Lessening Your Anxiety With Your Fork

Have you considered that what you put on your fork can increase or decrease your risk of anxiety?

Foods are how your body provides the brain with what it needs to make neurotransmitters, many of which contribute to anxiety when out of balance.

The SAD (standard American diet) contributes to chronic low-grade inflammation that often leads to anxiety. Sugars, preservatives, distorted fats, refined flours, pesticides, herbicides, alcohol, and loads of other chemical toxins. These fake foods can wreak havoc on your gut – causing leaky gut, imbalances in the gut known as dysbiosis, cause physical stress, over stimulate the brain and create hyperactive emotions, leading to a greater chance of experiencing anxiety. Lack of digestive capacity, which slows the body’s ability to breakdown nutrients like amino acids, hello serotonin and dopamine, (which are created by amino acids!) that contribute greatly to one’s emotional body, can also be a huge factor in experiencing anxiety. 

The ideal foods for mental health are ones that consist of nutrients needed to make neurotransmitters: whole organic foods like veggies and fruits, healthy fats, clean organic fish and meats for MORE PROTEIN, and just eating diversely within each food group. Supplementing with minerals, a few vitamins and fish oil will also greatly increase promoting your calm brain AND support better sleep. 

FOODS For Calm:

-Magnesium-Rich Foods support memory function, regulate mood and stress, muscle relaxation and sleep, blood sugar control, healthy bone density, cardiovascular support, detox pathyways, happy gut motility and more. Some favs are…pumpkin seeds, greens, sprouts, avocados, wild-caught fish, dark chocolate and grass-fed dairy.

-B Vitamin-Rich Foods are co factors in making neurotransmitters. They also form red blood cells, increase energy, support immune, memory, detox pathways and skin and hair health. Deficiencies in B9(folate) and B12 may be linked to anxiety. Good sources of B vitamins include organ meats (liver and kidneys), mackerel, eggs, greens, almonds, seaweed, grass-fed meats, nuts, seeds, and grass-fed dairy products.

-Healthy Fats like fish oil (salmon, herring, sardines) are a brain food, avocado, nuts n seeds, olives and coconut. These healthy omega-3s and 6s play a vital role in reducing neuroinflammation and anxiety.

-Increasing Clean Protein, like oily fish, pastured poultry, eggs, grass-fed meats, to build up calming neurotransmitters. Taking amino acids directly replenishes neurotransmitter levels.

-Probiotic Foods like sauerkraut and kimchi can support gut health, which our gut is known as our second brain. 

-Bone Broth contains amino acids that support neurotransmitter activity, good fat, and helps to seal leaky gut, as anxiety has a strong gut / brain connection. 

AVOID:

GLUTEN, which is highly inflammatory, Processed/packaged foods, over consumption of sugar/refined carbs, GMO/glyphosate, alcohol, excessive caffeine consumption, food additives and dyes.

Give a few of these tips a try and see for yourself how much control you actually do have in supporting your mental health. I’m here for you if you are curious and would like to explore this idea further.

Erica Ingier