Anxiety - an integrative approach
Lifestyle and Food Management Advice
Anxiety is a normal human reaction. It is a reaction to danger or something that is threatening. It increases our awareness of the environment and reminds us to protect ourselves. Marked anxiety however can become detrimental to quality of life and can become unbalanced and should be treated. Anxiety can be classed as the following:
Intense - More then normal amount.
Chronic - Felt many times during the day or most days of the week.
Limiting - Makes it hard to do daily tasks or relate to others.
Symptoms of anxiety include - a racing heart, irritability, restlessness, trembling, poor concentration, sweats, sleep problems, tiring easily, social phobia, headaches, substance abuse, depression and the list goes on…
Mind and Body medicine
Mind-body approaches are vital for treating anxiety. There are many techniques that can be used to calm anxiety. Some of these include:
Counselling - seeing a psychotherapist, psychologist or counsellor.
Mindfulness-based stress reduction - Various forms of meditation can be extremely useful in providing patients with the skills they need to reduce their stress levels.
Exercise - ‘Get out of your head - and into your body’! Burning the body’s energy can be a great way to release anxiety and clear the mind.
Breathing exercises - Sets of ten deep breaths using the diaphragm can relax the body and mind quickly.
Nutrition
A healthy diet can improve the symptoms of anxiety as well as the risk of future occurrences. Regulating blood sugar levels is very important in stabilising anxiety levels by preventing hypo and hyper-glycemic states. Maintaining blood sugar levels can be achieved by:
Eating multiple small meals throughout the day.
Eating meals that have a low GI content, such as proteins (meat and legumes) and complex carbohydrates (whole grains).
Limiting intake of simple carbohydrates: Breads, donuts, pastries and sugar.
Reducing or eliminating stimulants such as caffeine, alcohol and cigarettes.
Dietary Supplements
Dietary supplements can be effective at reducing anxiety levels, when used in a combination with a healthy diet and exercise. But don’t just rely on tablets!
Food sources can include:
Folic acid - green leafy vegetables, cabbage, spinach, asparagus, broccoli, sprouts, mushrooms, legumes and nuts.
B Vitamins - red meat, legumes, wild rice, mushrooms, eggs and nuts.
Omega 3s - fish or seafood.
Magnesium - legumes, whole grains, nuts, dark green leafy vegetables, seeds, nuts and mineral water.
