Foods that increase your anxiety or depression can be hard to resist. When you feel sad, the idea of eating certain foods sounds great. Could what you’re about to eat make your depression or anxiety even worse? There are foods to be careful with since they can make things worse and make you feel even worse.
If you eat too many of these foods, you may notice that the work stress you try to control is getting out of control. By avoiding these foods, the anxiety might not disappear, but you’ll see that you can prevent it better, and it wasn’t too bad after all.
Drinks That Increase Your Anxiety or Depression
Alcohol is a drink that makes your depression or anxiety even worse. Why? It alters the neurotransmitters in your brain, which results in your anxiety being even worse. When the alcohol is gone, you feel worse than before. An alternative is a nonalcoholic drink if you like the taste of a particular brand.
Coffee can also increase your anxiety when consumed in large amounts. Every person reacts differently to anxiety since there are many factors to consider, such as overall health. Too much coffee can alter your sleeping routine, which can then increase your anxiety levels. The FDA recommends around 400 mg daily, about four cups of coffee. But if you feel you can go with less, even better.
Foods That Increase Your Anxiety or Depression: Ultra-processed Foods
There is a good chance that you’ve heard it before: avoid ultra-processed foods. Why? It’s not because they are healthy and someone wants to ruin your happiness; it’s because ultra-processed foods such as Corn chips, Apple pie, French fries, Carrot cake, Cookies, and more have added sugar (among other unhealthy ingredients) that can increase your anxiety or depression systems. You know what they say: what goes up must come down, which also applies to your sugar levels. When they come down, you feel the worst, but keeping a healthy diet, such as vegan spaghetti with avocado and spinach sauce, will help reduce the symptoms.
It’s also a good idea to avoid foods with refined carbs. Why? They elevate your sugar levels, resulting in your liver having to work overtime to produce insulin to lower your sugar level to an average level. The crash in the sugar level can cause you to feel hungrier and have food cravings you wouldn’t otherwise have. What is the number one worst carb? Foods you should avoid are:
- Doughnuts
- Soft pretzel
- Processed sugary cereal
- Canned fruit
- Soda
- Gummy candy
- Corn chips and potato chips
Refined grains and sugars also fall into the refined carbs category. What are refined grains? They are grains with no nutritional or fibrous advantage, and those parts are removed. Examples of refined grains include white rice, white flour, corn grits, and white bread. Anything made with refined grains is considered empty calories.
It can be tough to resist these delicious foods, but knowing the harm they cause makes it a lot easier. You can take small steps in putting these harmful foods aside until you reach your goal. In the end, you’ll notice how you have better health.