Nutrition Facts: The Best & Worst Food Choices for Stress & Anxiety

Nutrition is a core area of integrative wellness. Although I usually leave the nutrition advice to the nutritionist, today I’m going to talk about some very easy things for you to add into your diet that have been shown through research to help decrease stress and anxiety.

It’s always helpful when you’re working on health habits to think about what you can add instead of what to subtract. So, here are five food groups that you might want to add more of if you want to decrease your stress and anxiety.

The first food group are those containing a lot of zinc. So things like cashews or egg yolks can be really helpful here.

The second group are the omega-3 fatty acids. Things like olive oil or chia seeds are really helpful if you want to add more omega threes.

The third area are probiotics. You can do something like Greek yogurt, which is really high in probiotics, or if you don’t really tolerate lactose, like me, try some kombucha. I try to drink this every day at lunch, ad it’s really good for your gut health. We know that so much of our mental health stems from what’s going on in our guts.

The fourth area is Vitamin B. Foods high in vitamin B, like almonds or avocados can be really helpful.

The final one, the fifth one, is magnesium. So things like pumpkin seeds or even spinach. I personally like to keep baby spinach around because it’s so easy to throw a salad together. You just rinse and throw it in the bowl. There’s no cutting of lettuce. We know that if we’re trying to work on healthy habits, we’re more likely to succeed if it’s something that’s incredibly easy to do.

So these are five groups, food groups that are really simple to add, help you decrease your stress and anxiety.

Also, be aware of your triggers. What food triggers might cause you to feel more stress or anxiety?

For a lot of us, that’s caffeine, alcohol, artificial sweeteners, or even foods that are highly processed or really high in sugar. Just be aware of that. Note, if one of these are a trigger for you. It could induce anxiety the next day. Just know that it might be helpful to cut back in those areas.

Our wellness doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. These are simple things we can do to prioritize our health, to decrease our stress, and build our resilience. If you are interested in these types of topics or this content, consider signing up for Take Five. It’s my newsletter where I send out simple solutions for a calmer, healthier life.