Eating the Right Fats May Reduce Anxiety!
According to a recent report by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults aged 18 years or older in the country.
Though there are a wide range of treatments available for anxiety-related symptoms, many experts believe that even the diet of a person can effectively address the common dysfunctions that underlie various anxiety disorders.
Since people today are moving away from their ancestral diet of lard, eggs and meat toward a plant-based, high-carb, low-fat and junk food diet, there have been visible negative effects on the body, especially the brain.
Cholesterol is a major constituent of more than half of the body’s cells, and more than 60 percent of the brain is made up of fat. Thus, abstaining from right kinds of fat can affect the brain and cause mood disorders.
Identifying foods that lower anxiety:
People struggling with anxiety often take numerous medications to control the symptoms. However, they do not realize that the imbalance of nutrients that causes anxiety can be effectively controlled by consuming the right kind of food.
Here is a list of foods that can help alleviate anxiety symptoms to a great extent:
1. Fish: Deficiency of healthy omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA – abundant in fish fat – may cause anxiety and other mood-related disorders. Studies conducted by experts in Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh have established that low levels of EPA and DHA in the body were related to mood impairment.
In fact, an omega-3-rich diet reduces anxiety and improves brain health as well as neuro-communication.
Another research at the University of Pittsburgh showed that a higher intake of omega-3 increases the volume of gray matter in the anterior cingulate cortex, an area in the brain controlling emotions and moods.
2. Oysters: A fluctuating zinc-to-copper ratio may trigger symptoms of anxiety. Though both copper and zinc are important for neurotransmitter health, a higher concentration of copper and reduced zinc could lead to anxiety, as copper is known to alter mood and behavior.
Oysters are loaded with zinc, and are an excellent means to maintain a proper trace minerals ratio and lower stress levels.
3. Organ meats: Zinc and vitamin D found in organ meats can be really effective in beating anxiety, as choline plays a major role in the synthesis of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Also, liver, which is rich in B vitamins, is essential for methylation, a metabolic process to synthesize neurotransmitters that regulate the mood. They also help reduce inflammation and prevent cortisol and adrenaline from spiking.
4. Turkey: Tryptophan, which forms the basis of brain chemicals, is an amino acid found in turkey meat. It is an important component of the brain chemical serotonin, which gets converted into melatonin, the well-known sleep-inducing hormone. Tryptophan has also been found to reduce anxiety-related disorders.
Eradicating anxiety to lead a happy life
Many people battling anxiety use antidepressants that come with serious side effects, such as suicidal tendencies, chronic depression and unusual behavior patterns. Thus, medical practitioners and patients are constantly seeking safer alternative therapies to fight the mental disorder.
