Raw Foods for Anxiety and the Central Nervous System
– by Katie Rainbird
It’s hard to describe anxiety attacks – they manifest so differently from person to person. For me, my mind just races, thoughts stacked up on other thoughts – like a thought lasagna! This gets in the way of how I am with other people, how focused I am on certain tasks, how motivated I am and how I sleep.
Nothing significantly terrible has even happened to me… I’m just your average girl-next-door with divorced parents who’s now happily married with a gorgeous daughter. So if I am gripped by anxiety attacks from time to time, it’s a safe bet most people are. And alas, many suffer from less sporadic anxiety, the type that arrives like an unwelcome house guest and ends up moving in.
Anxiety and Treatment
The Mosby’s Medical Dictionary defines anxiety as “anticipation of impending danger and dread accompanied by restlessness, tension, tachycardia (increased heart rate) and breathing difficulty not necessarily associated with an apparent stimulus.”
Treatment for anxiety is a multi-step process, but one of the simpler steps (as we all do it every single day) is by eating food – in particular, food that is nutritionally geared up to support the nervous system.
Tryptophan for Anxiety
For tryptophan, which is a precursor to serotonin (a chemical regulator of mood, sleep and behaviour), eat plenty of:
Bananas- Oats
- Peanuts
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sprouted legumes and beans
Vitamin B for Anxiety
For production of the neurotransmitters norephinephrine and GABA, which participate in the fight or flight response and calm the nervous system respectively, we need B-vitamin co-factors:
Almonds- Peanuts
- Walnuts
- Legumes
- Oats
Sprouts- Soybeans
- Sunflower seeds
- Dark green leafy vegetables
Calcium and Magnesium for Anxiety
For natural sedative action, muscle contraction/relaxation and nerve cell conduction we rely on the harmonious relationship that exists between calcium and magnesium:
Almonds- Cashews
- Sesame seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
Soy beans- Molasses
- Whole grains
- Turnips
- Broccoli
- Dark green leafy vegetables
Omega-3’s for Anxiety
For stability and functioning of nerve cells, production of neurotransmitters, protection against inflammation and support of the immune system we need omega-3 fatty acids found in:
- Flaxseeds & flaxseed oil
Walnuts & walnut oil- Mustard seeds & mustard oil
- Blackcurrants
- Very dark green leafy vegetables
- Chia seeds
(soaked overnight to activate enzymes)
Vitamin C for Anxiety
For supporting depleted adrenal glands we turn to trusty ol’ vitamin C (one of my personal favourites) and it’s found in many varied fruit and vegetables, most easily recognisable by their bright orange, red, yellow, purple and dark green skins.
Vitamin C dense options include:
- Guavas
Kale leaves- Watercress
- Berries
- Spinach
- Parsley
- Red and green peppers
Ginger Root for Anxiety
And ginger root is effective at rapidly reducing anxiety (when taken in supplemental form) but can be included in juices, teas and salads as part of a healthy diet approach to helping with anxiety.
Raw Foods for Anxiety!
Did you notice any overlap in the above list of foods, uncanny, no?
Go nuts! Go Bananas!
Plant the seed!
Sow your oats!
Sprout a bean!
Be like a caterpillar and munch a green leaf!
…Don’t forget to garnish with a dash of good oil.
And then close your eyes, find a happy place and take three deep breaths in and out.
Chillax!