Anxiety foods!

[grahampb]

Im doing a bit research today on foods that make us anxious and foods that we find calming! Having read some things, its obvious that we should avoid caffeine and alcohol, whilst eating more fruit and veg. I also find having a large protein meal in the morning such as a fry up will make me very tired and stressed through out the day, hence increasing my anxiety levels. I also drink a lot of water with sugar free flavouring. I was wondering if anyone has an idea of an alternative extract I can add to water to make it taste nicer. I drink at least 2-3 litres of water a day so I find it very boring drinking it on its own. Half a litre of water in the morning is very therapeutic for me. I find it very calming. This may be because it is fuelling the body to set me up for the day.

[anxiousrecoverer]

Caffeine and alcohol are good to stay away from, and I guess heavy meals can hit your stomach harder if it is feeling sensitive (mine often does). I tend to go for something soothing in the morning like porridge.

Careful not to drink too much water. Your body doesn't need as much as you think if you are not sweating a lot and if you drink too much you are washing important nutrients from your body and will end up feeling less healthy. However, saying that, it doesn't really matter how much you drink, not as much as people think it does anyway. If you drank four or five litres a day you could be putting yourself in danger, just as if you were drinking too little. But so long as you feel ok you should be fine.

I normally use dilutable juice to make water taste more pleasant, though I don't think sugar free flavourings will do you any harm. Some sugar free food and drink contains an ingredient that can cause diarrhoea if you have it in excess, but you do have to have quite a lot of it.

You could always try herbal teas as a way to flavour water if you want a hot drink as well. Peppermint and fennel are really good if you've got an anxious tummy or you're feeling nauseous, while I find camomile is a very calming drink, probably because it has a pleasant smell.

The thing I notice most about anxiety and diet is that I need to eat regularly and if I eat things I perceive as unhealthy I will feel worse, while if I eat things I perceive as healthy I will feel better. I'm not sure whether that is the diet having a direct affect on my anxiety or whether it is because of my perception of the food and the psychological feedback I'm giving myself, but certainly a 'clean and healthy' feeling diet with light meals and plenty of fresh fruit and veg makes a big difference to me, as does making sure I do not get overly hungry. Exercise is fantastic too!

[grahampb]

Thanks anxious recoverer! This pretty much sums up my diet. I would say that your idea about using some herbal teas to flavour the water is a good idea. I will try that this week. I do a lot of exercise so that is why i drink so much water and i eat plenty of light meals to refuel the body. I also eat porage in the morning with dried fried which makes a massive difference to the beginning of my day!

[lottysunshine]

camomlie tea and green tea are good.. Nuts, especially almonds, seeds and dried fruit such as apricots. Fresh peaches, acacai berries,and good chocolate..xxx

I now eat several small snack like meals a day and have ditched a lot of carbs and all the fried stuff and cut the fat.. I feel so much more calm and look better with the added bonus of losing a stone and half in a month

blessings ~

[hamish1]

I would also suggest that you have oily fish at least 4 times a week. A salmon or tuna sandwich will meet this quota easily. Try and drink peppermint tea at least twice a day. Find 10 minutes at work to go somewhere quite and close your eyes and relax.

[princess01]

Camomile, vanilla, and honey tea is just brilliant

[grahampb]

Thanks hamish im already on the case lol and ironic that I bought Camomile, vanilla and honey yesterday. Iv let in stew in a large cup before cooling and then put it a water bottle with a touch of organic syrup. The artificial sweeteners are out the window!