Surprising Sources of Anxiety (In Your Diet)

By Stepy Kamei

In a time where new routines and habits are constantly being created and changed, healthcare experts have seen an unsurprising spike in levels of anxiety. It's completely normal to be feeling anxious and stressed out on any given day, but it's especially understandable in these uncertain times as well. 

Whether you're feeling a bit more jittery than normal, or you're finding that your emotions are overwhelming to experience at times, it's important to remember that there are ways in which you can continue to look after your mental health from the comfort of your own home. In fact, if you need one more reason to start cleaning up your eating habits, keep in mind that there's a well-known correlation between people who eat balanced, nutritious foods, and whether they experience more or less anxiety in their daily lives. As you can imagine, they tend to have fewer instances of stress and anxious feelings. Keep on reading to learn more about how your diet can impact your mental health and well-being.

The Connection Between Physical and Mental Health

While doctors and healthcare professionals are well aware of the link between physical and mental health, many of their patients remain unaware of how significant this connection is. If you are also struggling to see how one impacts the other, take a moment to think about a time you felt a period of high stress. Once it was over, did you feel physically tired, or feel a headache coming on? You may also be able to point out a time you turned to your favorite comfort food in the aftermath of a sad or upsetting event. These reactions are extremely common and normal, and subtly show how our mood can affect our health, and vice versa.

Using Your Diet as a Tool to Fight Anxiety

Doctors are unsurprised to see that their patients who have a diet high in sugar, fat, and salt content tend to report a wide range of health issues, from weight gain to heart disease, and also including higher stress, mood swings, and irritability. Simply put, you are what you eat, which is why it's important to take action over your diet sooner rather than later.

Sugary, salty, and fatty junk foods tend to increase levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, in the body. These foods can also cause inflammation to form around the joints, leading to stiffness, aches, and pains. In turn, these physical discomforts can put you in a sour mood, making it more likely that you'll reach for a bag of chips or a tub of ice cream for comfort -- and so the negative cycle goes.

Try to start implementing healthier habits into your eating routine. Making your own meals at home is a great way to control the amount of sugar and salt on your plate. Be sure to add plenty of fresh vegetables to your meals, while making lean proteins, nuts, and legumes staples in your diet. Using fresh ingredients such as salmon, eggs, leafy greens, black beans, and nut butters in your dishes will help ensure you're getting the nutrients you need  -- and lowering your stress levels too!

To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Shreveport, La.