Meghan Since 2006 I have been fighting panic disorder, anxiety disorder, depression, agoraphobia, and PTSD from the situation that this all developed from. Over the last 12 years. In the last 10 years, I have been battling a war with my head and my anxiety, one in which I never thought I had a chance at winning.
I had many days where I didn’t feel as though I was even going to make it another few weeks because I was having such a hard time coping with the constant anxiety and panic attacks, the thoughts in my head, and the toll it was taking on me physically. Then there’s the agoraphobia, and not being able to leave your home. Well, that is a whole different stress and depressor on its own.
But today, I have a much better outlook on life. Although I still have all of these problems at my current time in life, I have been managing them so much better in the last two years. I have found things that trigger my anxiety, and things that help my anxiety, which help my mind and the physical symptoms of anxiety. For me, that includes throwing up all day, every day. These are some foods/ingredients to stay away from is you deal with anxiety and are looking for ways to lessen your anxiety and its symptoms.
Caffeine
Caffeine is the number one thing to stay away from if you suffer from anxiety. Caffeine is a known stimulant that triggers your body’s fight-or-flight response. Caffeine can make you feel nervous, anxious, jittery, and light-headed in some instances. I use to drink caffeinated coffee and it would reak havoc on my anxiety and my body. If you suffer from anxiety, switch your caffeinated coffee to decaf coffee, or opt for a green smoothie or herbal tea in the morning. I have all three, decaf coffee, herbal tea, and green smoothies on different days and they’re all amazing alternatives to regular coffee.
Soda
Soda is another horrible culprit of anxiety. For starters, soda is full of additives and food coloring which your body wasn’t made to digest. Aside from that, however, soda is full of aspartame. Aspartame is one of the most dangerous and most common ingredients. It is often found in snacks, diet soda, chewing gum, and “sugar-free’ alternatives. Aspartame not only blocks the production of serotonin in our brains, but it has also been linked to insomnia, anxiety, mood swings, headaches, and cancer. Regretting that soda you had earlier yet? Ditch the soda and go for flavored water, made in your house from scratch
Refine and Artificial Sugars
Refined and artificial sugars are hard to avoid because sugar hides in almost everything that we eat and drink. However, we can take steps to avoid extra sugar that you would ingest from eating things like desserts, candy, soft drinks, cookies, and more. Artificial sugars can throw your body off balance and exacerbate symptoms of anxiety and panic.
Just like a caffeine crash that you get when drinking too much coffee all day, a sugar crash can also mimic the signs of a panic or anxiety attack, including heart palpitations, mood changes, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating.
Fruit Juice
Speaking of avoiding refine and artificial sugars, let’s talk about fruit juice. Fruit juice is a common household item for families all over the world, especially those with kids. Children love the sweet flavor that comes with most fruit juices. Parents and households should be wary though because these juices have not only a ton of sugar but no nutritional value for your kids and your family. If your kids aren’t too keen on water, you can make them fruit diffused water that is fresh and natural, without added sugars and sweeteners that you will find in fruit juices.
What does this have to do with anxiety you ask? Fruit juices raise your blood sugar quickly then crashes, which can give you the same symptoms and feelings of anxiety, which can trigger an anxiety attack. For some people, it can even trigger a panic attack as the body starts producing the feelings of an anxiety attack coming on.
Alcohol
Some people can drink one glass of wine and be drunk, others can drink several glasses and barely feel a thing. When one glass turns into multiple drinks when you’re out having a good time with friends though, an anxiety sufferer can really feel the alcohol. Alcohol is said to be a toxin that alters your physical and mental function while impacting the levels of serotonin negatively in the brain. Individuals with a low tolerance can feel symptoms of anxiety with even a small amount of alcohol.
Aside from alcohol affecting your mental health, it also affects the nervous system and body. Alcohol increases heart right and can cause dehydration, hypersensitivity, and lowered blood sugar levels. Although tempting, skip the alcohol when you’re out at a party or having dinner with your colleagues.
Fried Foods
Although tasty, fried foods are horrible for people in general, but definitely for people who suffer from anxiety. Fried foods lack nutrition and are cooked in hydrogenated oil. They’re extremely unhealthy and horrible for your heart.
Frid foods can increase your risk of heart disease, weight gain, and high blood pressure. Anxiety sufferers may notice fits of anxiety after eating a large meal containing fried foods. I often find my anxiety symptoms spiking 20 minutes after I eat a fried meal, which usually leads to throwing the food up a few minutes later. Your body wasn’t made to digest fried foods which is why it can exacerbate anxiety symptoms.
Dairy
If you suffer from anxiety, stay away from milk. I know we all grew up hearing about how milk would help us get strong and make our bones strong, but times have changed. Dairy is inflammatory and it can cause mayhem on the digestive system. The casein found in cow’s milk is very difficult to digest for adults, let alone children. Milk can cause constipation, bloating, and diarrhea amongst other things.
Scratch Milk off your grocery list for a week, along with other foods or liquids that can cause or exacerbate anxiety symptoms, and you will see how much better you feel.
After years of suffering from horrible anxiety, I finally started trying to find triggers in foods and drinks. I did tons of research for months on foods, ingredients, and liquids that can either cause anxiety, anxiety symptoms, or worsen anxiety. I have over the course of the last year taken these items out of my diet to see how I have reacted.
I noticed a great improvement in my health and digestive issues when I removed fried foods, dairy, soda, coffee, and artificial sugars from my diet. Don’t get me wrong, I still have anxiety, but not as bad as I use to. I also don’t throw up as much anymore or get nearly as sick after I eat. I would suggest removing these from your diet and see how you feel. Use a mood tracker or journal to keep track of what you eat and how you feel.
Love it! 🙂