Do you munch in a looooot of carb-rich or crunchy snacks? Anxiety could be a reason.
Now, think again. Considering my case, I can dig into crispy potato chips, like I haven’t eaten anything the whole day. This apparently shows that I am stressed or anxious for some reason.
I do understand you may think like, what if I am really hungry and not anxious?
The foods which I am talking about here are the comfort foods that a person craves for when he/she is undergoing some kind of stress or anxiety.
Anxiety and Food Cravings – How Well Are You Dealing Them?
Anxiety is a common thing found these days, and almost 40 million of the Americans aged around 18 have been affected due to this.
High Carb Foods
You get to have good carbs and bad carbs. The ones you should avoid or reduce the intake includes pasta, sugary drinks, fried potatoes, milk, all forms of bread, etc. Whereas, beetroot, chickpeas, bananas, blueberries, apples, oranges etc. that contain a high amount of good carbs.
Caffeine
Yeah, I know coffee and anxiety make have a close relation. Some people can’t go a day without having a strong coffee, but a recent study has shown that too much caffeine can affect your ‘fight or flight’ response.
Peanut Butter
Just the thought of having peanut butter and a jelly sandwich will be comforting for some. Studies say peanut butter contains beta-sitosterol that reduces the feeling of anxiety. You got to agree, anxiety and food cravings go hand-in-hand!
Sugar
Well, well it’s not always the sweet-tooth. If suddenly your cravings for sugary foods have increased, then they also are the signs of anxiety hits. With the increased stress inside the body, they make your body demand some quick energy hit – and sugar could be your easiest way.
Salty Snacks
When you are in stress, the nervous system and the adrenal glands have to put up with more work than normal. This means, the body will start using up more of the sodium, and naturally they would crave for more. Because of which, your bodies might crave for having salty and crunchy snacks when in stress.
Which one’s your favorite one among the listed foods? The listing was just to make you realize how your stress or anxiety can affect the food intakes and demands.