Ryan Rivera is the publisher and founder of the Calm Clinic, a website designed to help people find valuable information about anxiety disorders. Ryan speaks directly from personal experience. After spending seven years suffering from panic attacks, severe anxiety, agoraphobia, social anxiety, unbearable physical symptoms, headaches, neck pains, constant tension, diarrhea, palpitations, pounding heart, Ryan reached a tipping point and found a way to embrace a movement toward the elimination of anxiety from his life. Ryan found Exploring Life through the article, Emotional Terrain: Anxiety – Fear in Search of a Cause, and has kindly offered to contribute an article.

Anxiety affects all of us to one degree or another. No one is immune from its influence. In my own experience, I have found that a great deal of what I become anxious about is in fact a complete fiction constructed by an over-active imagination. When we choose to go inside our anxiety to reveal its source, I felt a sense of irony in realizing that often my own periods of anxiety were self-induced. However, modern society seems to have a morbid obsession with anxiety and the media all too often seem to obsessively and foolishly fan its flames. Anxiety can also take the form of a weapon of deception, manipulation, control and submission that imposed upon us by an external agent. In other words, anxiety can force itself upon from the outside. Regardless of its source, anxiety simultaneously affects body, mind and spirit, and therefore changes our very perception and appreciation of life. In this article, Ryan focuses on the inexorable link between food and anxiety.

Food: Eating Healthy to Alleviate Anxiety Disorder

You may not know this, but stress and anxiety can be aggravated by what you eat. And since you would not want to make your condition worse, try some of these healthy foods to help you with your anxiety.

1. What should you eat when you are anxious? Easy. Go bake yourself a potato.

Potato is an example of a complex carbohydrate-rich food that is good for relieving the disturbing effects of anxiety. I know carbohydrates have gotten a bad press as being the root of obesity. But what you do not know is that the refined carbohydrates found in sugary foods and drinks are the culprit for such problem and not the complex ones.

Complex carbohydrates are good carbohydrates that have been clinically proven to help reduce the effects of stress and anxiety. These foods increase the levels of serotonin, a biochemical in the brain that functions as a mood stabilizer. With a balanced amount of serotonin in the brain, the communication or transmission of nerve impulses between cells is up to standard, providing a calming effect.

Other examples of complex carbohydrate-rich foods include oats, whole grains, brown rice, pasta, and bread.

2. Yogurt anyone?!

Yogurt is a highly nutritious dairy product produced by bacterial (good bacteria) fermentation of milk. This yummy delicacy has nutritional benefits greater than those provided by milk. It is rich in calcium, protein, riboflavin, vitamin b6 and vitamin b12. Also, it is rich in tryptophan, an amino acid, which helps the body make serotonin. Serotonin is an important neurotransmitter that provides a calming effect ?which helps relieve stress, thereby reducing anxiety.

Aside from this psychological benefit, yogurt serves as a very good substitute for milk. People with lactose-intolerance can consume yogurt without suffering from any ill effect in ordinary milk, since the lactose in the milk precursor is transformed to lactic acid by the bacterial culture.

So, if you are stressed out, grab a cup of yogurt, sit down and enjoy its relaxing benefits.

3. I am going to go nuts.

Adding cashew nuts to your diet is a helpful way of relieving your feelings of unease, worry, and fear. These tree nuts are not only popular for their succulent flavor but also for their health benefits. These nuts are filled with tryptophan, magnesium, and omega-3 fatty acids that can help improve your mental anxiety.

Also known by the name Anacardium occidentale, the tryptophan in these nuts helps boost the brain’s production of the calming neurotransmitter serotonin. With increased serotonin, regular sleep and stable mood are achieved.

The high magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids content of these cashews also takes credit for its healthy heart qualities. A snack of this protects against high blood pressure, anxiety, fatigue, muscle spasms, and headaches.

4. Longing for legumes.

A study printed in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2004;101:8285–8) reports that a diet deficient in lysine can lead to anxiety problems.

Lysine is an amino acid that functions as a building block for protein synthesis. As an essential amino acid, lysine is a precursor to chemical messengers in the brain and, as such, influences mood and mental functioning. Because of its essentiality, experts advise that people enrich their diet with lysine which is found in legumes.

Legumes are a group of vegetables that includes peas, beans, seeds and lentils. As a rich source of protein, legumes are also used as a healthy substitute for meat by many vegetarians.

5. Dark is Gorgeous. So is Chocolate.

A research study spearheaded by the Nestle Research Center reveals that a daily serving of 40 grams of dark chocolate helps to lessen high levels of anxiety. This finding is supported by the scientific evidence that antioxidants found in dark chocolate called flavanols, have anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce effects of stress hormones and other stress-related biochemical changes in the body.

So, if you love your health over your weight, grab that dark chocolate bar and munch away. But keep in mind, everything must be in moderation. Never over do!

6. Very Berry

Strawberry addicts will be glad to know that their sinful craving is not so sinful at all. Strawberries are not only delicious but are also filled with plenty of nutrients such as anthocyanins.

Anthocyanins, which give strawberries their bright red pigmentation, have natural anti-inflammatory properties. These pigments protect the brain and the blood vessels from inflammation and, as such, help keep people sharp. They also prevent anxiety attacks and help stop feelings of restlessness, and depression in people with mild to moderate mental health disorders.

7. A Peace for Fish

An inadequacy in the amounts of omega-3 fatty acids in the diet has been found to affect the development of the brain. A deficiency is likely to result in some kind of inflammation to the brain and blood vessels that could lead to possible anxiety and depressive disorders.

To prevent this from happening, scientists recommend that people eat foods rich in omega-3 or DHA. Examples of these are salmon, tuna, and mackerel.

What we feed our body greatly influences how we perceive and behave. Because of this direct impact, it is important that we keep a healthy diet and avoid foods that could lead to anxiety.

Ryan Rivera credits his survival from anxiety by eating healthy and keeping fit. In www.calmclinic.com, you’ll find that all his articles promote natural methods for the treatment of anxiety and panic disorder.