Anxiety Attacks Nutrition

What we put in our body can have a direct impact on how we feel physically and emotionally. It is important to be aware of what you are putting in your body and how some foods could actually be increasing your experience of anxiety – especially if you are a sensitive person. Some of the anxiety your experience may actually be due to particular stimulants your are consuming, or deficiencies in particular vitamins and minerals. The following information is extremely important in your overall recovery program from anxiety. Think about your lifestyle and what you may be doing that could be exasperating your anxiety. Something as simple as learning how to plant a raised bed garden can provide you with the benefits of exercise, brain engagement, stress relief, and great food that isn’t covered in pesticides, for example. Bourne,E.J. in his book ‘The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook’,( 1995), outlines how stimulants, salt, preservatives, hormones in meat, and sweet refined foods can potentially exasperate your anxiety.

Stimulants Caffeine – coffee, tea, alcohol, coke stimulate an adrenal response in your body, which can provoke anxiety, nervousness and insomnia to name a few side effects. They also deplete the body of necessary vitamins and minerals that help balance our mood and nervous system. Recommended dosage – less than 100mg per day (one cup of percolated coffee or two diet cola beverages per day. Less than 50mg per day is preferable. Nicotine – this is as strong as caffeine – it stimulates increased physiological arousal, vasoconstriction and makes your heart work harder. Smokers tend to be more anxious than non-smokers and tend to sleep less well than non-smokers Stimulant Drugs – beware of prescription drugs that contain caffeine and amphetamines, and recreational drugs such as cocaine that increase levels of anxiety and panic attacks in people using them. Salt

Salt depletes the body of potassium, a mineral important to the proper functioning of the nervous system. Salt raises blood pressure that in turn puts a strain on the heart and arteries and hastens arteriolosclerosis. Recommended dosage – do not excess 1gm of salt per day.

Preservatives There are over 5000 chemical additives in commercial food processing. Our bodies are not equipped to handle these, and little is known about long term biological effects. Try and eat whole unprocessed foods as much as possible. Try to purchase vegetables and fruit that haven’t been treated with pesticides (organically grown). Hormones in Meat Most commercially forms of meat have been fed hormones to promote fast weight gain and growth. One hormone diethylstilbestrol (DES) has been implicated in the development of breast cancer and fibroid tumors. Try to replace red meat, pork and poultry with organically raised beef, poultry and fish such as cod, salmon, snapper, sole, trout. Sweet, refined foods

Reduce intake of sweet refined foods as these affect the blood sugar that can lead to anxiety and mood swings while also affecting how the brain functions.