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© Josh Olins


Foods To Help Fight Anxiety

The Vogue contributing editor discovers how a healthy antidote to stress can be found in the kitchen.

© Josh Olins

Ah, yes. Stress. So subjective in so many ways, and yet a now-recognised disease that can have damaging physical and mental implications. As a long-time sufferer of PTSD and anxiety, I have practised transcendental meditation every day, exercised a lot, and had numerous psychologists who have helped me immeasurably. I've spent years healing and nurturing my mind with talk- and body-centred therapy (the work of Bessel van der Kolk in this area is life-changing). But it wasn't until I started researching nutritional psychology that I realised it was my diet that was fanning the flames of my stress.

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It makes sense. After all, when we are nervous, anxious or stressed, we can feel it in the pit of our stomach. There's an inextricable link between our head and what some call the second brain, our gut. Our bellies house parts of our nervous, hormonal and immune systems, meaning that the health of your digestive tract can influence your mood. Anxiety causes internal inflammation, and the brain is the most vulnerable area to these effects.

Eating to help anxiety is not just about healthy food, it is about getting the correct balance of vitamins, minerals, pre-and probiotics. Probiotics are friendly bacteria that are excellent for your stomach and health, while prebiotics help nourish these organisms and provide a healthy internal environment for favourable bacteria to flourish. So when you "pro" your biotics, make sure you "pre" them too. Although things like miso, kimchi and apple cider vinegar are all excellent sources for both, they can be difficult to eat every day, so supplements help to balance. I take Culturelle probiotics and Bimuno prebiotics.

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Other nutrients which have been found to help are: omega-3s found in oily fish like sardines, wild caught salmon, anchovies and trout (or supplement with Igennus Pharmepa); B vitamins, which you will find in things like rice milk, meat and dairy products, oatmeal, peanuts, eggs and spinach; magnesium and zinc found in seafood, avocados, black beans, bananas and pumpkin seeds have a calming effect that decreases stress. Try one teaspoon of Lamberts MagAbsorb magnesium and 15mg of zinc picolinate every day. Curcumin found in that simple pot of turmeric at the back of your kitchen cupboard has been shown to reduce anxiety and even enhance the effects of some antidepressants. Take 3g daily with black pepper to aid absorption.

So do we give up our other stress-busting techniques to feast solely on anchovies and avocados? No. Eating right for your anxiety is not a panacea. But it can serve to take the edge off the inevitable dramas we endure and ground the body in a steady, strong baseline. Keep calm and eat well.

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