Did you know there is an intricate connection between food and anxiety?

Yes, diet has a considerable effect on mental health and anxiety. 

It may not come as a surprise that the food we consume can significantly impact our anxiety levels - it can either worsen or alleviate it. But what you may not realize is that anxiety isn’t always a bad thing - it can serve as a powerful incentive for success!

In this special 2-part series, let’s delve into the complex relationship between nutrition, brain function, and emotional well-being to offer valuable insights into a critical issue we face in society today.

In this blog, we’ll uncover two surprising truths about anxiety and look at how food can negatively impact our mental well-being. Then be sure to check out part 2 of this series when we consider the best foods to choose.

The Truth About Anxiety Revealed 

Many people who experience anxiety believe it to be a bad thing, and in many cases, that may be true. But when we start to understand what anxiety actually is and why it shows up, our perspective on anxiety may change.

So, let me reveal two little-known secrets about anxiety.

First, anxiety can be a positive thing. 

Second, anxiety is one way our brain shows us love and that our lives matter.

Let me explain.

Benefits of Anxiety 

When harnessed appropriately, anxiety can provide the fuel to help us strive for excellence and overcome challenges. It gives us an adrenaline boost, increases motivation, improves productivity, and boosts overall performance. 

As unpleasant and difficult as anxiety can be, if it’s appropriate and proportionate to the circumstances in which it arises, situational anxiety can have a positive impact.

Think about a time you felt under pressure and a little anxious - perhaps before a big exam, job interview, or giving a presentation or performance. You may have gotten butterflies in your stomach, sweaty palms, and a lump in your throat. Maybe you couldn’t sleep well for days before the event. 

These feelings and sensations motivated you to work harder to prepare for the event. And when it’s time for the event, the physiological traits of anxiety (when we enter “fight or flight” mode) will help improve our ability to perform, give us a burst of strength, and increase our alertness in the moment.

This is referred to as situational anxiety and includes an appropriate level of anxiety for the given situation. That means the right amount of anxiety can help us do better. As long as we’re able to keep our anxiety under control using self-care methods that work best for us, we can start to use anxiety to our advantage and experience its benefits.

Anxiety: Our Brain’s Not-So-Silent Alarm

One truth about anxiety is that it is not always a bad thing.

A second truth about anxiety is that it serves a purpose. 

Understanding why anxiety shows up and what it’s designed to do can have a significant impact on our perception of it. So why does anxiety appear?

Bottom line - anxiety serves a purpose. It’s built into our primitive origins as a system to warn us of impending danger or a perceived threat. Anxiety shows up  to alert us to danger. That’s because the brain has one main job in life (which is also a well-kept secret) - to keep us alive!

When the brain senses danger, it uses anxiety to sound the alarm. It wants us to be safe and stay alive at all costs.

Because anxiety is hard-wired into our neurons, it can be extremely difficult to shut off. Evolution has designed it to be this way so that our brains will look for potential threats, be ready to sound the alarm, and spring to action when danger is perceived.

The initial burst of anxiety keeps us in a heightened state of alertness so we can react - fast!

Think about how quickly you respond when you need to avoid a traffic accident or leap up to grab a falling glass. These knee-jerk reactions occur in a split second and are done without us having to put conscious thought into them.

After the fact, we feel our heart pounding and mind racing as we replay the event and the effects of the adrenaline boost we just received start to wear off. 

But what about vague, unfocused anxiety? Can this be valuable?

Yes! Even a low level of anxiety can be helpful because it is still working as an alarm bell - albeit not so loudly or overt. It’s there to bring our attention to a problem we may not fully be aware of or to help us focus our thoughts on a big decision like changing cities or careers, or buying a house. 

Suppose we didn’t experience any anxiety over life-changing decisions such as these. In that case, we’d breeze through them with minimal thought or consideration, potentially leaving us missing out on something important or something better.  

Wendy Suzuki, a professor of neural science and psychology at New York University’s Center for Neural Science says, “Anxiety evolved to help protect us…We need to recalibrate our level of anxiety to get it back to that level where it is superprotective for us.” 

This is why anxiety exists - to provide protection and to keep us alive.

If we can remember that the next time we feel anxiety creeping in and remind ourselves that there is a reason why the anxiety is present, we can start to use it to our advantage. 

Of course, these strategies work best for people who experience mild, situational, or occasional anxiety. They may not be as effective for those dealing with severe anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, or OCD. 

For these people, when anxiety starts to exceed “proportional” levels, professional support or interventions are often warranted. 

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Linking Neuronutrition and Anxiety

Neuronutrition plays a crucial role in regulating anxiety levels.

Throughout the pandemic, there was a massive increase in processed food sales. There was also a significant increase in anxiety levels. 

Coincidence or correlation?

The answer is somewhat complicated. 

Yes, the shift in dietary habits seen over the last few years has raised concerns about its contribution to escalating anxiety levels. However, examining the broader societal, social, and environmental factors that intersect with dietary choices is imperative to comprehensively address anxiety.

These insights serve as a reminder that a holistic approach to addressing anxiety must encompass an understanding of dietary influences, societal dynamics, and neurological processes and that there is an intricate connection between food and mental health.

By fostering greater awareness of the impact of food on anxiety, individuals and communities can strive towards cultivating healthier dietary habits and promoting mental well-being.

The profound implications of social isolation and distancing measures during the pandemic also shed some light on the increased incidences of anxiety in the modern world.

Furthermore, compelling studies have revealed that individuals who did not contract COVID-19 still experienced neuroinflammation in the brain. Neuroinflammation has been associated with heightened anxiety. This finding emphasizes the far-reaching impact of external factors, such as global health crises, on mental health outcomes. 

As this topic could easily lead to an entire discussion on its own, plus the fact that I am a neuro-nutritionist, I’d like to direct our focus on what we can do something about - what we put on our fork!

To better understand the connection between dietary habits and mental health,  we’ll dive into exactly how diet plays a pivotal role in modulating anxiety levels. But since this is a big topic, and I’d like to give it the attention it deserves, I’ll detail it in part 2 of this special series. 

So be sure to keep a look out for our next blog to discover what foods to lose and what foods to choose that work to support mental wellness and reduce anxiety.

In the meantime, if you’d like personalized support or are ready to learn more about neuronutrition and how to use the right foods to nourish your brain, please reach out.

[Medical Disclaimer]

Please consult with your doctor(s) before starting any new mental or physical health improvement program. The advice I offer is not intended to replace that of your medical practitioner. I am not a medical professional, nor am I qualified to diagnose, cure treat, or prevent disease. The advice I provide on this website is intended for a broad and diverse audience, and as such, deals with general lifestyle concepts, not specific healthcare advice. This material disclaims any liability or loss in connection with the advice expressed herein.