Food therapy itself is not going to cure your anxiety disorder unless it was caused by a nutritional deficiency, which is rare. However, the food you eat has such a huge impact on your state of mind that no anxiety sufferer can ignore their eating habits, even if he or she has undergone successful cognitive behavioral therapy.
The food you eat affects your emotional state more than you realize. A lack of certain minerals has been proven to cause anxiety and depression. For this reason, all anxiety sufferers should switch permanently to a healthier diet whether or not they can feel a difference in the short term. Getting yourself cured through some form of CBT will only be temporary if you continue to eat a diet of mainly processed junk food.
You could write a whole book on recommended foods for anxiety sufferers. But just to get you started, try to get more of the following nutrients into your diet: Omega-3 fatty acids, B Complex Vitamins, Folic Acid, Magnesium, Selenium, and Zinc. It is best to get these nutrients in freshly cooked food rather than food supplement pills. If you eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, switch to whole grain breads, rice and pastas and eat lots of oily fish, you will get enough of these nutrients to buffer the effects of your anxiety.
The B complex vitamins are crucial for combating anxiety and depression, particularly B1, B3, B6, B9 and B12. Some foods high in B vitamins are liver, oily fish, avocado, cereal grains, lentils, bananas, soybeans, beef, dairy products, eggs, molasses and brewer's yeast. Bananas are especially great for anxiety relief. Eat as much as you can.
If you are going to take vitamins supplements, note that the B3 vitamin for anxiety is niacinamide, not niacin. Look for niacinamide or nicotinamide on the label before you buy.
You can do more research yourself on what foods are high in the nutrients you need. But what I would like to talk about now is how you should change your diet. In a word, GRADUALLY. When it comes to anxiety disorder, stop looking for instant cures. You are re-programming yourself, so phase in everything slowly and comfortably.
Anxiety sufferers are usually pretty low on patience and discipline, the two qualities needed to change a major lifestyle pattern. You need to make up for that lack with a sense of enjoyment and fun. When you go through the food charts, look for foods that you would enjoy eating.
If you rarely cook for yourself, making cooking your new hobby will not only vastly improve your diet but it is also a fantastic form of diversion therapy for anxiety. Cooking for yourself gives you a chance to sample high end foods like salmon or tuna steaks for not a lot of money. If you cut out junk food, you'd be surprised to discover that you can make healthy gourmet meals for more or less the same money.
If you are a heavy consumer of coffee and alcohol, you need to quit both eventually. High caffeine and alcohol consumption will flush out tons of vitamins and minerals from your body and make you dehydrated. But again, you need to cut back on them gradually.
Never quit anything cold turkey while you are recovering from anxiety or your anxiety will skyrocket. Make up a withdrawal chart and track your progress with it. Give yourself several months to comfortably withdraw from something. Charts like these can give you a huge sense of accomplishment. Lastly, drink water. Lots and lots of it. Dehydration makes anxiety so much worse.
Visit my website and find genuine in-depth reviews of the major anxiety treatment programs available on the internet. Also learn about other natural remedies for anxiety disorder.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pat_Low
The food you eat affects your emotional state more than you realize. A lack of certain minerals has been proven to cause anxiety and depression. For this reason, all anxiety sufferers should switch permanently to a healthier diet whether or not they can feel a difference in the short term. Getting yourself cured through some form of CBT will only be temporary if you continue to eat a diet of mainly processed junk food.
You could write a whole book on recommended foods for anxiety sufferers. But just to get you started, try to get more of the following nutrients into your diet: Omega-3 fatty acids, B Complex Vitamins, Folic Acid, Magnesium, Selenium, and Zinc. It is best to get these nutrients in freshly cooked food rather than food supplement pills. If you eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, switch to whole grain breads, rice and pastas and eat lots of oily fish, you will get enough of these nutrients to buffer the effects of your anxiety.
The B complex vitamins are crucial for combating anxiety and depression, particularly B1, B3, B6, B9 and B12. Some foods high in B vitamins are liver, oily fish, avocado, cereal grains, lentils, bananas, soybeans, beef, dairy products, eggs, molasses and brewer's yeast. Bananas are especially great for anxiety relief. Eat as much as you can.
If you are going to take vitamins supplements, note that the B3 vitamin for anxiety is niacinamide, not niacin. Look for niacinamide or nicotinamide on the label before you buy.
You can do more research yourself on what foods are high in the nutrients you need. But what I would like to talk about now is how you should change your diet. In a word, GRADUALLY. When it comes to anxiety disorder, stop looking for instant cures. You are re-programming yourself, so phase in everything slowly and comfortably.
Anxiety sufferers are usually pretty low on patience and discipline, the two qualities needed to change a major lifestyle pattern. You need to make up for that lack with a sense of enjoyment and fun. When you go through the food charts, look for foods that you would enjoy eating.
If you rarely cook for yourself, making cooking your new hobby will not only vastly improve your diet but it is also a fantastic form of diversion therapy for anxiety. Cooking for yourself gives you a chance to sample high end foods like salmon or tuna steaks for not a lot of money. If you cut out junk food, you'd be surprised to discover that you can make healthy gourmet meals for more or less the same money.
If you are a heavy consumer of coffee and alcohol, you need to quit both eventually. High caffeine and alcohol consumption will flush out tons of vitamins and minerals from your body and make you dehydrated. But again, you need to cut back on them gradually.
Never quit anything cold turkey while you are recovering from anxiety or your anxiety will skyrocket. Make up a withdrawal chart and track your progress with it. Give yourself several months to comfortably withdraw from something. Charts like these can give you a huge sense of accomplishment. Lastly, drink water. Lots and lots of it. Dehydration makes anxiety so much worse.
Visit my website and find genuine in-depth reviews of the major anxiety treatment programs available on the internet. Also learn about other natural remedies for anxiety disorder.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pat_Low
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