It's true that food soothes. But when life's stresses add up to an anxiety attack, you need to make sure that what you eat is not contributing to your panicky state. Here's how the anti-anxiety diet can help you choose the right foods to stay calm - even when you're up against challenging situations:

Complex carbs act as tranquillizers by increasing the amount of serotonin in your brain. This meal plan contains lots of fruits and wholewheat foods to increase your complex carb intake.

Tryptophan - a precursor to seratonin - has a calming effect on the body. This meal plan includes turkey and milk choices, both of which contain tryptophan.

Caffeine can make you jittery and anxious. This diet substitutes a cup of calming herbal tea, such as St. John's Wort or camomile, for your morning cup.

Dehydration - however slight - can cause feelings of anxiety. That's why this diet includes plenty of water, often with some lemon or lime added to liven it up.

Frequent, small meals can help keep blood-sugar levels even. This diet offers a variety of healthy snacks to reduce the jitters that can accompany low blood sugar.

Breakfast
Option 1
2 pieces of wholemeal toast topped with peanut butter
Calcium-fortified orange juice
Camomile tea
Multivitamin and mineral supplement

Option 2
2 wholemeal fruit loaf slices with added raisins and walnuts (raisins are high in B6, and walnuts in omega-3)
200g fat-free cottage cheese
Decaf coffee
Multivitamin and mineral supplement

Option 3
Porridge or oat-based cereal with bananas
Calcium-fortified orange juice
St. John's Wort tea

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The Anti-anxiety Diet