What to eat to relieve anxiety

Currently, no food can directly "cure" anxiety, but long-term adjustments to the diet can indeed help reduce nerve sensitivity, reduce the frequency of emotional ups and downs, and play a supporting role in alleviating anxiety.

I once helped a little girl prepare for the postgraduate entrance examination to adjust her diet. At that time, she had three cups of strong American food with bread and frozen dumplings every morning, lunch and dinner. As soon as she got to the mock test, her palms were sweating and she couldn't hold her pen. Later, I asked her to change her morning coffee to She made sugar-free soy milk with half an avocado added. When she was hungry after three o'clock in the afternoon, instead of eating biscuits, she grabbed about 10 plain almonds and ate them. After only two weeks, she told me that she no longer felt unexplained chest tightness, and her inability to sit still while reading was much less common.

The "anti-anxiety foods" recommended by many people on the Internet are not actually useful for everyone. For example, the popular Ganmai Jujube Soup. A friend who was depressed after giving birth for a week said that the feeling of congestion in her heart was relieved a lot. There are also users with a phlegm-damp constitution that is prone to stomach bloating and thick tongue coating. They reported to me that after two days of drinking it, they had acid reflux and flatulence, and they became more irritable. There are also many people who think "eat something sweet if you are not happy". It is true that sugar can promote the secretion of serotonin in a short period of time, which makes you feel good for half an hour. I used to have a friend who worked on the Internet. At that time, he was under great pressure to rush for the 618 event. He bought a piece of half-cooked cheese as comfort after get off work every day. The result was great. My blood sugar dropped after two hours after eating, and I became even more anxious when lying in bed tossing and turning. I also gained 7 pounds in two months. It was not worth the loss.

In fact, the principle is not complicated at all. The synthesis of serotonin, which we often call the "happy hormone", requires tryptophan. You need to mix it with some complex carbohydrates to help it cross the blood-brain barrier. It is not enough to just eat deep-sea fish, chicken breasts and other foods rich in tryptophan. For example, if you just eat a piece of fried chicken breast at noon, it is better to eat half a piece of steamed pumpkin, which is much less efficient in absorption. When cooking, add one-third of mixed beans or brown rice to polished rice and white flour. If you supplement enough B vitamins, your nerves will not always be as tense as a fully drawn bow, and your heart will beat faster and panic at the slightest thing. If you are easily flustered and restless, avoid espresso and functional drinks. Caffeine will amplify the excitement of the sympathetic nerve. After drinking it, it is just a small thing to worry about, but after drinking it, your heart may beat so fast that you think something big is going to happen to you, which will actually increase your anxiety.

When I was working on a project for a week, I also tried to replace my afternoon milk tea with warm sugar-free oat milk, put two pitted red dates in it, and drank it warmly. I didn’t have the irritating feeling of being empty after drinking sweet milk tea. But having said that, diet is only a supporting role after all. If you are so anxious that you can't eat, or you can't control overeating, which has affected your normal life, don't think about eating something to solve the problem. It is most reliable to seek help from a professional doctor or psychological counselor first.