You often read about foods that you should incorporate into your diet to help you enhance your mood, boost your immune system and increase your brain power. But do you ever think about the foods that you are eating? They could be contributing significantly to your day to day anxiety. Although the resounding message is to always have everything in moderation, you may want to look out for the following foods that have the ability to increase your stress levels.
1. Caffeine
This may appear to be the most obvious to avoid. Drinks like coffee tend to embedded in our daily routine, which makes it a habit. To avoid being late for a meeting, I often arrive at the venue very early to avoid anxiety on my commute. Then, to kill time I have a coffee in a nearby shop. Instead of feeling alerted for the meeting, I felt wired and on edge. Coffee is not the only offender, teas often have just as much (if not more!), caffeine in them. Try to switch to decaf if you do drink a lot of tea or go down the herbal route, to lower your overall caffeine intake.
2. Sugar
Sugar can be a tempting short-term fix. You may reach for something sweet to keep you going, but it will leave you feeling much worse after an hour you are hit with a sugar crash. Sugar can also be present in lots of foods that you wouldn’t usually expect, such as pasta and rice. The more sugar you have, the more you crave it. If you have ever tried giving up chocolate for a period of time, you will know that after a time you no longer fancy it. This is because your body has adjusted to being without it. If you take sugar in tea, try replacing it with a supplement or sweetener. If you snack on biscuits (like I do!), try to curb your hunger with a piece of fruit instead.
3. Alcohol
You don’t have to have a big night out to experience the effects of ‘Hangiexty’. Alcohol increases your cortisol levels, which means any worries or fears you have are always heightened. Alcohol intake can jeopardize your sleep, which will have an impact on your general outlook and mood. Remember to stay hydrated when drinking. If you’re already fretting about that extra glass of wine then it’s not worth it.
4. Preservatives and Salt
Salt has the ability to unbalance other vital minerals within your body. The effects of this can expose you to potential panic attacks as a result. If you have too much salt, this can have the effect of increasing your blood pressure. Preservatives can also influence your stress levels dramatically. These can be found in sauces and fruit juices. Most packaged products are pretty good at listing the salt and preservative levels, so if in doubt, look to the label.
If you want to measure the quantities of your intake of the above foods on a daily basis, it may be worth keeping a food diary or using an app, such as My Fitness Pal. This will increase your awareness, and help you to single out the regular offenders that you did not realize was dragging you down.
LET’S CHAT
Has cutting out these foods had any affect on you? Tell us below…
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You often read about foods that you should incorporate into your diet to help you enhance your mood, boost your immune system and increase your brain power. But do you ever think about the foods that you are eating? They could be contributing significantly to your day to day anxiety. Although the resounding message is to always have everything in moderation, you may want to look out for the following foods that have the ability to increase your stress levels.
Caffeine
This may appear to be the most obvious to avoid. Drinks like coffee tend to embedded in our daily routine, which makes it a habit. To avoid being late for a meeting, I often arrive at the venue very early to avoid anxiety on my commute. Then, to kill time I have a coffee in a nearby shop. Instead of feeling alerted for the meeting, I felt wired and on edge. Coffee is not the only offender, teas often have just as much (if not more!), caffeine in them. Try to switch to decaf if you do drink a lot of tea or go down the herbal route, to lower your overall caffeine intake.
Sugar
Sugar can be a tempting short-term fix. You may reach for something sweet to keep you going, but it will leave you feeling much worse after an hour you are hit with a sugar crash. Sugar can also be present in lots of foods that you wouldn’t usually expect, such as pasta and rice. The more sugar you have, the more you crave it. If you have ever tried giving up chocolate for a period of time, you will know that after a time you no longer fancy it. This is because your body has adjusted to being without it. If you take sugar in tea, try replacing it with a supplement or sweetener. If you snack on biscuits (like I do!), try to curb your hunger with a piece of fruit instead.
Alcohol
You don’t have to have a big night out to experience the effects of ‘Hangiexty’. Alcohol increases your cortisol levels, which means any worries or fears you have are always heightened. Alcohol intake can jeopardize your sleep, which will have an impact on your general outlook and mood. Remember to stay hydrated when drinking. If you’re already fretting about that extra glass of wine then it’s not worth it.
Preservatives and Salt
Salt has the ability to unbalance other vital minerals within your body. The effects of this can expose you to potential panic attacks as a result. If you have too much salt, this can have the effect of increasing your blood pressure. Preservatives can also influence your stress levels dramatically. These can be found in sauces and fruit juices. Most packaged products are pretty good at listing the salt and preservative levels, so if in doubt, look to the label.
If you want to measure the quantities of your intake of the above foods on a daily basis, it may be worth keeping a food diary or using an app, such as My Fitness Pal. This will increase your awareness, and help you to single out the regular offenders that you did not realize was dragging you down.
LET’S CHAT
Has cutting out these foods had any affect on you? Tell us below…
Yea for sure these food whenever I eat things containing a lot of this I realize I feel anxious. I try to cut it all out because its not good for me anyway.
Such an interesting post! x
Izzy | https://www.pinchofdelight.com
Agreed on all of these… since cutting back my caffeine it’s helped a lot!
I agree with this list. I know I feel more anxious than ever if I have any of these foods and I’m dehydrated. Definitely not a good combination!
https://exquisitely.me
Definitely agree — I miss the days where a green tea was all I needed to start my day. Grad school did me in, but now I can appreciate good coffee I suppose.
Vivianne | pricklypearblog.com