According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety has become the #1 mental health issue in North America. 1 in 18 Americans suffers from anxiety disorder.
There are many things that cause the development of this mental disorder. It could be genetics, brain chemistry, personality, or traumatic life events.
A lot of people search for ways on how to deal with anxiety, but most are not aware that their nutrition can actually trigger this disorder.
To give you an accurate and holistic picture of this stressful topic, we interviewed some professionals such as psychologists, nutritionists, and MDs to shed light on the emotional causes of anxiety. However, we won’t go into the techniques for the psychological methods to minimize anxiety as it’s not our area of expertise.
We’d like to focus on what most are unaware of: the power you have to change your situation. We want you to know that your anxiety may not need medication or therapy.
Emotional Causes of Anxiety
It’s recently been stated, “Anxiety caused by an event lasts 10-15 minutes. Anything after that is self-perpetuated.”
Your anxiety might have been caused by:
- Problems in work, finances, or personal relationships
- Traumatic events that happened in your childhood or recently
- Prescription medicine’s side effects
- Symptoms of similar illnesses like depression or borderline personality disorder
- A current or unknown medical condition that’s stressing you out
- Steep achievement-oriented educational or career expectations
- Watching the news night before bed or any time on a daily basis
Food that triggers anxiety
At the core of anxiety is overstimulation of the brain. That’s why if you have this problem, you need to avoid food that keeps you up and alert.
Caffeine is likely the most common enemy. Coffee dependents abound, and those who exceed the normal caffeine intake habitually can suffer from palpitations, shaking, and sleep troubles. Caffeine also keeps you on edge, which isn’t at all helpful for people with anxiety.
Artificial additives like aspartame, high fructose corn syrup, MSG, and food coloring are other culprits. These substances are known to cause cell damage by overstimulating them and also disrupt the normal functions of the nervous system. They are all linked to a number of illnesses, one of which is anxiety.
You also need to watch out for common condiments like table salt and sugar. Salt increases blood pressure, which pushes your heart to pump faster. This releases stress hormones, which could develop into tension.
Sugar, on the other hand, gives you an energy high. But the resulting crash will bring you down and feeling sluggish. If you eat sugary foods often, your body will need to constantly release adrenaline and cortisol to balance out the crashes, which could lead you to feel anxious.
In that line, you should really avoid fast food, which is heavy in salt, and alcohol, which affects your blood sugar and metabolism.
Here is another link from Psychology Today discussing the importance of how food is sharping our brain. Scary stuff.
Supplements that can cause anxiety
We’ve known for many years that too much or too little supply of certain supplementary nutrients can induce anxiety and panic attacks. Certain minerals such as copper, manganese, and selenium have a stimulatory effect when used in excess and can cause neurological symptoms
Vitamin B6
Energy supplements commonly contain Vitamin B6 because it makes your brain produce and release more dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. These neurotransmitters have energizing effects on the body.
Why is this a potential problem?
Most supplement manufacturers use poor raw ingredients and/or the process the nutrient goes through to become a finished product ready to consume is worthless and a waste of your hard-earned dollars. B6 in higher doses (as a ratio to other B-vitamins), increases the chance of you becoming restless, irritable, and anxious.
Vitamin B12
Majority of people feel the need for more energy and don’t correlate that lack of energy to their food source or supplement crash. We take B12 to increase energy but don’t realize that this could cause various unwanted side effects. Large amounts of B12 (>1000 mcg) has stimulating effects on not only your brain but also your body.
Folic Acid
I’ve talked about this “supplement” for years. The quotations are sarcastic since Folic acid is a cheap form of Folate. Doctors who recommend folate are doing a good job. Only those who are not well-versed in supplements/nutrition will recommend folic acid. They’re unaware that Folic Acid is a synthetic (oxidized) form of folate and poorly utilized by the body which can affect immune suppression, hunger regulation, skin rashes.
Using cheap, non-professional grade supplements are a waste of money and can harm your health
Multivitamins
We should keep in mind that each of our biochemical make-up is unique and require customized nutrition and exercise. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to exercise and nutrition.
Multivitamins often have fillers and binders in the processing allowing the makers to fill the capsule or to enhance flavor. Some of the fillers don’t allow for proper absorption of the very nutrient you’re consuming. Other have dangerous excitotoxins like artificial sweeteners. These excitotoxins overstimulate neurons in the brain that can cause anxiety.
JAMA journals
Expecting mothers who were provided with multivitamin supplements from the earliest stage of pregnancy gave birth to kids with enhanced brain functions. These kids had IQs that are 2.16 points higher than that of the control group. They also had verbal comprehension index that is 4.29 points higher than those in the control group.
You may ask yourself which multi is the best? I’ve been in this industry twenty-eight years and only found a couple I like and have my parents use as well. The brand name is Metabolic Synergy.
Can poor nutrition cause anxiety?
So if you’ve been asking this question, the answer is a resounding YES. Bad food choices can even enhance it. It’s always good to remember that our body’s chemical reactions rely a lot on things we eat. Anxiety disorder might seem too scientific to be linked to food. Studies, however, prove that they indeed are. So, we have to be mindful.
If you want to improve your nutrition to reduce anxiety, best start with a “clean slate”. You can do this by detoxing. Our 21-day organic full body detox and all organ cleanse will give you your much-needed jump start into this health journey.
With our program, you’ll get 30 days’ worth of professional-grade supplements that are carefully crafted to have the right vitamin ratios. You’ll also get 10 exercise videos to help you sweat out the toxins. 2 best-selling fitness ebooks written by a former trainer to the stars, George DiGianni will help you get in the right mindset. It also includes healthy meal recipes in both ebook and video format, as well as access to expert support 7 days a week!
Don’t let anxiety disorder keep you or your loved ones from leading happy and fulfilling lives. Make a move to take control today and get on our program!
