I didn't know it at the time, but looking back I can see I've been an anxious little wreck for most of my time here on earth. Anxiety and digestive health go together like peas and cheese. Here's what I have learned to do with meals to help me feel more grounded, less anxious, and just a plain out happier human being. I have healed myself of migraines, constipation and have greatly reduced my anxiety levels by following these simple steps:
DIETARY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ANXIETY REDUCTION and DIGESTIVE WELLNESS
- Favor warm, grounding, vegetarian foods. A baked sweet potato topped with sauteed swiss chard and fennel seeds, a sprinkle of feta cheese and avocado oil is one of my favorites! I eat this for breakfast. Base your meals around soups, stews, cooked quinoa or rice, and roasted vegetables. A wise person shared with me that she felt less anxious when she removed meat from her diet and attributed this to being sensitive to the emotions of the animal. Dying is probably a little stressful on the creature so if you are experiencing anxiety, try cutting out the meat and see how you feel. It's all an experiment to see what works for you!
- Reduce caffeine Oh, the lovely buzz of a warm cup of coffee. If you are caffeine-sensitive like me, a few sips of the rich, dark, magical bean juice gives you a lovely jolt of confidence and inspiration first thing in the morning. While I do love the buzz, the rest of the story goes something like this: blissful morning buzz lasting a couple of hours, skip breakfast, start to feel jittery mid-morning and eat something fast, followed by an energy crash early to mid-afternoon resulting in needing a break/nap/rest and a craving for more bean juice. Get up and slog through the rest of the day counting down the minutes until dinner, oftentimes getting a stomachache after eating a large meal. Sound familiar? It can be different, trust me.
- Avoid getting 'starved.' Do you get so busy and wrapped up in what you are doing that you lose track of meals? And then your body smacks you with "I am going to die if you don't feed me something immediately?" I do. So try to eat regularly to avoid this feeling and keep your digestive fire stoked so it doesn't burn out.
Here's what keeps me balanced:
Warm water and cup of decaf coffee upon rising around 6:30am
Eat breakfast when my body is ready for food, usually 9:30am.
Lunch around 12pm
Snack mid-afternoon. I LOVE MEDJOOL DATES! And you can buy them at Costco.
I usually eat 1-2 dates with a handful of almonds. Or a Larabar if I'm feeling fancy.
Dinner around 5:30
Warm tea with honey and almond milk. Ever tried Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice tea? It's amazing.
-Eat peacefully
Aim for a peaceful setting and SIT DOWN to eat. It's yummy and deserves your attention.
Avoid chaos (like yelling at your kids while you wolf down something you didn't even taste... Sometimes I even eat dinner before I serve my family because 1- I am hungry and 2- I can focus on my own food and body without a lot of distractions and thus avoid being hangry at the dinner table. Then I feel more present when we're all together.)
Curious if you have anything to share that works well for you! Drop me a line below.
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