Tasty foods to help ease anxiety

[hoppipolla]

hi all :)

I've recently started a new job and my anxiety which was previously bad has gone through the roof ._.

Really non-stop, headache-inducing panic at the back of my head >.<

I know all the reasons for mine are psychological as opposed to like, genetic or an innate lack of serotonin or some such, so to tackle the root of the problem I need to address the mental and emotional issues, but finding foods that help with anxiety may help to "cap" it and keep it under control until I can work out how to get rid of it completely.

SO! which foods should I stock up on? :)

I would rather make more of them proper foods as opposed to tablets, but one or two tablets a day is ok. I've been looking into

Bananas - serotonin and all sorts of good stuff
Oats - helps with release of serotonin
Avocado - apparently it's good for serotonin too but maybe I should just eat a second banana lol


In tablet form...

Omega 3 - not sure exactly but it's good for blood circulation and the brain, you can get vegan ones too
Garlic - apparently regulates the adrenal gland?


What are antioxidants good for? Apparently pomegranates and stuff are high in them but what do they do?

Ok that's that! I'm hoping we can compile a nice little list of the best foods, and maybe all come up with a No More Panic breakfast? lol :D


PS and we should all drink lots of water too lol :)

[Insomniac]

Hi there

I started thinking about eating better after a bad time last summer.

I find that slow release energy foods are good because then you don't get that sugar low which can be mistaken for anxiety. Oats are good, wholegrain breads and cereals too. I keep flapjacks or oat biscuits or banana handy if I'm not sure when I'll get a break. These keep me balanced.

Try to stay off the coffee and tea too. I usually have 1 or 2 cups of tea in a day and drink decaff or orange squash at other times. I missed coffee at first, but its worth it to cut down on the stimulants (we've got enough off those in our heads already!)

I started taking some vitamins too, because as a girly I find that PMT times I am more anxious. But the stuff I take (as well as primrose oil) has magnesium, calcium and B vitamins which apparently are good for sufferers of anxiety. If you can get all these things from your food then obviously its better, but I find a supplement useful.

I do find that I am much better when I eat healthily. And also I need to make sure I sleep well. I used to be on the computer late a night, but find my nerves far more jangly if I haven't had enough sleep, which makes me more anxious.

Hope this helps a bit, doing all these things certainly has made a difference to me.

[hoppipolla]

yeah you're right about the late nights! they are not helping me, i need to sort my sleeping patterns out and get full nights.

Magnesium, calcium and vitamin B are interesting points - i wonder which foods are high in those - i bet bananas are again rofl they are high in everything ^_^

[Annabelle]

hi

dont have much to add to the no more panic breakfast but would love to eat more healthily and in a way that benefits my war on anxiety!!

Just read your care2 profile - neer heard of the site beofre but found it very interesting, as an environmental studies student it could be a useful one!!

love anna xoxo

ps - love your rabbit , mine is called rupert!

[hoppipolla]

yeah hehe i think an NMP breakfast would be a really good idea ^_^ I reckon we would notice a big improvement :)

[Insomniac]

Hi Hoppi

Good old bananas eh? lol. I have a book my lovely hubby bought me called the Food Bible by Judith Wills which has so much easy access information about food and health.

B1 is in pork, bacon, nuts and quorn chunks.
B2 in offal (liver, pate etc), dairy produce and fortified breakfast cereal like special K, weetabix etc.
B3 in meat, fish and fortified breakfast cereals, special K, chicken, tuna etc.
B6 in meats, fish, eggs, whole grains, fortified cereals, turbot, salmon, chicken.
B12 in offal and meat, eg. lambs liver, mussels, oysters, anchovies etc.

Calcium in cheese, yoghurt & milk, also dark green leafy veg.
Zinc -wheatgerm, oysters, cocoa powder, quorn, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds
Magnesium - cocoa powder, brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, pine nuts.

There's so much info in the book, I tried to pick out some ideas for you without writing a novel!! Its a really interesting read though, my hubby bought it when I was suffering quite badly and getting interested in changing my diet to help. Although obviously giving up chocolate is not an option!!! Anyway isn't dark chocolate good for you??

[Greeneyed]

I believe Marmite is a good source of B vitamins! I take a muti B vitamin Complex.

Oily fish (salmon, tuna, mackerel) is a good source of your essential fatty acids, if you are veggi you can try Flax Seed oil.

Milk before bedtime is supposed to help also.

No no to anything with caffiene, too much sugar or alcohol. (okay maybe a bit in moderation!)

In place of coffee and tea, I find camomile tea helps me enormously with a number of things - anxiety, stomach upset, period pains etc.

Although it's full of caffiene and sugar, I trully beieve that chocolate is good for you :)

[Gabby]

antioxidants are good at neutralising free radicals in the body - cancer causing particles. Also help keep skin looking good.

A friend of the family recently wrote a book about eating right for depression. I'll find out the title and stuff and post it here when I get a chance.

G x

[hoppipolla]

cool thanks all of you, some good points and ideas :)

today, i bought some porridge oats, bananas and lavender honey, so i'll mix them tomorrow for a tasty breakfast!

I actually find though that milk and cheese and also butter make me more panicky and stuff, so I will use water instead, I prefer oats with water.

I'll let you know how i get on lol, i'll try two bananas a day. I wonder what else i could add to that breakfast ^_^

[hoppipolla]

it's done! lol

i'll put the silly pictures up here asap hehe ^_^

[Dying_Swan]

From what I've read.....Apricots (also Peaches and Nectarines) and Savoy Cabbage are supposed to be good for anxiety. Might want to leave the cabbage out at breakfast time :winks:

Spinach is full of all-sorts of good-for-you things. Seeds are great too, and easy to add into most things (try pumpkin, sunflower, sesame seeds etc). You can put seeds onto cereal in the morning as part of that NMP brekkie :)

And yes, everything recommends whole grains. They are a slow-release carbohydrate, which helps to regulate your blood glucose levels.....definitely helps reduce anxiety.

Personally, I am convinced that alcohol, cigarettes, chocolate and coffee are the way to go. Not sure Nutritionists would agree :winks:

xx

[hoppipolla]

Ok! here are my pics! and yeah I think DS is right you could definitely use dried apricots or something in there instead of say the raisins - just don't leave out the banana! and I can officially confirm that it DOES work! I had it this morning and a second banana later in the day and plenty of water, and my anxiety was much better :)

Also, make sure you eat and drink enough during the day, and steer clear of too much dairy.

http://www.ukhippy.com/gallery/files/7/9/7/DSCF1199.JPG


^_^

[hoppipolla]

it's killed all my images! what on earth!? that sucks!

[hoppipolla]

could someone please tell me why? :(