Foods that reduce anxiety: 5 easy meals to add to your life
There’s a lot we can’t control, right?
Pandemics
The economy
Global climate
Accidents
Whether J.K. Rowling kills off the only two father figures Harry’s ever known 😩
And that...well, it just plain sucks, really. Because losing control often leads to frustration, stress, and anxiety.
One thing I’m really working on is accepting what I can’t control while making proactive, good choices re: what I can.
And one area I love to control is food.
...Okay, I just read it back and that sounds really unhealthy. But I mean it in a positive way!
Food has such a profound effect on us — physically, socially, and, as research is showing, mentally and emotionally.
The food we eat is something we CAN control. And incorporating foods that reduce anxiety is a powerful way to take care of yourself in challenging times.
Letting science guide us
I’m reading a book called This is Your Brain on Food by Dr. Uma Naidoo, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, trained nutrition specialist, and Professional Chef. (How cool is that?! Basically a trifecta of my three biggest interests.)
She explores foods that reduce anxiety, along with other psychological conditions like depression, ADHD, dementia, OCD, schizophrenia, PTSD, and more. And it. is. fascinating. 🙌🏻
Today, I want to talk about a few of these foods that reduce anxiety...because 2020, amirite?
And, look — if you don’t already know, I’m not a doctor. But I was raised by one (plus a nurse, too) and I was taught the importance of following true science, rather than faddy pseudo-science.
What makes Dr. Naidoo’s book so compelling is that her claims are backed by objective scientific research AND her subjective experience in a clinical psychiatric setting.
This isn’t just someone saying, “I feel swell when I eat boxed mac & cheese!” (Although, SAME.)
There’s strong science and proof from real patients behind her research. I kept this post tightly based on Dr. Naidoo’s findings and I linked to original sources where possible.
And rather than simply list foods that reduce anxiety, I’m giving you tasty meal ideas to make it easy to APPLY this and get more of them into your diet. I got creative to combine as many of Dr. Naidoo’s food suggestions as you could reasonably fit onto one plate. 🥗
Well, five plates, technically. But you know what I mean! 😜
Foods that reduce anxiety: fermented foods
You’ve heard the buzz about the microbiome, right? It’s the system of microorganisms — primarily bacteria in the gut — that live on and in your body.
Studies have shown a strong link between the microbiome and stress (along with other health outcomes like autoimmune disease.) And one of the easiest ways to get more good bacteria into your microbiome (and thus, ease anxiety) is to eat good bacteria!
Incorporate foods like:
Raw sauerkraut
Yogurt (unsweetened)
Kimchi
Apple cider vinegar
Kefir
Kombucha
Miso
Tempeh
Fermented veggies
Sauerkraut is a great way to dip a toe into fermenting your own veggies. I was scared to try it but honestly, all you’re risking is a head of cabbage and a little of your time! It’s totally worth doing because a) it’s easy and not scary once you try it and b) making it yourself is way cheaper than buying raw sauerkraut at the health food store.
Here’s the exact method I use:
I also purchased fermentation weights and pickle pipes from the brand that made that video and they’re super useful! I’ve heard that you can put rocks in a plastic bag to weigh your cabbage down instead, which sounds like a great free idea. (But if you want the profesh setup, I really like those products.)
You can eat many of these fermented foods on their own. But if you want a meal to incorporate them with other anxiety-reducing foods, try this…
Meals that reduce anxiety #1: Yogurt and oat bowl
Yogurt is a great source of probiotics and I find it SO delicious and satisfying. I love to mix yogurt with raw oats — trust me, it’s yummy — and other high-fiber toppings to make a healthy, anxiety-soothing breakfast.
Just add unsweetened yogurt (use coconut yogurt if you don’t do dairy) and plain raw oats in a bowl.
Then mix and match these high-fiber toppings:
Berries
Pears
Apples
Bananas (also a good source of potassium*)
Pumpkin seeds (potassium and magnesium)
Chia seeds (fiber and omega 3s)
Flax seeds (fiber and omega 3s)
Almonds (magnesium)
Walnuts (also omega 3s)
Cashews (not super high in fiber but great for magnesium and omega 3s)
*In creating these meal ideas, I included as many different foods that reduce anxiety as possible. Where relevant, I’ll mention other anxiety-soothing nutrients that these foods provide. Just, ya know, FYI.
And you can throw some dark chocolate on there, too, if you want. Dr. Naidoo doesn’t mention it but DARK chocolate (not milk or white!) is thought to be a food that reduces anxiety, as it contains high levels of tryptophan and magnesium.
Foods that reduce anxiety: dietary fiber
In a 2018 study, Andrew Taylor and Hannah Holscher found that mood was enhanced by improving diet quality. And they believe dietary fiber is the reason why.
In her book, Dr. Naidoo says that brain inflammation is elevated in people with anxiety. Dietary fiber helps decrease the brain’s and body’s inflammatory responses to counteract that. Fiber also feeds the good bacteria in your gut.
Meals that reduce anxiety #2: Rice and beans with broccoli (and fermented salsa)
Beans and brown rice are two of Dr. Naidoo’s “5 Bs” of high-fiber foods that reduce anxiety. Rice-and-beans also happens to be one of the most affordable meals you can cook for yourself. I find myself reaching for it when I’m running out of grocery budget for the month (cough: every month) and it’s a tasty way to stretch your pennies and eat foods that reduce anxiety at the same time.
Here’s the rice and beans recipe I use with the InstantPot. If you don’t have an InstantPot, here’s a slow-cooker version you can try.
To round out the meal, serve with some roast broccoli (<—this recipe’s my fave!) — a high-fiber food that also contains high omega 3s.
To feed your microbiome, serve with extra fermented salsa on the side. (Don’t put that in the InstantPot or slow cooker though, or you’ll cook out the good bacteria!) I haven’t made it yet but this fermented salsa recipe looks easy and delicious!
Foods that reduce anxiety: tryptophan
In a 2014 study, Glenda Lindseth and her colleagues studied tryptophan and mood symptoms. They found that subjects who consumed more dietary tryptophan experienced less depressive symptoms, irritability, and anxiety.
Another study in the book found that purified tryptophan made people more agreeable and helped them feel better.
Count me in for all of those, please!
The key with eating tryptophan, according to Dr. Naidoo, is to pair it with carbs, which makes it easier for the tryptophan to get to your brain and cause these feel-good results.
Meals that reduce anxiety #3: Hummus bowl
Chickpeas have been referred to as “ancestors of Prozac” and they’re a fantastic source of tryptophan. I’m doubling up and using them in two forms — hummus and falafel — in this recipe.
We make these hummus bowls at least once a month in our house and I truly never get sick of them! They’re a satisfying way to eat high-fiber veggies, along with other foods that reduce anxiety.
Just throw these in a bowl:
Hummus (here’s the best hummus recipe I’ve found — it gets your hummus suuuuper creamy)
Raw baby spinach (contains dietary fiber and magnesium)
Shredded carrots (dietary fiber)
Sliced onions and cucumbers quick-pickled in apple cider vinegar (a good fermented food) for 15+ minutes prior to serving
Raw sauerkraut (great probiotics)
Falafel (I use this recipe for homemade falafel…when I can be bothered making them from scratch 😜)
Whole wheat pita or brown rice (<— important to provide the carbs that help the tryptophan work its anxiety-soothing magic)
Just throw everything in a bowl and enjoy! You’ll be surprised how delicious a bowl of raw veggies can be, thanks to the creamy dreamy hummus, spicy falafel, and tang from the sauerkraut and apple cider vinegar.
Foods that reduce anxiety: magnesium
Dr. Naidoo says that magnesium deficiency is associated with high anxiety levels. A 2017 study found that magnesium helps anxiety, likely by easing stress responses and changing levels of harmful stress chemicals in the brain.
Considering that 68% of Americans don’t have enough magnesium in their diets, this is a nutrient most of us should be focusing on anyway. And I’ve got the yummiest smoothie to make it easy.
Pumpkin seeds, almonds, and spinach are the three magnesium-rich foods to reduce anxiety, so I made them key players in this smoothie. It also contains pears and bananas, two fruits Dr. Naidoo highlights in her book.
I used this smoothie as my base recipe but made tweaks to up the anti-anxiety power…
Meals that reduce anxiety #4: pear almond smoothie
1 cup unsweetened almond milk (magnesium and fiber)
½ pear (fiber)
½ banana (fiber)
¼ avocado (magnesium)
1 cup spinach (magnesium)
1 Tbsp almond butter (magnesium and fiber)
1 Tbsp pumpkin seeds
Optional: 1 Tbsp chia or flax seeds (great fiber and omega 3s)
Optional: 1/2 a chopped broccoli stalk (adds good fiber and I swear, you can’t taste it!)
Optional: protein powder of choice (I personally use Vital Proteins collagen peptides, as collagen helps maintain healthy connective tissue throughout your digestive tract.)
Add all ingredients into your blender and blend! I like to freeze the fruit ahead of time; it makes for a thicker, creamier texture.
Foods that reduce anxiety: omega 3s
A 2018 meta-analysis of 19 clinical trials with over 2,000 participants found that omega-3 fatty acids were associated with a reduction in anxiety symptoms.
Omega 3s also help to reduce depression and provide a whole heap of other positive health benefits.
Meals that reduce anxiety #5: Miso-glazed salmon with roast brussels sprouts and barley
Fatty fish like salmon is one of the best ways to get omega 3s in your diet and it’s also a good source of Vitamin D, another nutrient that helps reduce anxiety.
Pair that with probiotic-rich miso, high-fiber brussels sprouts (also high in omega 3s themselves) and high-fiber pearl barley for a nourishing meal to quell anxiety.
Life can be unpredictable. Mental health is precious. And I’m a big believer in doing little things to control what we can...to better respond to what we can’t.
I’m grateful for experts like Dr. Naidoo who are studying foods that reduce anxiety (and other mental health conditions) and sharing her findings with us.
If you like this blog post, I highly recommend checking out her book This is Your Brain on Food, where she gives research-based nutritional advice on other conditions like depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and more.
