5 Everyday Foods To Help Reduce Anxiety Foods To Reduce Anxiety

Everyone seems to be suffering from anxiety and stress these days. Read below to learn about 5 everyday foods to help reduce anxiety… No weird ingredients, no pills, no supplements — just real everyday foods!

We are all trying to reduce the amount of stress and anxiety in our lives. Whether you are running around doing a million different things, or sitting still with your mind turning and ruminating over your to-do list (or, your lack of having enough to do), I want you to learn about the 5 everyday foods that can help reduce anxiety.

First, let me tell you that I’m a fairly calm person. I meditate, do yoga, walk in the park… you know, all of those things that you should do to calm your mind. BUT, without the addition of this anxiety-reducing food component, I can get as stressed and as anxious as the next person.

I help all of my clients with this, even if they are working with me for a goal of weight loss, improving their skin, fixing their digestion, or whatever. If you can control your stress and anxiety, your cortisol levels get where they should be, and everything else is easier to fix.

My background is as a chef and as an Eastern medicine expert. It’s through this specialized training that I’ve been able to perfect this food component of anxiety reduction. Certain foods have a special makeup and special components that make them able to reach the happiness center of your brain. Other foods have the ability to calm your spirit. When you add these common foods into your diet, you are really putting yourself in the best position to fight of the anxiety and stress that we deal with every day.

So, just relax. Breathe. And scroll down to read about these 5 everyday foods to help reduce anxiety.

I’ve included some simple, delicious recipes making use of these foods too! What are you waiting for?

If you eat and drink the right foods and herbs for your unique body and circumstances, you can keep yourself healthy. All you need is the correct information. And I’m here to give it to you. If you want to learn more about healing whatever your specific concerns are, I’d love to customize a food plan specifically for your unique needs, so sign up for a free phone consultation and we can chat about it. I’ve got so many great ideas for these anxiety reducing foods and I’d love to share them with you!

And, if you want even more information on how to reduce stress with food, herbs, and supplements, you can download my free Foods That Help Reduce Stress ebook.

Here Are 5 Everyday Foods To Help Reduce Anxiety

Before we delve into my top 5 foods in this category, let me just say that the power of food is amazing. Food really is medicine, but unlike a quick pill, you need to let the foods work their magic in your body over a period of time. So, pick a few of the foods below to start with, and over the course of the next week, fit them into your diet wherever possible. Then, at the end of the week, take note of how you feel. Then add in a few more. You’re going to notice a difference!

1. Basil

Basil is a spiritual herb — the scent actually calms you; you can boil some in a pot and let the aroma fill the air, you can just leave some around the house in vases or glasses, and you can toss a bunch in your bath water (I love to do this).

Eating basil is easy. Most of the time you can leave it raw. You can make pestos and sauces and add the leaves to your salads, use it instead of lettuce on your sandwiches and wraps, and even add it to smoothies.

Some of my favorite recipes use raw basil and are so simple to make. Raw Zucchini Noodles With Pesto And Tomatoes is exactly that; a raw dish with simple fresh flavors. Another great recipe is Zoodles With Creamy Avocado Pesto (pictured at the top of this post). This creamy avocado pesto is so good and, it contains spinach and avocados as well as basil, so it packs a triple punch, because spinach and avocados are also good at helping reduce anxiety! And, if you want to make it a quadruple whammy, use some buckwheat soba or buckwheat ramen noodles, because buckwheat is another anxiety reducing food!

2. Chickpeas

One of my favorite ways to get chickpeas into my diet, is to eat chickpea-based pastas. There are so many awesome grain-free pastas available today, and chickpea pasta is one of the best. If you haven’t tried it yet, you must! Pictured above, is my Chickpea Penne With Arugula Pesto. The arugula pesto is amazing… BUT, feel free to substitute the arugula pesto for one of the basil ones mentioned above, and you’ll really be upping the anxiety reducing properties of your food.

Another great meal to make with chickpeas is my Spicy Chickpea Turkey And Tomato Stew. And, as luck would have it, turkey is also a stress and anxiety reducing food!

3. White Beans And Pinto Beans

White beans and pinto beans are great stress relievers and mood boosters. They are great to add into your diet when you are feeling anxious. These beans are good at boosting energy and calming the mind. They can help improve your memory and can lower cholesterol. And, they are a great source of protein.

This Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip is made from white beans. It also has anxiety-reducing spinach in it. Win-win! White Bean And Kale Soup is comforting, delicious, and will calm your mind… you’ve got to try these recipes!

4. Olive Oil

It’s clear that the incidence of depression and anxiety can be worsened in people who are on low-fat diets. Your brain needs healthy fats. The happiness center in your brain will thank you when you feed it healthy fats like olive oil. This happiness portion of your brain goes haywire when it doesn’t get enough of the proper hormones — like serotonin and dopamine. Olive oil can help these levels.

I add extra-virgin olive oil to everything. Every time I cook a meal, I swirl a generous drizzle of this healthy oil on top of my food — I urge you to do the same.

You can read more about the amazing benefits of this oil here: The Healing Power Of Olive Oil.

Make an easy one-pan dinner like this Roasted Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner, and drizzle a huge glug of a high quality extra-virgin olive oil on top. The salmon is good to combat sadness, and the olive oil will help reduce anxiety. And make this Dairy Free Creamy Cauliflower Bone Broth Soup — it’s got olive oil in it, and if you drizzle it on top too, you’ll really be helping yourself.

5. Avocados

Balancing stress and balancing hormones go hand in hand. Often, when you are feeling really stressed, it’s because your hormones are out of balance. Same goes for mood. The monounsaturated fats found in avocados have been shown to help with depression. Avocados are rich in Vitamin B and many times anxiety occurs because of a B deficiency. This in itself is reason enough to amp up your avocado intake!

Read more about avocados here: 5 Little Known Health Benefits Of Avocados.

Avocados are awesome! Whether you like to eat avocado toast, chocolate mousse with hidden avocados, or guacamole, they are delicious and healing.

For a few more ideas (that don’t involve food) on how to live an anxiety free lifestyle, take a look at these 10 Natural Remedies For Reducing Anxiety.

Food really is medicine!

If you eat the right foods and herbs for your unique body and circumstances, you can heal yourself. All you need is the correct information. And a little help from someone who’s been there. If you want to learn more about how food, herbs, and supplements can help lessen your anxiety and stress, I’d love to help you create a healthy lifestyle plan specifically for your unique needs, so sign up for a free phone consultation and we can chat about it.

5 Everyday Foods To Help Reduce Anxiety