Anxiety and Diet

What Every Anxiety Patient Needs to Put in Their Grocery Store Cart

Are you someone who has suffered from anxiety and plan on going grocery shopping soon? If so, this article is for you.

Why not put the foods inside your grocery cart that could potentially help relieve your anxiety and decrease the number of times you get anxiety during the week?

What are these healing foods? They are fruits and vegetables, which are full of vitamins and minerals. They are protein foods that feed your mind the basic nutrients needed to create neurotransmitters. They are foods that are high in omega 3 fats, which can calm you and prevent mood swings.

Here’s a list of more specific foods to put into your shopping cart:

1. Fruits

   Since anxiety and diet are closely related, high antioxidant foods could impact the anxiety by quenching free radicals. Along with anxiety comes fatigue shortly thereafter but antioxidants prevent the fatigue. Foods that are high in antioxidants are any of the following:

   Oranges Mango Lemons Blueberries Watermelon Crenshaw Tangerines Apricots Limes

   Blackberries Cantaloupe Passion Fruit Grapefruit Plums Strawberries Raspberries Honeydew Kiwi

2. Vegetables 

   Vegetables are very “grounding", meaning that they can stabilize your moods. In your shopping cart, you’ll have to go beyond lettuce, potatoes and tomatoes! Put many different types of vegetables into your cart – here are some ideas:

   Carrots Green Onions Radishes Parsnips Hot Peppers Parsley Cherry Tomatoes Broccoli Sweet Onions Horseradish Zucchini

   Green Peppers Mint Roma Tomatoes Cauliflower Yellow Onions Garlic Cucumbers Red Peppers Cilantro Tomatillo Peppers

   Looking at this list, can you select eight vegetables you could eat during the week?

3. Protein Foods

   Many people notice a big difference in anxiety levels once they up their protein levels; they are often eating too little protein. Your body and brain needs protein so you can concentrate, to regulate your moods through neurotransmitters, and for memory. Strive for a minimum of 4 ounces protein with each meal. The amount of four ounces is equal to about the size of your hand (palm).Protein foods include beef, lamb, turkey, chicken, buffalo, duck, capon, pork, fish, and shellfish. Dairy products also have good amounts of protein, so feel free to include them as long as you are not allergic to them. Of these types of protein, can you find three or four that you could eat all during the week?

4. Foods high in omega 3 fats

   Some foods that are high in omega 3 fats include salmon, other fatty fish, flax seeds and chia seeds. Hemp seeds are also high in omega 3 fats. Including any of these foods in your shopping cart will help your brain begin to regulate your moods.From this list, can you select one or two foods high in omega 3 fats to eat during the week?

Now make a decision to change your diet via the next trip to the grocery store. See what happens in a few weeks to your anxiety.