Diet and Anxiety

[dreeklass]

After having suffered with anxiety, along with a whole host of other health issues - physical - I began to do much research into my symptoms, only to learn that having a bad diet can and will cause anxiety. Once I changed my diet, and began to cut out sugar, the anxiety vanished. I did not need any medication - though I did attend group therapy for social anxiety around the age of 19. But the breakthrough only really happened once I changed my diet. Does anybody else have any experience with this?


I think it has something to do with good gut flora, as bad gut flora can and will cause anxiety and depression.

 

[SirJoe]

People so often under estimate the need of a good diet. The old saying holds true we are what we eat, it you only eat junk food you will feel like junk. So often people just don't feel like themselves and they can quit understand why. Having a balanced diet can make all the difference.

 

[dreeklass]

People so often under estimate the need of a good diet. The old saying holds true we are what we eat' date=' it you only eat junk food you will feel like junk. So often people just don't feel like themselves and they can quit understand why. Having a balanced diet can make all the difference.[/quote']
It's certainly true. I am living proof of it. Apparently, also, most people have a candida overgrowth. 70% of people, I think the statistic was. If you know anything about Candida, you will know that it actively causes anxiety and depression, as well as a whole host of other mental detriments. After changing my diet, I feel like a new person, and looking back on who I was when I was riddled with the anxiety and depression - I literally cannot believe that I used to think the way that I thought. But the bad gut flora will do that. I liken it to a modern day version of being demonically possessed, in a way. Your mind is not your own, and neither are your thoughts. It sort of takes a holistic approach, I have found. Working with the physical, and the mental aspects.

 

[111kg]

I've recently started the ketogenic diet and it's simply amazing. I've lost about 10 lbs in 2 weeks and I've joined the dedicated subreddit on Reddit (r/keto). The amount of people supporting your is simply amazing.


Other than that, keep in mind that eating junk food is just like eating chocolate. We do it for a small dopamine release. Once you understand this you can easily hack your brain and program yourself to do other stuff, healthier and more important ones, to get your daily dosage of dopamine. Trust me, with baby steps you can achieve tremendous results.

 

[djordjem87]

Of course it can. We are what we drink and eat. It is worse when it comes more from the psyche. I have a female friend who is 163 cm tall and around 85 kg. She is always anxious and she is always dieting but she never manage to reduce some weight. She is always complaining but rarely do any actual exercise or a cardio workout. My point here is that it can be caused by bad food as much as the product of that bad food and that is being overweight, in her case obese. She and many other people disappear in that void of constant complaints and self-pity and they become anxious as a result of low self esteem and twisted reality. She is getting more and more kilos just from her psyche. She is barely eating at all and she cannot reduce weight.

 

[SirJoe]

It's certainly true. I am living proof of it. Apparently, also, most people have a candida overgrowth. 70% of people, I think the statistic was. If you know anything about Candida, you will know that it actively causes anxiety and depression, as well as a whole host of other mental detriments. After changing my diet, I feel like a new person, and looking back on who I was when I was riddled with the anxiety and depression - I literally cannot believe that I used to think the way that I thought. But the bad gut flora will do that. I liken it to a modern day version of being demonically possessed, in a way. Your mind is not your own, and neither are your thoughts. It sort of takes a holistic approach, I have found. Working with the physical, and the mental aspects.

I hadn't heard of Candida but thank you for the share. When it comes to medicine most medical practitioners simple treat side effects of an illness, they are not too concerned with what causes it. If you have a head ache they will treat the head ache and not really look at what is causing it. More often then not just changing your diet can be more then enough to solve a lot of very serious problems. Another area that is often overlooked is foot health and problems that you may have with your teeth. These two areas are very often over looked but play a very important roll in our well being.

 

[stephonline]

I have heard of Candida and I am sure that I have and so does my sister. I eat a high diet in carbs and sugar. It has brought me nothing but inflammation and a bunch of weight gain. I am trying to drink Yakult and making sure that I have probiotics. It makes me feel healthier when I have antioxidants as well. I can tell that my skin looks better whenever I have it. There are so many sites that talk about Candida, but you should be sure not to buy any of the products that claim to cure you. They are all just a scam.

 

[rz3300a]

Well I would consider myself lucky to assume that my issues with diet are not as bad as some others may have, but don't worry I make it up in other ways and other forms of anxiety and panic. I do suffer with this a little though, and I am sure that everyone does to some degree. I have had a time in my life when I really went through a phase of not eating, and it was strange but it had a lot to do with anxiety. My habits are weird when it comes to food too, and that does not really help. Interesting stuff, though, and thanks for sharing.

 

[sidney]

That hasn't happened to me yet, but I think that it's worth giving it a shot. My anxiety is just occasional and not that worse to be treated as serious to make serious changes in my diet.

 

[Aree Wongwanlee]

Hmmm, I really had no idea that the wrong diet can cause anxiety. Thank you for the heads up. What I do have is anxiety about the diet itself. I have a mild case of hypertension and diabetes. So I worry about my food. Whenever I make a drink, I worry about putting too much sugar. When I cook, I worry about the salt. When I eat out, I worry about whether the food will upset my stomach. This is something which started quite recently. Before, I used to have an ironclad stomach and I liked to try all kinds of food. Now, my stomach seems to have weakened with age and I have to be careful about what I eat.

 

[MichaelJacob]

Yes diet is a big thing when it comes to anxiety. You have to eat clean and get plenty vitamins and minerals and drink plenty of water. Also just little things like no smoking or drinking, getting plenty of sleep, really help with getting rid of anxiety, a lot of people don't realize a lot of little things they are doing is contributing to there anxiety.

 

[lexinonomous]

I had no idea that your diet could have an effect on your mental health. I know that I feel physically ill due to my diet at times, but I never thought that it would effect me mentally. I have had a few instances where I've noticed that my anxiety gets worse when I'm eating a lot of sugar, but I thought it was a silly thought that I should just excuse.


I wonder if I were to cut out the amount of sugar I take in, if my anxiety would lessen. That would be a god sent for me. I'm glad to hear that your anxiety vanished when changing your diet. What kind of things do you eat, regularly?

 

[Laneorexorcist]

This is so interesting, I truly haven't heard anything about diet being related with anxiety or depression.


But I think that it might have sense for people who are anxious about their weight? It can make them feel better and cut the anxiety down, I guess.


But when it comes to me, I'm the opposite, I'm really skinny and I eat a lot of junk food, and this increases when I'm feeling anxious, and it gets worse when I try to cut those things of my diet.

 

[fcuco]

What about the things that you drink? and I am not only talking about alcohol that has a noticeable effect on us, but stuff like Caffeine for instance gave me some problems, I had to stop drinking Energy Drinks and very strong coffee, that worked for me at least, even the caffeine in sodas was giving me some trouble, not to mention that I have some sleep problems. I also combined alcohol with Energy Drink, that's a huge no no, but I learned that later.


Most people don't count what they drink as part of their diet and don't realize the huge amounts of sugar or fat that they consume via frappucinos and stuff like that, make sure you also pay attention to that.

 

[Ashley0323]

Yes I have noticed this. When we eat super unhealthy (tends to happen more than I would like to admit with out busy lifestyle) my anxiety is worse, and my BP is up. When we eat better I have more confidence and my anxiety is still there, though it is not nearly as bad. I think your diet can contribute to your anxiety.

 

[SirJoe]

This is so interesting, I truly haven't heard anything about diet being related with anxiety or depression.
But I think that it might have sense for people who are anxious about their weight? It can make them feel better and cut the anxiety down, I guess.


But when it comes to me, I'm the opposite, I'm really skinny and I eat a lot of junk food, and this increases when I'm feeling anxious, and it gets worse when I try to cut those things of my diet.

If you are thinking of changing your diet don't do it all at once. The ideal is to do by phases so that you don't shock your body. Instead of getting some pop get some fresh apple juice instead or substitute that tart for a peace of fruit, it's small things that end up making a big difference.

 

[cafwen]

I've noticed a simply astonishing change in my mood since I switched to a whole food plant based diet - I cut out animal products, oils, and refined and processed foods in March this year, and I am amazed at the difference. My mood is so stable - it's very rare indeed for me to have an 'off' day anymore. The biggest tip I could give anyone is go for the potatoes! Not only are they a great overall source of food for human beings, but they actually contain serotonin! Of course, the fact that I have lost almost 20kgs on the diet with virtually no effort (aside from learning how to cook more healthily) is that I also feel great about the way I look for the first time in my life.

 

[SirJoe]

What about the things that you drink? and I am not only talking about alcohol that has a noticeable effect on us, but stuff like Caffeine for instance gave me some problems, I had to stop drinking Energy Drinks and very strong coffee, that worked for me at least, even the caffeine in sodas was giving me some trouble, not to mention that I have some sleep problems. I also combined alcohol with Energy Drink, that's a huge no no, but I learned that later.
Most people don't count what they drink as part of their diet and don't realize the huge amounts of sugar or fat that they consume via frappucinos and stuff like that, make sure you also pay attention to that.

This is true, what we drink is every bit as important as what we eat. I do agree, there are a lot of people that will overlook this fact and will change the way they eat completely but will still carry on drinking highly caloric drinks which ends up defeating the point of changing diets.

 

[kimmie216]

I have been reading more about this as well. I recently had some medical testing done and the results showed I have a serious depletion in good bacteria. I am wondering if this has added to my anxiety. My doctor also started having me take probiotics, so hopefully this helps with it. My doctor has also made me remove gluten and dairy from my diet, which initially caused anxiety because of the stress in meal planning, but now I'm managing better and I feel less anxious because I feel a great deal better overall.

 

[kgord]

I like what Sir Joe said. I think it is best to ease into any major life change gradually, and get your body a chance to get accustomed to it. I think diet and exercise can make a lot of difference in terms of our overall mood and health, but at the same time it isn't the be all and end all of everything. Food is meant to be enjoyed, and my philosophy is everything in moderation. I did see a doctor on TV the other day though, that did discuss the importance of maintaining good gut health for overall health.