It’s easy to forget how much what we eat affects our mood. The stomach seems so far away from the brain, after all. Years of cramming for exams teach us to see the body as a bunch of separate systems, without considering how they all connect and rely on each other.
Here’s a fun fact. There have been studies showing that judges tend to decide less favorably towards defendants close to lunchtime. Yes, just being hungry can have a direct effect on the decision-making of the best legal minds in the world.
The lesson here is don’t underestimate the importance of what you eat. If you regularly suffer from anxiety, adding anxiolytics to your diet might help mitigate the symptoms over time. Here are some foods that are proven to help reduce anxiety.
1 – Whole grain foods
There are plenty of benefits to be found in whole-grain foods, as they aid your digestion and overall health. These foods have also been linked to a reduction anxiety symptom. The reason seems to be the nutritional content of these foods.
Whole grain is rich in both tryptophan and magnesium. Tryptophan becomes serotonin, which can help reduce anxiety. And while magnesium isn’t calming by itself, a magnesium deficiency can cause anxiety.
2 – Chamomile
It is no secret that chamomile is a naturally calming substance, but are you aware of how many ways you can consume it?
Tea is a nice and simple way to get chamomile into your system. If you’re having a rough day or a rough week, stopping for 10 minutes three times a day to have a cup of chamomile tea can bring your anxiety way down. Not only because of the drink itself, but also because of the routine, and the little break, which can help you recover your bearings.
On top of that, you can benefit from chamomile as an essential oil, and by drinking its concentrated form. The latter can be very convenient if you don’t want to warm water to make tea.
3 – Lavender
Like with chamomile, there are many ways to get lavender into your system. The plant is most known for its comforting aroma, which itself has calming properties and can be used in aromatherapy treatments to reduce anxiety. The aroma makes for a perfect addition to a hot bath, boosting its calming properties. It can also be ingested in various ways, including as food and beverage flavoring.
4 – Chocolate
Before you get too excited, sugar is bad for anxiety. In order to benefit from the anxiolytic effects of chocolate, it’s recommended that you go with dark chocolate, avoiding the ones with added sugar or milk. Just tasty and bitter darkness.
The good news is that bitter tastes are something you can train yourself to enjoy, so even if you hate the taste of bitter chocolate at first, you may well fall in love with it over time. And that’s a good idea since, on top of a wide range of other health benefits, dark chocolate also promotes the reduction of cortisol, which is one of the main hormones associated with stress. You can also cook delicious recipes using dark chocolate and other calming substances. For example, have you tried cooking using a Cibdol product yet?
A professional writer with over a decade of incessant writing skills. Her topics of interest and expertise range from health, nutrition and psychology.
