The Anti-anxiety Diet

Does a deadline seem more manageable when you're armed with a packet of biscuits? If so, read on

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

    Lunch
    Option 1

  • Wholewheat pitta pizza topped with low-fat cheese, tomato sauce and fresh-sliced veggies
  • Fresh orange sections
  • Sparkling water with lime

    Option 2

  • Pitta pocket sandwich filled with turkey, tomatoes, lettuce and sprouts
  • Fruit salad with banana, pineapple and oranges
  • Skimmed milk

    Option 3

  • Three bean salad on greens
  • Wholewheat tortilla
  • Camomile tea

    Dinner
    Option 1

  • Quick turkey tetrazzini (recipe below) with mixed green salad and a pot of peppermint tea

    Turkey tetrazzini

    Ingredients:
    300g tin of cream of mushroom soup
    115ml water
    75g grated Parmesan cheese
    225g spaghetti, cooked
    340g diced cooked turkey
    2tbsp fresh parsley chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried 2tbsp pimento, chopped

    Directions:
    1. Combine soup, water and cheese in a saucepan and heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.
    Br>2. Stir in remaining ingredients and heat through. Serves 4.

    Option 2

  • Pork tenderloin roast
  • butternut squash with butter and brown sugar
  • Spring water with lemon
  • Banana bread pudding (recipe below)

    Banana bread pudding
    1 litre low-fat vanilla soya milk (about 4 cups)
    200g brown sugar
    2tbsp egg white (from 1 egg)
    4 ripe bananas, pureed or mashed
    150g cup raisins
    700g wholewheat bread
    2tsp ground cinnamon

    Directions:
    1. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/gas mark 3. In a saucepan, heat the soya milk over medium heat, but do not boil.
    2. Add the sugar and egg whites, and stir. Add the bananas and raisins and stir. Remove from the heat.
    3. Cube the bread and place in a mixing bowl. Pour the soya milk mixture over the bread. Place the mixture in a non-stick loaf pan. Sprinkle with the cinnamon.
    4. Bake for 50 minutes. Serve warm. Store in your refrigerator for up to three days in an airtight container.

    Option 3

  • Thai tofu stir-fry (recipe below)
  • Brown basmati rice
  • Fruit salad
  • Decaf green tea

    Thai tofu stir-fry

    Ingredients:
    1 pack firm tofu, sliced into bite-sized chunks
    2tbsp tahini tbsp or organic, unsweetened peanut butter
    170ml light soy sauce
    1tsp spicy Chinese mustard
    1tbsp sesame seeds
    170ml cup water
    Sesame oil
    1 red pepper, chopped
    1 yellow pepper, chopped
    1 carrot, sliced
    2 stick celery, sliced
    1 medium white onion, chopped
    2 large handful fresh green beans, chopped
    1 large handful mushrooms, sliced
    Half head of broccoli, roughly sliced

    Directions:
    1. Mix peanut butter, 4tbsp of the soy sauce, mustard and sesame seeds. Coat tofu with mixture. Refrigerate, covered, for 2 hours (or longer for more potent flavour).
    2. In a frying pan, heat water and remaining soy sauce to a boil. Add vegetables (begin with firmest - broccoli, carrot, etc., and finish with softest).
    3. When veggies are still slightly firm, remove from heat. Drain off remaining liquid. Sprinkle a few drops of sesame oil over veg for a tasty nutty flavour. Set aside.
    4. In the same pan over a medium-high heat, add a few drops of sesame oil. Toss tofu chunks with oil until heated through. Remove from heat. Serve veg over brown rice topped with spicy tofu chunks.

    Snacks (choose two a day)

  • Mixed dried fruit and nuts
  • Small portion fat-free yoghurt topped with fresh berries and chopped walnutsWholewheat crackers with butter
  • Small corn tortilla filled with hummus and sprouts

    Helpful do's and don'ts
    Do:

  • Take a multivitamin supplement that includes B and B6. Even undetectable malnutrition can lead to feelings of anxiety.
  • Exercise daily. The endorphins produced make you feel relaxed, plus exercise reduces muscle tension and blood pressure.
  • Drink plenty of water or other fluids like herb tea.

    Don't:

  • Consume too much alcohol. We all know that a glass of wine before a stressful engagement takes the edge off, but the calming effect of alcohol is short-lived. Once it has worn off, there is a likelihood that your level of anxiety will actually increase.
  • Consume caffeine.