Inflammation is the root cause of disease, and yet, people still fill their bodies with inflammatory foods every single day.
I’m not innocent.
Now and then I’ll have a little sugar or indulge in too much sushi, but my body will quickly respond by creating physical and mental symptoms of inflammation like extra mucus and sluggishness, along with bouts of depression and anxiety.
I’ll immediately start to increase my antioxidants through plant-based foods and water intake so I can start to feel like myself again.
Most people experience these symptoms on the daily, yet ignore their body signals and instead subject it to more inflammation by trying to counteract these symptoms with sugar, caffeine and alcohol.
Take time to listen to what your body is trying to tell you and ditch the inflammatory foods and drinks. Just doing this alone will begin to limit the effects of stress.
The biggest anxiety trigger foods are:
🍬 Sugar
🥛 Dairy
🍞 White flour
🥩 Red meat
🍔 Processed foods
By reducing inflammation, not only will you decrease your risk of disease, you’ll feel better, more energized and happier than you ever did on those endless donuts and bottomless cups of joe.
We’re all different and our bodies react in different ways to certain foods, but for me, the following 3 foods really trigger anxiety and I noticed positive changes when I cut them out of my diet.
🍭 Sugar: causes rapid spikes in insulin
A rapid spike in insulin can leave you feeling shaky and tired when your insulin levels drop back down.
If you suffer from anxiety, you’ll be especially sensitive to these dramatic ups and downs with your sugar levels.
Ditch the white stuff and opt instead for natural sugar options such as maple syrup, raw honey, coconut sugar, or stevia.
Can you guess my favourite? I’ll give you a clue….it’s reallly good on pancakes!
🥐 Gluten: overprocessing causes inflammation
There’s lots of controversy surrounding gluten, a protein found in wheat, but whether you have a gluten sensitivity or not, this protein is not good for anyone in my opinion.
Bread has become so processed today that even if you don’t have celiac disease, gluten can cause inflammation in your gut.
Inflammation can cause anything from stomach cramps, bloating to mood issues including depression and anxiety.
There are many gluten-free options these days, but most don’t contain the best ingredients.
In fact, sugar is a common ingredient in gluten-free products as it adds taste!
Always check the label and look for loaves of bread that have added seeds and nuts for a nutrient boost.
🐮 Cows milk: leads to hormone imbalance
No, you won’t suffer from a calcium deficiency if you cut out milk! Cow’s milk has a very specific makeup, intended to help a calf grow.
It’s filled with hormones that interfere with our own hormones when we drink it.
Dairy also causes inflammation in the body and this, along with an imbalance in hormone levels can wreak havoc with your anxiety.
Don’t be scared to try the dairy-free options, they are surprisingly good, I especially love almond and cashew milk; cashew ice-cream is my go-to treat!
I found your website while googling to find if there were any articles or blogs about face pains with stress and anxiety. I can’t tell you enough (though I’m sure you understand totally) how relieving, validating, and over good it made me feel to know that someone knew exactly what I was going through. I was familiar with other physical anxiety symptoms but the facial ticks and aches weren’t that prevalent in my search. I also watch your Full Body Scan video when your stressed. It helped immensely! Especially when I was having trouble winding down or sleeping.
I subscribed to your YouTube channel and bookmarked your website. And even though you’re not a medical professional, you are an expert in the field of “Anxiety” and “OH my God, something is wrong with me!!” and it’s reassuring and therapeutic to listen to you talk about your anxiety and the different kinds in your vlogs. Like health anxiety- which I’m realizing that I’ve had for years now, and intrusive thoughts. Healthy anxiety is and can be very crippling. I think every sensation is a medical issue and even struggle to take otc meds.
Just recently, I clicked on the link to anxietycentre.com that you left in a video and it is a blessing!
I’ve recently been suffering with anxiety spikes after my menstrual cycles and trying to find out if post-menstrual symptoms are a real thing has been discouraging until i found this site talks specifically about anxiety in women (and it does mention the anxiety felt before, during, and AFTER a cycle!)
Reading about all the different physical symptoms makes me feel SO much better. Seeing my symptoms listed, knowing that its listed, that it’s a known thing, made me cry (a good cry!).
Having your post-menstrual symptoms show its ugly head at the same time you’ve cut your finger (the tiniest paper thin cut that’s already cleaned and healed), makes your go on Google and spend the whole day scaring the crap out of yourself and making yourself feel much worse. I am looking to find professional help, but I just wanted you to know that I appreciate what you’re doing and you’ve helped me and several others. Sorry for rambling!
Hey Leah! Thank you so much for your comment, you didn’t ramble at all! I enjoyed reading it, and it’s comments like yours that inspire me to keep going and keep creating content. So, thank you again <3 I'll be blogging more, but for now, most of my content is on Instagram if you wanted to head over there 🙂 My username is @honestlyholistic