken in moderation. Monounsaturated oils such as unrefined olive oil or canola oil are preferred.
To avoid excessive weight gain, consume only as much energy (calories) as you expend. Decrease caloric intake and increase exercise if you're already overweight.
Select foods from the four major food groups: 1) fruits and vegetables (four to five servings daily); 2) whole grains, including whole-grain rice, cereals, and whole-grain breads (three to four servings daily); 3) animal proteins, emphasizing organic poultry, seafoods, and eggs or legume equivalents if you are vegetarian (two to three servings daily), and 4) dairy products, emphasizing low-fat or nonfat dairy products (one or two servings daily). Your diet should emphasize the first two categories and moderate amounts of the latter two. In general, it's a good idea to move your diet in the direction of vegetarianism and away from excess consumption of animal-based foods.
Monitor what you eat for at least three days. In what ways might you improve your dietary habits? What would you actually be willing to change in the next month?

(Note: The Anxiety & Phobia Workbook contains helpful worksheets to help you track your diet.) Next Step: Do your thought patterns contribute to your anxiety?