Living with anxiety can be an exhausting, debilitating experience. Panic attacks are difficult to deal with, but generalized anxiety can extend beyond the stereotypical symptoms that everyone thinks of and affect any aspect of your life. treating anxiety with non prescribed anxiety medication can be an effective way to deal with the symptoms of anxiety, but there are many other aspects of your life that you can change in order to manage your anxiety and feel better.
One of the most overlooked ways to deal with anxiety is to modify your diet and cut out foods that trigger your anxiety or make it worse. Cutting out certain foods can act almost as its own anxiety medicine for teens and adults.
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Sugary Drinks
When people discuss eliminating sugary drinks, soda is usually at the top of the list. This is for good reason; the excessive amount of sugar packed into a can of soda can cause a rapid increase in blood sugar and create spikes and crashes in energy levels. A fast increase in sugar levels can make your heart race and make you feel jittery. Both of these are bad things for people with anxiety to experience since a rapid heart rate is already a symptom of anxiety.
It’s important to know, however, that soda is not the only beverage that can cause this. Fruit juices, even juices with no added sugar, still contain a large amount of sugar that, since it’s in a liquid instead of solid fruit, gets processed a lot more quickly. This leads to the same kind of energy spikes that people with anxiety should avoid.
Caffeine
Adults who drink coffee often say that they need it to function. But with adults with anxiety, the rush of energy that comes with drinking coffee, as well as the inevitable crash, can worsen anxiety symptoms in a very similar way to fruit juices and soda. In addition, caffeine can deregulate sleep patterns, causing fatigue that also increases anxiety. Caffeine withdrawal is another factor; fatigue, body aches, and migraines can cause exacerbate anxiety symptoms, creating a vicious cycle. You might find that quitting coffee altogether is just as effective as anti anxiety medication adults.
Processed Foods
White bread, pasta, fried foods, and store-bought dressings are only a few examples of the kinds of food that fall under the umbrella of “processed” food. Almost all processed foods contain added sugar, salt, and other chemical ingredients that mess with your body and can increase anxiety. As with sugar-filled drinks, food with excess sugar can cause spikes in blood sugar. heavy, fried foods can make you feel fatigued. Even ketchup and ranch dressing can contain enough sugar to cause your body to react.
Generally, it can be helpful to research the ingredients in the food you buy. Knowing exactly what you are putting into your body can help you determine if you have any unknown sensitivities that are making your anxiety worse. Eating a healthy diet of lean meats, fruits, and vegetables can improve your health and make your anxiety more manageable.
