Eating Well: The Connection Between Diet and Anxiety

I am discovering that what I eat, or don’t eat, plays a large part in how much anxiety I suffer on a daily basis. It is a chicken and egg scenario: does this paralyzing anxiousness come about on its own or is it fueled by the biochemical environment I create within my body?

Although adjusting to widowhood and single parenting is a tall order, I am beginning to think that diet plays a much larger role in my ability to manage the stress and, ultimately, my perception of the situation.

During the first few months, I had a difficult time eating anything at all, so I existed on Nutzo Omega-3 Seven Nut & Seed Butter and bananas. My diet has come a long way these last two years, but results of recent lab work reveal the grim reality of living under a cloud of mind-blowing stress. The numbers showed that I needed to re-evaluate what I was eating and change it up.

I notice that I get easily overwhelmed if I have not had a sufficient amount of protein, so I have been experimenting with different sources. Red meat seems to deliver the most nutrition per ounce, thwarting my efforts to thrive on a diet of grains, vegetables, fish and chicken.

We have been eating a lot of Bison, which is much more flavorful than beef. But, when I read about the health benefits of liver, something I have always found rather gag-worthy, I decided to incorporate it into my diet as well. In some cultures, liver is considered a sacred food and can only be handled by special sticks. I used my hands to prepare this liver pate and it is actually quite delicious.

liver pate

For the recipe, please visit my earlier blog post titled Healing Foods: Liver Pate Recipe.

Thank goodness for kale because it is difficult to make liver pretty. I used to cater and we used kale as a beautiful backdrop to dress up all the other food. Now we know beauty isn’t its only asset.

In her book The Anti-Anxiety Food Solution, Trudy Scott refers to organ meats as “nutrient dense and very healing.” Liver, in particular, is an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin B-12, folic acid, iron and protein.

As I was preparing this dish, it dawned on me that some things simply are not beautiful, nor can they be dressed up to appear as anything other than what they are. Pain and loss are like that, but they are also raw materials. The beauty is in what you do with them.

Eating high-quality protein throughout the day seems to offer my body the nutrients it needs and I feel less at the mercy of the mental storms that blow through my mind.

If you experience anxiety, you might try adding high-quality protein to your diet. I have noticed a huge difference in my ability to cope with the challenges before me.

Let me know if it helps you.

-db

Who is Dianna Bonny?

Hi, my name is Dianna Bonny. It’s my mission to candidly share my journey with you. For me, it’s all about the healing: to create a radiant healing energy for others who have befallen a similar fate. Together, we can forge beautiful lives of belonging and connection. Thanks for joining me today! I look forward to hearing from you.

  2 comments for “Eating Well: The Connection Between Diet and Anxiety

  1. April 24, 2013 at 4:45 pm

    Dianna,
    It’s wonderful to hear how you are finding that red meat and liver is so nourishing for you – and helping you cope better with anxiety and the emotional storms you mention! I love the recipe and photograph with kale – just beautiful!

    Thanks for the mention of my book – food and nutrients really are so powerful when it comes to mood and being able to handle overwhelm!

    I am sorry for your loss and am inspired that you have decided to help others who have experienced this. I look forward to being able to share this blog when the need arises.

    Trudy

    • Dianna
      April 24, 2013 at 5:50 pm

      Hi Trudy:
      I am delighted you stopped by! Your book has been very helpful to me so I wanted to pass the information on. I never would have imagined that reworking my diet would have such a positive impact on managing all the moving parts of my life. Thank you for your kind thoughts and for sharing. Be well, Dianna

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