The Top Nutrients This Anxiety Expert Wants You To Eat Every Day

 

The Top Nutrients This Anxiety Expert Wants You To Eat Every DayFeeling stressed, wired, and tired all at the same time? You’re not alone. Over 40 million adults are affected by anxiety or anxiety-related disorders. We are in a chronic state of stress, running on empty and constantly in burnout mode.

The foods we eat can influence our body’s function as well as our mood, energy, and metabolism. In my book The Anti-Anxiety Dietand the newly released The Anti-Anxiety Diet Cookbook, I share how to use food to alleviate the symptoms and root causes of anxiety. By addressing the microbiome, leaky gut, hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, and nutrient status, I work to optimize mood stability and stress resilience.

Here are some of the top nutrients I recommend for stress and anxiety.

  • Leafy greens
  • Cacao
  • Avocado
  • Nuts and seedsMagnesium is the ultimate chill pill. It works directly at the HPA-axis to suppress cortisol and adrenal output, two of the body’s “stress hormones.” It works by reducing the release of the adrenal stimulating hormone ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) from the pituitary.
    • Egg yolks
    • Offal (liver, kidneys): Look for pasture-raised and free of hormones and antibiotics
    • Salmon
    • Shellfish (oysters, mussels, clams)Choline, a fat-soluble B vitamin found in egg yolks, is crucial for the production of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that regulates the stress response.
      • Cultured veggies
      • Kimchi
      • Sauerkraut
      • KombuchaProbiotics are nature’s Prozac! Beneficial flora, specifically strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, play a role in producing our feel-good inhibitory neurotransmitters serotonin and GABA. But when the gut is in a state of bacterial imbalance due to SIBO, candida, or dysbiosis, it produces excitatory neurotransmitters, like epinephrine (adrenaline), perpetuating anxiety and chronic stress response. Although these neurotransmitters in the gut don’t cross the blood-brain barrier, they do communicate with the central nervous system via the enteric nervous system.

To learn more on what nutrients can help with anxiety click the link below.