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June 11, 2004 |
| Stress and Anxiety
Sugar Causes High Anxiety Sugar is one of the most overused foods in the Western world. It’s in desserts, cereals, salad dressings, ketchup, relishes, gum, and certainly in candy. If you eat foods made with white flour, what you get is the action of simple sugars in your body. And if you consume great quantities of sugar products, you may trigger a hypoglycemic episode. Sometimes that feels like a full-blown anxiety attacktrembling, disorientation, light-headedness, palpitations, and even migraine headaches. Here’s the sequence of physical events that occurs when you put large amounts of sugar into your body in a short period of time:
If, at this point, you eat a piece of chocolate for comfort, you start the entire cycle over again. And if you consistently eat a diet of refined carbohydrates, you may develop not only hypoglycemia but a cluster of related problems. Over time, a high intake of refined carbohydrates also leads to glucose intolerance, diminished insulin sensitivity (which also plays a role in weight control), high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels. This aggregate of serious conditions puts you at high risk for heart disease. The diet antidote for hypoglycemia But here’s the good news. You can easily solve this problem by switching to a diet high in fiber and complex carbohydrate foods combined with protein and oil to stop your stomach from emptying food too quickly. This healthy combination of food is broken down and absorbed more slowly than refined carbohydrates, giving you the energy benefits without the anxiety. Shoot for 50 grams of fiber in your daily diet from legumes, oat bran, nuts, seeds, pears, apples, and most vegetables. (A 1978 study showed that apple pectin and oat bran have a positive effect on blood glucose levels.) And try eating frequent, small meals rather than one or two large ones each day. Here’s an example. In the middle of the afternoon, when you would have had that Snickers bar, try tuna and a little canola oil mayonnaise on a rice cake. Later in the evening, before you reach for those peanut M&Ms, have almond butter on a cracker. Or eat a banana or apple slices with a little sesame butter (tahini). Several studies have shown that eating fruit decreases the amount of calories and fat a person consumes. These combinations will give you the boost you seek without the emotional roller coaster. Obviously, avoid white flour, sugar, fruit juice, and even honey or maple syrup, which will make it difficult to bring your blood sugar under control. Don’t replace sugar with aspartame; the sugar substitute increases your appetite and can cause anxiety symptoms. And avoid alcohol. It induces hypoglycemia by interfering with glucose utilization and increasing insulin secretion, which results in a drop in blood sugar.
Read More on Anxiety and Stress: Getting Started Systems in the Body Affected by Anxiety Quiz: How Balanced are Your Neurotransmitters? Keep it SIMPLE tip Think Good Thoughts Nutritional Therapies Restore Your Ability to Manage Stress with a Stress-Reducing Diet Restore Your Ability to Manage Stress with Stress-Reducing Supplements Complementary Therapies Reduce Stress with Reflexology
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