7 Foods That Fight Anxiety

Posted Wed, Jul 16, 2008, 3:38 pm PDT

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Bills arriving in heaps? Gas prices sky-rocketing? Summer love turned sour? Regardless of the cause, there's a counter-intuitiveness to the goodies we turn to for comfort. Take the classic-curling up with a pint of ice cream. It's a total backfire. Why? Sweets are insidious: After the initial rush, the body's insulin response kicks in, causing a sudden blood sugar drop that triggers the release of stress hormones. Soon you're feeling more jangled than you were before you inhaled that whole container of Chunky Monkey. And alcohol, of course, is a wolfish stimulant in calm sheep's clothing.

But true comfort foods do exist.

1. Berries, any berries
Eat them one by one instead of M&Ms when the pressure's on. For those tough times when tension tightens your jaw, try rolling a frozen berry around in your mouth. And then another, and another. Since the carbs in berries turn to sugar very slowly, you won't have a blood sugar crash. The bonus: They're a good source of vitamin C, which helps fight a jump in the stress hormone cortisol.

2. Guacamole
If you're craving something creamy, look no further. Avocados are loaded with B vitamins, which stress quickly depletes and which your body needs to maintain nerves and brain cells. Plus their creaminess comes from healthy fat. Scoop up the stuff with whole-grain baked chips-crunching keeps you from gritting your teeth.

3. Mixed nuts
Just an ounce will help replace those stress-depleted Bs (walnuts), give you a whopping amount of zinc (Brazil nuts)-it's also drained by high anxiety-and boost your E (almonds), which helps fight cellular damage linked to chronic stress. Buy nuts in the shell and think of it as multi-tasking: With every squeeze of the nutcracker, you're releasing a little bit of tension.

4. Oranges
People who take a 1,000 mg of C before giving a speech have lower levels of cortisol and lower blood pressure than those who don't. So lean back, take a deep breath, and concentrate on peeling a large orange. The 5-minute mindfulness break will ease your mind and you'll get a bunch of C as well.

5. Asparagus
Each tender stalk is a source of folic acid, a natural mood-lightener. Dip the spears in fat-free yogurt or sour cream for a hit of calcium with each bite.

6. Chai tea
A warm drink is a super soother, and curling up with a cup of aromatic decaf chai tea (Tazo makes ready-to-brew bags) can make the whole evil day go away.

7. Dark chocolate
Okay, there's nothing in it that relieves stress, but when only chocolate will do, reach for the dark, sultry kind that's at least 70% cocoa. You figure if the antioxidant flavonoids in it are potent enough to fight cancer and heart disease, they've got to be able to temper tension's effects.

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38 Comments

1. Posted by kay on Thu, Jul 17, 2008, 6:58 am PDT

cool. will try! especially the bit abuot C before a speech...
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2. Posted by patienceajayi75 on Fri, Jul 18, 2008, 7:57 am PDT

how do i prepare a favourable dishes for my husband
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3. Posted by ramsd@att.net on Sat, Jul 19, 2008, 12:09 am PDT

cool
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4. Posted by djpapihouston on Sat, Jul 19, 2008, 12:25 am PDT

Great tips. As a former smoker, now I now there are other things to think to reach for than a cigarette. And healthy too, even the chocolates!
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5. Posted by Candice on Sat, Jul 19, 2008, 12:25 am PDT

Chocolate! Really? I'm surprised this would be on there. It contains caffeine which is a total anxiety trigger. Sure it feels good going down, but the caffeine can give one the jitters.
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6. Posted by Turbocharged on Sat, Jul 19, 2008, 12:30 am PDT

Nice, this is especially helpful to me, and i've found that these foods also work: bananas, yogurt, nectarine, and a glass of water.
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7. Posted by adcollinsworth@sbcglobal.net on Sat, Jul 19, 2008, 12:57 am PDT

Pretty good advice! Maybe I should suggest these to mom, who gets stressed out alot (except for the nuts and maybe the berrys since moms got diaticulitus and can't digest those)
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8. Posted by Rayn Wolf on Sat, Jul 19, 2008, 12:57 am PDT

hmm steamed Asparagras with orange sauce and almonds, grilled chicken with rosemary n olive oil, crisped seeded baguette with an olive oil and orange balsamic vinegarette and for desert berries over yogurt!
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9. Posted by bogus5@sbcglobal.net on Sat, Jul 19, 2008, 6:34 am PDT

How silly! Just drink the decaf tea without the Chai (IE: sugar) and the only benefits you'll get from chocolate is if you eat the raw beans which are somewhat bitter. Marketing sure lies a lot.
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10. Posted by G-Code on Sat, Jul 19, 2008, 7:05 am PDT

Chai tea and chocolate will give you an anxiety attack. I wouldn't recommend those. As for the citrus fruit and berries maybe.
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11. Posted by sand on Sat, Jul 19, 2008, 7:15 am PDT

i thought this was going to be a serious article...not a commercial for new high priced grocer items. KEEP IT!
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12. Posted by sand on Sat, Jul 19, 2008, 7:18 am PDT

oops! i was talking about the previous page with the flavored water and the other goodies. this list is actually very good :) i love avocados!!!!!
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13. Posted by garfieldluvr@sbcglobal.net on Sat, Jul 19, 2008, 7:54 am PDT

That's rather interesting...I'm glad I took the time to read this.
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14. Posted by renea-roberts@sbcglobal.net on Sat, Jul 19, 2008, 8:24 am PDT

Hmmm, well I think I will keep with my xanex. It works great.
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15. Posted by DONNA B on Sat, Jul 19, 2008, 8:47 am PDT

I eat a lot of fruit-apples, nectarines, bananas, berries, different variety of nuts and vegetables every day and am proud to say I havn't needed to see a doctor for an illness other than regular checkups in several years and I am 79 yrs. and look 65. I even eat chocolate. These are good suggestions.
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16. Posted by VBGuy on Sat, Jul 19, 2008, 8:48 am PDT

Chocolate does have caffiene and it is known to be a diuretic which means you will have to use the restroom even more quickly if you are already anxious.
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17. Posted by mayj10348@sbcglobal.net on Sat, Jul 19, 2008, 8:49 am PDT

Add a shot of 100% pure pomegranate juice to counter anxiety.
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18. Posted by didby1022@sbcglobal.net on Sat, Jul 19, 2008, 8:54 am PDT

I think this is a great help. I love berries and nuts. I will try this next time.
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19. Posted by Maricela 2 on Sat, Jul 19, 2008, 9:12 am PDT

I love these suggestions, they are not out of the ordinary items either. Believe me I love my Xanax too, but its good to know that there are other alteranatives if you're in a pinch.
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20. Posted by katelyn_kenney@sbcglobal.net on Sat, Jul 19, 2008, 9:56 am PDT

This will really help me! Ecspecially the chocolate...I love dark chocolate.
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21. Posted by Lucy on Sat, Jul 19, 2008, 12:00 pm PDT

I think this article was very helpful, I will definitely continue consuming more citrus fruits to relieve the stress, cause I get super nervous when giving class presentations, and I agree on the 100% pure pomegranate juice because it does work and it looks like red wine but without the alcohol. :)
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22. Posted by reachsmith@sbcglobal.net on Sat, Jul 19, 2008, 6:26 pm PDT

hi everybody ! !
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23. Posted by dishtvisking on Sat, Jul 19, 2008, 6:34 pm PDT

hi everybody! ! FROM SWEENK
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24. Posted by wowzers6306 on Sat, Jul 19, 2008, 9:34 pm PDT

thanks! these are great tips :)
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25. Posted by djZ on Sat, Jul 19, 2008, 11:41 pm PDT

Iteresting suggestions, but probably only the basics of it. Certainly, "you are what you eat," but most people seldom think about how profound this idea can be applied. Instead, we go about our daily lives making the usual, complacent decisions. Certain foods are addictive and its hard to change, especially when culture and practice don't encourage it.
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26. Posted by trouble on Sun, Jul 20, 2008, 8:03 am PDT

i thought the article was very informative and i will surely try the foods.
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27. Posted by gstraker on Sun, Jul 20, 2008, 11:20 am PDT

yo man that story was chill
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28. Posted by gina.h@att.net on Sun, Jul 20, 2008, 3:43 pm PDT

Thank You for all this information. I suffer from anxiety often, and I am always looking for new ways of dealing with it, other than just breath. I won't take any narcotics so I find this to be a relief and will try it.
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29. Posted by Heather F on Mon, Jul 21, 2008, 10:32 am PDT

just reading this article helped my day! I Love Guac. and who doesnt love dark chocolate!
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30. Posted by Ray M on Thu, Jul 24, 2008, 9:56 am PDT

Eat all the red & white meat you desire. Almost everything I eat is swimming in real butter. Figure out the vitamins you need and take them daily. I'm 82 years and look late 50's or 60's. Even my Dermatologist & Cardiologist don't believe. It's in your genes.
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