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6 Holistic Strategies to Reduce Anxiety: Food and Supplements

This Week's Client: Alicia, 23, a university student with a part-time job and a busy social life.

The Problem: She feels anxious nearly every day and suffered from panic attacks as a teenager.

It's normal to experience moments of anxiety, particularly when they stem from stressful situations such as writing an exam or attending a job interview. But Alicia doesn't need a reason to feel anxious, it's her state of mind most of the time.

Anxiety can be characterized by numerous symptoms, but the most common are chills or hot flashes, sudden overwhelming fear, heart palpitations, chest tightness, dizziness, numbness. Alicia described it as feeling like she'd had too much coffee resulting in a nervous energy she couldn't alleviate.

Her doctor recommended antidepressants to tame her anxiety, but she was determined to solve the problem by natural means, which is why she ended up in my office.

Six diet and supplement suggestions to reduce anxiety, after the jump..

After reviewing her food journal and doing an in-depth wellness evaluation I recommended the following to Alicia.

1. Eat blood sugar balancing snacks. The consumption of sugar and simple carbohydrates, negatively impact blood sugar levels and may promote anxiety. A healthy, blood sugar balancing snack could be a few almonds, a piece of fruit or a protein smoothie.

2. Perform a deep breathing exercise for a minimum of five minutes twice a day: Close your eyes and breathe in and out through your nose, feel your belly expand and contract as you breathe for five minutes. As mentioned in this post: Six Ways To Relax, focusing on deep breaths activates the vagus nerve which controls the relaxation response and is the antidote to the stress response.

3. Add the following foods to your diet as they supply valuable minerals such as calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium, all of which are depleted by stress and anxiety: apricots, asparagus, bananas, broccoli, blackstrap molasses, brewer's yeast, avocados, garlic, green leafy vegetables, raw nuts, organic yogurt, figs, fish (especially salmon) and legumes.

4. A body under stress due to anxiety is more susceptible to free radical damage, according to Phyllis A Balch, author of Prescription for Nutritional Healing, and could benefit from these herbs: billberry, ginkgo biloba and milk thistle are all rich in flavanoids that neutralize free radicals.

5. Avoid stimulants of any kind: chocolate, coffee, black tea, cola or anything else that contains caffeine as these substances will promote anxiety. Instead drink peppermint or rooibos teas, both are energizing without caffeine.

6. Take a good quality vitamin B complex formulated for stress and anxiety as that will help maintain normal nervous system function. Women are often deficient in B vitamins due to taking the birth control pill, lack of proper absorption in the gut and inadequate B vitamins in the diet.

NOTE: It is not safe to go off an anti-depressants without doctor supervision.

Joy McCarthy, Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Health Coach of Joyous Health, loves to inspire others to eat well and live well. Joy is the resident holistic nutritionist at 889 Yonge, a Yoga & Holistic Lifestyle Spa in Toronto. Joy welcomes your questions or comments.