Anxiety & diet - an experiment.

[temperancebrennan]

I've been a sufferer of anxiety for over 6 years now.

Having had a few really bad weeks & day after day of feeling of feeling sorry for myself, I woke up one morning & thought to myself "I'm not putting up with this any longer! I have to stop hoping that things will get better & actually do something about it!"

So, I started researching about various foods that can help anxiety with calming properties & specific vitamins that help with nerve function etc.

I hope this post helps people!


Here goes!!


I first of all wanted to do a detox, to get rid of anything negative that might be lurking around in my body. So, as of tomorrow, I'm starting a 3 say green smoothie detox. This just involves drinking a different green smoothie, 3 times a day, for 3 days.
It just so happens that spinach, bananas & lemons are meant to be good for anxiety. So it can only help, in my opinion.

Now, for the foods that I'm going to incorporate into my diet more. These are foods that various anxiety related blogs and websites have deemed to be beneficial for people with anxiety.

- Spinach (due to high levels of magnesium & folic acid which are calming & can help fatigue & depression)

- Kale (surprisingly high in calcium which is meant to have a calming effect & reduce stress)

- Almonds (packed with zinc which helps to control a balanced mood. Also full of magnesium & selenium)

- Broccoli (for the stress fighting B vitamins and again, folic acid)

Bananas & avocados (both high in potassium which, having a lack of, can cause anxiety symptoms)

- Oats and whole grain foods (whole grains can boost serotonin levels, which help raise moods & aid relaxation)

- Cottage cheese, milk (obviously high in calcium, which has a calming effect) I myself do not drink cows milk, but get my calcium through oat milk & rice milk.

- Peaches and blueberries (both of these fruits have been found to have calming properties)

Camomile tea (a well known help for people with anxiety due to its natural calming effects)

I am going to make sure I eat a lot more of these types of food to see if it makes a difference. As everything is healthy, it can't hurt to try & will also help me to feel better inside.

I have started using some of these foods daily already, such as I always use a banana & blueberries in my morning smoothie. But to have more feel good foods, can only make things better.

I will let you all know how this goes. If people are interested, that is. But it's very interesting to me that certain foods can help to calm & protect our body & minds. Starting simple.

If anyone else is going to give this a shot, let me know :)

[FedUp]

I am very interested in how this works out for you! I cannot get any medicine right now and am always looking for natural ways to help relieve some of this anxiety! Please keep me posted as to how you are doing and if its working. I don't have a lot of money to spend on things that don't work so if it works for you, I will definetly spend some money on trying this!!

[hiswaywardgirl]

Great idea, let us know how it goes! :)

Are you avoiding processed sugars? I think that's been linked to anxiety as well.

[alankay]

I always feel better when I eat lots of fruits and especially veggies. Whole grains too.
How have you Been? Alankay

[alankay]

I always feel better when I eat lots of fruits and especially veggies. Whole grains too.
How have you Been? Alankay

[Alita]

Hi there,
I just finished researching natural remedies for anxiety. I do not want meds, so I will try what u all mentioned. I am thinking of the exercise, or the herbal tea scene. Anyone has other treatments to share, please let me know! Alita

[temperancebrennan]

I have been doing the green smoothie detox for 2 days now. I've had 3 a day, but also had a main meal at the end of the day too because I'm a little fatty & couldn't cope with being hungry haha! :)

I'm not sure what difference I feel just yet, as my anxiety is still happening, but it's still very early days in the whole diet change process.

Saying that, I definitely feel brighter in the morning for having a smoothie, green or otherwise. I've been doing this for about 4 weeks & I definitely feel better in the morning & more awake. I think probably because of the fruit sugar, but I don't have anything else with breakfast & I also don't feel hungry until lunch. I can't drink caffeine because of my anxiety, but this seems to wake me up very well & I don't find myself yawning at my desk at 10am like I usually would. So for me, morning smoothies (usually incorporating blueberries & bananas amongst other fruits) gets a thumbs up from me!

In regards to natural remedies, I find that the Bachs pastilles are good for feeling calmer if I feel my symptoms coming on (usually between 2 & 3pm daily). So the pastilles are nice & they're quite discrete so if you're embarrassed about trying to hide anxiety, like I am, then it's a good option I think.

[FedUp]

Always wondered if the Bach's remedies worked. Will have to get some and try them!!

[temperancebrennan]

I'm not sure if they're a placebo or if they do work properly, but they do make me feel better. It's a comfort, if anything.
I usually feel a whole lot better after 3 pastilles. They're also cheaper than the drops or spray, so it's a good one to start with. Hope they help you.

[stocktona]

This is awesome! And what I plan on doing as well :) vitamin b complex, magnesium, potassium all connected to anxiety as well. I'm going to be taking all and doing smoothies. I used to do it and felt great! Congrats to you and I hope it works well! Keep us posted :)

[jsrlifter]

This is awesome! And what I plan on doing as well :) vitamin b complex, magnesium, potassium all connected to anxiety as well. I'm going to be taking all and doing smoothies. I used to do it and felt great! Congrats to you and I hope it works well! Keep us posted :)

Are these vitamins okay to take with meds?

[stocktona]

Jsrlifter,

Yes they're ok to take with meds. They're just regular old vitamins lol. The b complex is just all you b's and I've found out from experience having a low potassium level will mess with your nerves and all kinds of other annoying things :)

[jsrlifter]

Jsrlifter, Yes they're ok to take with meds. They're just regular old vitamins lol. The b complex is just all you b's and I've found out from experience having a low potassium level will mess with your nerves and all kinds of other annoying things :)

Thanks, I've had a rough last 6 months

[jerilyn]

Temperance, I think your ideas will be helpful to many. Obviously you have done a lot of research and know what you're talking about. I'll be very interested in knowing if you feel a difference, & I'll buy some spinach, kale & bananas today! Feeling "brighter" sounds GREAT! Thanks!

[temperancebrennan]

I've had a rough few weeks anxiety wise. The diet changes isn't going to make an impact straight away, but I know it will help in the long run.

I still have a smoothie every day. One of my favourites, which I think will really help with anxiety, is a mix of blueberries (1 small punnet - 150g), 1 banana & 1 or 2 peaches blended with some milk or yoghurt or water. I love this any time of day & the ingredients are meant to be helpful for anxiety. Also really good for you.

[jessed03]

Le bump.

Update please Temperance on any anxiety improvements due to your diet/new drug :)

(If any)