Anxiety is an emotional, mental state marked by an unpleasant feeling of fear, worry, and uneasiness over predictable events. It is often accompanied by nervousness, constant muscular tension, fatigue, restlessness, tightness in the abdominal region, and an inability to concentrate.
Anxiety is closely associated with fear, which is quite a cognitive and emotional response to an immediate threat.
Anxiety may trigger physiological and psychiatric symptoms. The anxiety experienced with long-term symptoms and affects the quality of life is known as chronic anxiety. The one experienced with short-term symptoms or stressful panic attacks is known as acute anxiety.
The greater risk of anxiety leads to depression, a kind of mental health disorder that ruins the active life of an individual.
Due to anxiety, certain health complications like diabetes, hypertension, and neurological disorders play a crucial role in disrupting an individual’s life. We know that medications, lifestyle modifications, and self-help strategies help manage your anxiety symptoms.
In addition to these, are you looking for superfoods to relieve anxiety, boost your brain function and immunity?
Well! The best diet for anxiety has to be planned deliberately and followed to acquire stress-free, productive life.
Here are the 10 best foods to be included in your healthy diet plate that help relieve anxiety.
1. Seafood:
- Seafood such as salmon, sardines, trout, mackerel, and herring are rich in nutrients – Vitamin D and Omega-3-fatty acids.
- Omega-3-rich foods contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and two essential fatty acids, namely, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
- These fatty acid nutrients regulate the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine, which have calming and relaxing properties, reduce inflammation in the body, promote healthy brain function, and reduce anxiety and depression symptoms.
- Try including seafood like salmon in your diet 2 -3 servings per week to get the essential benefits.
2. Dark chocolate:
- Dark chocolate is a good source of magnesium and polyphenols, especially flavonoids.
- The flavonoids present in cocoa help protect your brain cells and enhance your mood. Including some dark chocolate in your diet might help reduce stress and anxiety.
- Some Flavonols such as catechin and epicatechin found in dark chocolate possess neuroprotective effects and may help improve brain function by increasing blood flow to the brain.
- In a research study, the individuals who ate dark chocolates twice daily for two weeks showed lower anxiety levels and stress.
- It is always advisable to consume only a small serving of 1 to 3 grams of dark chocolate as it contains high calories and extra fats.
3. Pumpkin seeds:
- Pumpkin seeds are one of the best foods for anxiety.
- They are a good source of zinc, essential for brain and neural development.
- The mineral Zinc is primarily stored in the brain regions and promotes a positive mood, thereby reducing anxiety in the body.
- Pumpkin seeds are also an excellent source of potassium, which helps manage blood pressure and electrolyte balance in the body.
- Potassium-rich foods like pumpkin seeds help reduce the symptoms of stress and anxiety.
4. Kiwi:
- According to research studies, oxidative stress plays a crucial role in anxiety and chronic inflammation.
- Kiwi fruits are rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, E, and folate. The combination of these nutrients in Kiwi helps reduce oxidative stress and lowers anxiety levels.
- Kiwi helps promote the levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter involved in mood change.
- Some studies have proven that eating two kiwi fruits per day can enhance your mood and relieves anxiety associated with depression.
5. Yogurt:
- Yogurt is one of the best foods to relieve anxiety.
- It is a probiotic food that contains healthy bacteria like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria and helps enhance brain function and overall mental health.
- Yogurt and other fermented foods (cheese, kimchi, and sauerkraut) possess anti-inflammatory properties and mood-boosting neurotransmitters such as serotonin which helps in reducing inflammation in the body and reduces stress and anxiety.
- In a study in 2015, it was found that consumption of probiotic yogurt products stimulated happiness in a few people, and consumption of fermented foods reduced social anxiety symptoms in youngsters.
- So, it’s an excellent option to regularly include probiotic foods like yogurt in your diet to cope with stress and anxiety levels.
6. Berries:
- Berries are fully loaded with lots of antioxidants and vitamin C sources.
- Including your diet with foods rich in antioxidants such as flavonoids help protect your cells from stress and chronic inflammation, eases your symptoms of anxiety, and boosts your brain health.
- When you feel anxious and stressed, your body requires high amounts of Vitamin C.
- Thus, eating berries rich in vitamin C helps you cope with the cortisol hormone released during stress and relieves your anxiety.
- Berries also act as a natural sugar craving that can fulfill sugar needs and fuel the brain.
- Certain studies proved that eating one serving of blueberries enhanced people’s mood within 2 hours of consumption.
- Hence, berries are the best food for anxiety relief.
7. Avocado:
- Avocado is a nutrient-packed fruit filled with stress-relieving B vitamins (riboflavin, niacin, and thiamine), Vitamin E (high-fat content), magnesium, and mono-saturated healthy fats that help lessen your anxiety.
- The deficiency of these nutrients is linked to the adverse effects of anxiety.
- Vitamin B6 present in avocados improves serotonin production in your brain, impacting your positive mood and reducing anxiety.
- Thus, adding avocado slices to smoothies and salads can be considered the best diet for anxiety.
8. Turmeric:
- Curcumin is an active compound in turmeric spice that may lower anxiety by reducing oxidative stress and chronic inflammation.
- Turmeric is a readily available spice sprinkled on your diet recipes.
- A study proved that consuming 1 gram of turmeric per day for about 30 days significantly lowered anxiety levels in the body.
- In an observational study, adding 500 milligrams of curcumin for eight weeks in dishes benefited in reducing depressive symptoms.
- Turmeric-containing curcumin compound has an influential role in increasing DHA levels in the brain, thereby relieving anxiety.
- Therefore, turmeric can be better paired with black pepper to increase curcumin absorption in the body.
9. Eggs:
- An Egg is considered the best food for anxiety because it is an excellent source of high-quality protein and Vitamin D.
- Eggs also contain all the essential amino acids that the body requires for growth and development.
- The essential amino acid tryptophan present in an egg helps produce neurotransmitters – serotonin and dopamine.
- Serotonin is a chemical neurotransmitter that can enhance mental health, regulate mood, memory, sleep, and general behavior, and plays a significant role in relieving anxiety.
10. Brazil nuts:
- Brazil nuts are a good source of Vitamin E and Selenium.
- Antioxidants like vitamin E and selenium play a beneficial role in treating anxiety by improving mood and reducing inflammation in the body.
- Selenium possesses anti-carcinogenic properties, which help prevent cancer and the effects of cell damage.
- Apart from Brazil nuts, animal products, vegetables, and other nuts such as soybeans and mushrooms also contain an excellent source of selenium.
- Some research studies have proved that low levels of Vitamin E may lead to depression mood disorders in a few people.
- Thus, including less than 3 to 4 Brazil nuts per day in your diet help in boosting a good mood and relieving anxiety levels.
Adapting to good lifestyle practices such as yoga, meditation, moderate exercises, recreation activities helps you stay active and calm. Along with these practices, the right choice of adding vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory compounds filled foods to relieve anxiety triggers the release of neurotransmitters in the brain. It shows an excellent way for your overall well-being.