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What if the anxiety and low mood you feel starts on your plate? Food is not the whole story, of course. But as dietitians and licensed nutritionists, we often see balanced, steadier eating results in steadier moods. And in recovery, where anxiety and low mood are such common companions, that connection matters a lot. The food you eat can either work against you or help keep your anxiety and moods steady.
Your gut is your second brain
Do you know how important your gut is? The vast majority of your feel-good brain chemicals, including serotonin, are not made in your brain at all. They are made in your gut. That is why your digestive system is often called your second brain, and why the health of your gut and your anxiety & mood are so closely tied. Your gut and moods are intertwined.
Keeping it simple: If your gut isn’t healthy, you may not be making enough serotonin to feel calm and steady, no matter how hard you try. Often the food that we reach for in hard times is exactly what harms the gut—things like processed food, sugar, and alcohol. Certain medications wear our gut down too. And, when the gut is running low on its good bacteria, it has a harder time making the very chemicals that help you feel steady and calm.
Good news! The gut can heal, and real food is what heals it. Colorful vegetables and fruits feed good bacteria. Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and real pickles add more of those good bacteria back in. We would suggest a good probiotic added to your diet, because our food and soil are not what they once were. When you feed your gut well, you give your body what it needs to make your mood chemicals.
Protein and steady blood sugar still matter
So where does your gut get the materials to make those mood chemicals? From the protein you eat. Protein breaks down into the building blocks your body uses to make serotonin and dopamine, those chemicals behind a calm and steady mood. When you don’t eat enough protein, your brain simply runs out of good mood chemicals. Aim for quality protein at every meal and snack, things like eggs, beef, chicken, turkey, and fish.
Blood sugar matters just as much as protein. When your blood sugar swings up and down, it feels like anxiety, irritability, and brain fog. When you eat something sugary (think fast food, soda, chips, and that nightly drink), your blood sugar spikes, and a couple of hours later it crashes and your mood crashes with it. The fix is to keep you eating steadily. Eat balanced meals with protein, healthy fat, and “real food” carbohydrates. And eat them regularly rather than skipping a meal.
Two nutrients many of us are missing
Two nutrients deserve special mention, because so many people are low in them and they both have a real effect on mood. And, unfortunately, not everyone realizes their importance.
The first is omega-3 fats. These are the fats your brain is largely built from, and they help calm down inflammation that can drag down your mood. The trouble is that the richest sources are fatty fishlike salmon and sardines, and few of us eat those several times a week. If that sounds like you, a quality fish oil supplement is an easy way to give your brain the fats that it depends on.
The second nutrient is vitamin D. A large number of people are low in vitamin D, and here in Minnesota that is no surprise, since we go months without much real sun. Low vitamin D is linked closely with low mood, which is part of why so many of us feel a bit down in the dumps in the winter. Getting outside when you can helps, but it is worth checking with your doctor to see if a supplement might be effective.
A simple place to start
None of these changes must happen all at once. In recovery especially, life is full enough already. Start with one thing and let it build.
Eat real food most of the time and let processed food and sugar become the exception. Put some vegetables on your plate every day to feed your gut and add a fermented food when you can. Get quality protein at every meal. Consider a good probiotic and a quality omega-3, and check in with your doctor about vitamin D. Any one of these is a step in the right direction, and the steps add up and build upon each other.
Anxiety and low mood are real, and food is not the only answer. But it is a powerful and often overlooked place to start, because you are giving your body the very nutrients it needs to make you feel like yourself again. Eating real food is a tangible, daily habit to help your brain and body heal. It is simple, sustainable, and life changing.
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Nutritional Weight and Wellness has been helping people across the Twin Cities feel better through real food for more than 30 years. Their team of licensed nutritionists and dietitians believes that what you eat shapes how you think, feel, and heal. Through one-on-one counseling, classes, and their long-running podcast Dishing Up Nutrition, they teach a whole-body approach to lasting health. Their website offers hundreds of free articles and real food recipes to help you get started.
