Your Diet can affect the way that anxiety plays a role in your daily life. Just as caffeine can increase your anxiety, certain foods can also decrease your anxiety. When choosing foods that are body friendly, there are a few important facts that you should keep in mind.
Complex carbohydrates are a natural tranquillizer; they work as a relaxing agent by increasing the amount of it in your brain. Tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin, and works just like serotonin in producing a calming effect on your body.
Just as serotonin and Tryptophan can aid your body in relaxing, two other food elements can increase the amount of anxiety that your body has to face daily. Caffeine and dehydration however slight have the opposite effect on your nervous system.
When planning your meals for the day you should also eat small meals throughout the day, instead of large meals. By eating small meals, you will keep your blood sugar levels even and put less stress on your digestive system.
When choosing your breakfast menu, several foods are helpful to creating an anxiety free diet. Some of the more common foods, that anxiety sufferers have chosen include. Whole meal breads, fat free cottage cheese, oats and cereal. Side dishes and toppings include peanut butter for your toast, raisins, walnuts and bananas.
For drinks, replace your morning caffeine rush, with orange juice with calcium, decaf coffee, caffeine free tea or milk with calcium. All of these are complex carbohydrates based foods, as well as serotonin producers and easy to digest meals.For lunch, some helpful foods are pizza made with whole-wheat crust, topped with low fat cheese, tomato sauce and sliced veggies .
Turkey sandwich on whole wheat bread, a salad made from beans and greens, or a tortilla made from whole wheat.
For side dices, orange slices or a fruit salad topped with bananas or pineapple. Non-caffeine tea, milk with calcium or water with lime is a solid choice as a lunchtime drink. As with your breakfast choices, these meals follow the same pattern of easy to digest serotonin-producing meals.
Dinner meals include turkey tetrazzini, pork tenderloin roast. Your side dishes should include squash, banana bread pudding, brown rice, a fruit salad with steamed veggies along with a whole wheat bread.
Non-caffeine teas or water with lemon or lime is your drink of choice.Try to schedule two snacks times a day. Instead of a coke and a candy bar, substitute with any of these selections. Fruit and nuts, fat free yogurt or some whole-wheat toast topped with peanut butter. You do not have to eliminate caffeine or a candy bar completely from your life; instead limit the amounts that you do have each week.
Other things that you should keep in mind when preparing a relaxing meal is to limit the amount of salt that you use with your meals, Salt will have an effect on your anxiety by raising your blood pressure levels.
Vitamins such as B and B6 are also important in helping your body deal with anxiety. However, some supplements when mixed with anti-anxiety medications will in fact increase your anxiety. You should always consult your doctor before mixing any herbal or vitamin supplement with your medications, for any possible side effects.Defeating anxiety disorder takes in all aspects of your life, from health, faith and lifestyle not one thing alone will defeat anxiety by its self; each part of your life will affect your overall recovery.
Every time you add a new tool to your recovery program weather it is faith, medication, a life style change or the way you eat; you weaken the overall effect of anxiety that you face in your life.
About Michael Smallwood
CEO and President of Health and Family Care,
Health and Family Care, is an information service, which focuses on providing self-help and self-improvement methods and information for treating emotional disorders.
His personal background includes suffering from anxiety and panic attacks for 17 years, as well as being a free lance journalist/writer.
Mr. Smallwood oversees all HFC operations . He also offers recovery self-help techniques based on his own experiences with anxiety and panic disorder.
www.healthandfamilycare.com (our web site)
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/HealthandFamilyCare/ (our support group)
About Michael Smallwood
CEO and President of Health and Family Care, Michael established the online branch of HFC in March of 2004. His personal background includes suffering from anxiety and panic attacks for 17 years, as well as being a free lance journalist/writer.
Mr. Smallwood oversees all HFC operations . He also offers recovery self-help techniques based on his own experiences with anxiety and panic disorder.
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