Anxiety and Nutrition

3 Nov 2022

Anxiety is one of those conditions that has been so normalized recently. Most people just accept this because everyone has it. Just because something is common doesn't mean it shouldn't be addressed. There is always a root cause, anxiety and other chronic health issues don't "just happen." This can be caused by poor dietary choices and while there are other contributors, I believe that poor diet is the biggest contributor for most people. The food you are consuming is always either harming you, or healing you.


From a non nutritional perspective the big reasons why someone may be experiencing anxiety is stress, trauma, lack of sleep, or too much drugs and alcohol. From a nutritional perspective there may be a few things that could be triggering your anxiety:

  1. Lack of brain boosting nutrients: Nutrition plays such a big role in the prevention of behavioral disorders. There are a lot of common nutrients that most people don't get enough of that are important for brain function.

  • Amino acids (protein) & healthy fats: Foods that are high in protein provide you with amino acids. Amino acids are needed for your body to produce neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. GABA is needed for your nervous system to calm down while serotonin and dopamine are important for mood and sleep. For this reason, people who are more on a plant based diet or not consuming enough protein are much more prone to anxiety. Omega 3 fatty acids are important because it's needed for overall brain structure. It also protects your brain from any inflammation, improve memory, and mood.

  • Magnesium: A whopping 60% of Americans aren't getting enough magnesium in their diet... Magnesium is involved in over 300 reactions in the body. Which basically means your body can't do 300 things without magnesium! If your body can't do all of these things properly you will probably have anxiety or any other chronic issue. Being low in magnesium also depletes a neurotransmitter in your brain responsible for learning and memory. Some foods high in magnesium are dark green leafy veggies, pumpkin seeds, almonds, cashews, and black beans.

  • Vitamin D: As we know this comes mainly from the sun. Vitamin D triggers serotonin, which regulates mood.

  • B vitamins: Pretty much all of the B vitamins are needed for proper brain health. The most important ones are B6 and B12, which have been shown in numerous studies to help with brain fog, mood, memory, reduce anxiety, and motivation. They are also needed to make amino acids.

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2. Poor gut health: This has also been normalized in our culture. If you have gas, bloating, heartburn or other related issues it may be a good idea to prioritize your gut health. Earlier I mentioned serotonin, the neurotransmitter that regulates mood and happiness. Around 95% of serotonin is produced in the gut. So if your gut health isn't the best, it may be tough for you to produce serotonin. Other gut bacteria are responsible for making dopamine and other important neurotransmitters for your brain.

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3. Standard American diet: Eating a diet high in refined carbohydrates and not enough healthy fats, high quality protein, or healthy carb choices can cause inflammation in the brain. Some examples of refined carbohydrates are bagels, muffins, or bread. When you have a bagel or other combinations of these high carb foods it can cause excess sugar fluctuations which can be damaging to the brain and body in general. Our brains do require some carbs to function properly, but when it becomes too much of your diet with no protein or healthy fats it can be damaging.


This may seem "sciency" or a lot of information. But, if you follow this, prioritize sleep, and focus on stress reduction you may see a noticeable decrease in anxiety. I always stress the fact that what we eat is so closely tied to our health, probably more than you may think. Nutrition is the biggest driver of health, it's important to always consider that with any type of health issue.