Healthy Foods For Reducing Anxiety

Anxiety is a common condition, and something we all deal with at one time or another. Small things can cause your anxiety to ramp up, from impending deadlines at work to issues in your personal life.

Constant exposure to stress-provoking triggers can make your anxiety worse, to the point where it impacts your health, wellbeing, and day-to-day life.

If anxiety is getting the best of you, the best thing you can do is seek help from a medical professional. A doctor or therapist can give you guidance on how to treat your anxiety effectively, and may suggest methods like cognitive behavioral therapy or medication.

However, there are also things you can do to reduce anxiety yourself, like changing your diet.

Foods For Reducing Anxiety

Lifestyle changes can have a huge impact on your anxiety levels. For instance, getting more sleep and exercising frequently will both help you manage your emotions more effectively.

Studies also show that certain foods can influence your anxiety too.

Here are some of the best foods to eat if you’re struggling with anxiety.

Brazil Nuts

High in selenium, Brazil nuts can help minimize your anxiety by reducing inflammation – something that’s often heightened when you’re feeling panicked and stressed. Selenium is also an antioxidant, which can assist with preventing cell damage.

Outside of Brazil nuts, mushrooms, soybeans, and many other products contain a healthy amount of selenium. Just keep in mind that you shouldn’t eat too much. Excessive selenium (more than 400 micrograms per day) can cause unwanted side effects.

Brazil Nuts are also a good source of Vitamin E. Some studies indicate deficiencies in vitamin E can increase the risk of depression and similar conditions.

Fatty Fish

Fatty fish like mackerel, salmon, and sardines are high in omega-3 – a substance with a strong connection to mental health and cognitive function. Eating too much omega-6 and not enough omega-3 could actually increase your chances of developing a mood disorder.

Foods high in omega-3 that also contain alpha-linolenic acid provide essential fatty acids called EPA and DHA, which regulate neurotransmissions and improve brain function. One study found that EPA and DHA supplementation resulted in reduced anxiety levels.

Eggs

Eggs have a lot of benefits when consumed regularly. Egg yolks are a great source of vitamin D, and they’re packed full of protein. Eggs also contain tryptophan, a special kind of amino acid which helps in the creation of serotonin.

Serotonin is one of the crucial chemical neurotransmitters responsible for regulating memory, sleep, mood, and behavior. It’s also thought to be excellent for reducing anxiety and improving brain function.

Pumpkin Seeds

Aside from being delicious, pumpkin seeds are a fantastic source of potassium, which help regulate electrolytes and manage blood pressure. Eating foods rich in potassium, like pumpkin seeds and bananas, can reduce anxiety and stress.

Pumpkin seeds are also a fantastic source of zinc. Studies conducted with high school students found deficiencies in zinc can negatively affect mood. Zinc is also critical for brain and nerve development, and the largest stores of zinc in the body are the regions of the brain connected to emotion.

Turmeric

A super-food often used in Indian and South-East Asian foods, turmeric is packed full of curcumin, which can help to reduce anxiety by lowering oxidative stress and inflammation. Studies into curcumin have found it’s effective at reducing anxiety in adults with obesity.
Other studies have found an increase in curcumin in the diet can increase DHA and reduce anxiety. This substance is very easy to add to meals because it doesn’t have a lot of excess flavor.

Chamomile

There’s a reason why so many people recommend drinking a cup of chamomile tea when you’re feeling anxious. This substance is a natural anti-inflammatory, as well as an antioxidant. Some people believe the anti-anxiety properties of chamomile come from its flavonoids.

Studies have shown that using chamomile tea can help to reduce anxiety symptoms.

Green Tea

If chamomile tea doesn’t appeal to you, try brewing up a cup of green tea instead. This substance contains an incredible amino acid known as theanine.

This powerful substance has both calming and anti-anxiety effects, and may help to increase the production of dopamine and serotonin.

Green tea is an easy substance to add to your diet too. It’s a great replacement for coffee and other beverages, and you can even mix it into smoothies.

The Benefits Of More Zinc in Your Diet

Unless you already know you’re at risk of a zinc deficiency, you probably don’t spend much time thinking about how much of this nutrient you get into your diet. Unlike other substances, zinc doesn’t usually get a lot of attention in dietary articles.

However, zinc is critical for supporting a range of important functions in the body. Because your body doesn’t produce zinc naturally, you need to obtain it through food or supplements. But what exactly are the benefits of getting more zinc in your diet?

Let’s take a look at the true potential of zinc.

What Is Zinc?

Zinc is one of your body’s essential nutrients, which means you can’t store or produce it yourself. Instead, you need to get a consistent supply through your diet.

Zinc is found in a range of plants and animals, and you can even get food fortified with the nutrient in your grocery store.

Zinc plays a number of important roles in your body, helping with things like:

● Growth and development
● Wound healing
● DNA synthesis
● Protein synthesis
● Immune function
● Enzymatic reactions
● Gene Expression

Without zinc, your body simply wouldn’t function as it’s supposed to. In fact, people who suffer from deficiencies of zinc can have severe medical issues, including impaired growth and development, skin rashes, delayed sexual maturity, chronic diarrhea, and impaired wound healing.

The Benefits of Zinc Supplements

Adding more zinc to your diet with the right food or supplements can have a number of beneficial effects on your health. Zinc is necessary for the activity of more than 300 enzymes which aid in metabolism, nerve function, digestion, and other processes. It’s also crucial for immune function, skin health, and DNA synthesis.

Some of the biggest benefits of increasing your zinc intake (to the correct amounts), include:

● Improved immunity: Zinc helps keep your immune system strong, improves immune cell function, and stimulates various immune cells. Zinc supplements can significantly reduce the risk of infections and promote better immune response in adults.

● Wound healing: Zinc is often used in hospital environments when treating a range of skin injuries, like burns and certain ulcers. This is because the mineral plays an important role in inflammatory response and collagen synthesis, facilitating better healing.

● Reduced age-related diseases: Some studies indicate zinc may be able to reduce your risk of age-related issues like macular degeneration, pneumonia, and similar problems.

Zinc can relieve oxidative stress and improve immune response to protect you from infection, and even help you avoid more severe illnesses as you get older.

● Curing acne: Acne is one of the most common skin diseases in the world, driven by the obstruction of crucial oil-producing glands in the skin. Studies indicate that topical and oral zinc treatments offer an effective way of reducing inflammation and minimizing acne development.

● Reduced inflammation: Zinc plays an important role in decreasing oxidative stress, and it can also reduce various levels of inflammatory proteins in the body. Oxidative stress can lead to chronic inflammation, a contributing factor in various illnesses, including heart disease and mental decline too.

● Managing blood sugar: People with diabetes are often at higher risk of zinc deficiencies. In some reports, zinc has been found to help with blood sugar control and maintaining healthy lipid parameters in people with diabetes.

Your doctor may recommend taking zinc supplements if you have diabetes, or to help improve insulin sensitivity if you’re dealing with obesity.

● Healthy heart: Various studies have indicated supplementing with zinc might support a healthy heart. Zinc can assist in lowering your total cholesterol levels and your bad cholesterol levels, protecting you from high levels of blood pressure.

While more research is needed, a zinc supplement could be good for protecting against heart conditions.

● Sexual health: Low zinc levels have been shown to lead to issues like fertility problems and delayed sexual development. As a result, some researchers believe taking zinc supplements might be a useful way to improve hormone balance and enhance overall sexual health.

Do You Need a Zinc Supplement?

One thing to keep in mind if you’re considering taking a zinc supplement, is that not everyone will need one. Genuine zinc deficiencies are quite rare because there are a lot of foods naturally high in zinc.

For instance, meats like beef and pork, as well as fish, poultry, and countless dairy products are high in zinc. You can also find this substance in shellfish, legumes, needs and seeds, eggs and whole grains. Even some vegetables have high amounts of zinc.

If you’re concerned about your zinc levels, you might be better-off changing your diet before you consider a supplement.

Did you find this post fun, informative and useful? If so, please share it with others!

If you have a comment, question or suggestion, please leave a comment below!

Cheers, Helene Malmsio


Related Reading: Healthy Eating Plan

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