Top 10 Anti-Anxiety Foods to Calm Your Nerves

Foods that calm your nerves are also anti-anxiety foods!

That’s because anxiety and the nervous system are closely linked.

When you are anxious, your nervous system is in fight-or-flight mode, while, when you calm down, your nervous system is in rest mode.

So, …

…food good for nerves is also good for calming anxiety!

Of course, no single food alone can relieve your anxiety, but eating calming foods alongside a healthy and balanced diet can help you manage anxiety through food more effectively!

In this article, I share my top 10 anti-anxiety foods; a list of foods that I compiled over the years while managing my anxiety with diet.

What’s really cool about my list is that even though it is based on my experience, I’m also able to support my top anti-anxiety foods with science.

So, keep on reading to make sure you add these foods to your diet.

And if you’re looking to adopt a healthy and balanced diet tailored for managing anxiety, I highly recommend that you check out the anti-anxiety diet that helped me!

The Connection Between Anxiety and the Nervous System

Your anxiety affects your nervous system.

When you are anxious, your body activates the part of the nervous system (sympathetic autonomic nervous system) responsible for the “flight-or-fight” response which can lead to common anxiety symptoms such as:

• fast heartbeat
• shallow breathing
• tightness in chest
• sweating
• irritability
• muscle tension and twitches, and
• dry mouth.

Although the flight-or-fight response is necessary and helpful when you are in danger (i.e. running away from a bear), it’s a massive strain for the body and mind if it’s activated too often and in normal life situations as is the case for most anxiety sufferers.

The good news…

…is that the body also has a counter-response known as “rest and digest” which restores the body to a state of calm. This is the responsibility of a different part of the nervous system known as the parasympathetic autonomic nervous system.

The sympathetic and the parasympathetic autonomic nervous system are naturally designed to work together; when the first one gets activated, the second one should follow later.

But…

…when you are suffering from an anxiety disorder, these nervous system responses can get out of balance with the “flight-or-fight” dominating the “rest-and-digest”.

This is where anxiety management techniques are important.

By implementing strategies to reduce and manage your anxiety, you can stimulate the parasympathetic autonomic nervous system to help you calm down from all the anxiousness!

I’ve found that the most effective anxiety management techniques include

How I Came Up with this List of Anti-Anxiety Foods?

One of the first anxiety management techniques I tried was to adopt an anti-anxiety diet.

This diet is essentially a healthy and balanced diet based on the consumption of natural whole foods.

Most of the calories need to come from complex carbohydrates such as whole grains and vegetables, but the consumption of legumes, fruits, fresh fish and lean meats, herbs, nuts, and seeds, is also important though in a lot fewer quantities.

After only a couple of months of following this diet, I noticed that:

1. Eating healthily can significantly reduce anxiety
2. Certain natural whole foods are more calming than others
3. Combining 1 and 2 can reduce anxiety more effectively.

As time went on I started to make a note of the different foods that I felt were more calming than others and I named this list my Top Anti-Anxiety Foods (“food good for nerves“)!

From then on I also made sure I included these foods regularly in my diet.

And this is the list of foods that I share in the last section of this article!

Science-Backed Evidence

Eating healthily helped me to significantly reduce my anxiety symptoms and because of this I was inspired to start learning more about nutrition.

After reading many books, articles, and academic journals I realized that my list of top anti-anxiety foods is also supported by science.

According to scientific studies the following nutrients are important for prevention and treatment of anxiety.  

• B vitamins
• Antioxidants (vitamin A, C, and E)
• Omega 3 essential fatty acids
• Minerals – such as magnesium, manganese, selenium, iron, and zinc.
• Tryptophan amino acid, a precursor to neurotransmitters

As it happens my top 10 anti-anxiety foods are a great source of at least one or more of these very nutrients!

Why are these specific nutrients important for anxiety and your nervous system?

Top 10 Anti-Anxiety Foods that Calm Your Nerves

Finally, you have come to the main section of this article!

The following list of foods are my top anti-anxiety foods and they are so nutritious that they also some of my favorite anti-anxiety foods.

If you happen to dislike any of the foods on my list, then look to add foods to your diet that are a great source of antioxidants, B vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids, tryptophan (amino acid), and/or essential minerals.

1. Brown Rice

Brown rice is very nutritious and is one of my favorite anti-anxiety foods.

It is a great source of complex carbohydrates that are

“metabolized more slowly and therefore help maintain a more even blood sugar level, which creates a calmer feeling”. Harvard Health

Brown rice is also rich in manganese, selenium, magnesium, and B vitamins – all of which are important for your nervous system and mental health.

B Vitamins are essential for synthesizing and circulating neurotransmitters – brain chemicals that regulate digestion, respiration, and heartbeat.

• According to Harvard Medical School foods rich in B vitamins help ward off anxious feelings. “B vitamins have positive effects on the nervous system, and deficiencies have been linked to anxious disorders,” says Brunetti.

2. Green Bananas

Bananas are an excellent source of potassium, an essential mineral that helps with nerve transmission, muscle function, and maintaining fluid status in cells.

Eating potassium-rich foods such as bananas, help to reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety.

Green bananas are more stable on blood sugar than ripe bananas, which is important for health, and when managing anxiety. Sudden changes in blood sugar levels can raise anxiety symptoms.

Bananas are also a good source of magnesium and manganese.

3. Salmon

According to research eating salmon has cognitive benefits.

Salmon and other fatty fish – such as mackerel, trout, and herring – are rich in omega-3 essential fatty acids, a nutrient that has an important role in cognitive functioning.

• Omega 3 fatty acids serve to protect nerves – nerves have sleeves of fatty tissue containing high levels of fatty acid. Studies show that a deficiency in this nutrient can lead to nerve damage, smaller brain volume, and poor mental performance.
• Omega 3 fatty acids also help to regulate neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, as well as promote healthy brain function!

In addition to healthy fats, salmon also contains vitamin D which is another important nutrient for mental health. A lack of vitamin D affects mood disorders such as anxiety and depression.

According to a report in the Journal of Affective Disorders, vitamin D deficiency can contribute to the development of, or worsen existing, mood disorders.

Salmon is rich in B vitamins and minerals including selenium, potassium, and magnesium.

Consuming fatty fish such as salmon, trout, mackerel and herring 2-3 times a week can help you get sufficient amounts of omega 3 fatty acids in your diet.

One study found that men who ate salmon three times a week reported reduced anxiety.

4. Chamomile Tea

Chamomile is an ancient herbal remedy with many healing properties.

It’s high in antioxidants proven to reduce inflammation, reducing the risk of anxiety.

Chamomile is also antibacterial and has relaxant properties.

Multiple studies show that there is a positive connection between chamomile and anxiety relief. Patients diagnosed with a generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) experienced a significantly greater reduction in symptoms after consuming chamomile extract, compared to those who did not.

One study showed that patients who consumed chamomile extract for eight weeks experienced reduced symptoms of both depression and anxiety.