Vitamins & Minerals For Anxiety

If swallowing drugs to alleviate mental problems appears an acceptable solution, then treating food like medicine is certainly in the same league, according to the principle of "You are what you eat." After all, everything you ingest ends up in the bloodstream, affecting your brain and, therefore, your mood. And yet, people see nothing wrong with indulging in foods with artificial flavors, additives, preservatives, pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables, and then popping a few pills for anxiety to make themselves feel better. A smarter solution might be to skip the unhealthy foods, and move right to the healthy foods full of vitamins and minerals, and add some supplementary vitamins and minerals as well.

Significance

There is no question that food affects how we feel. Recently, researchers at Harvard University and the University of Montreal teamed up to investigate a possible relationship between ADHD and exposure to organoposphates, a nerve toxin prevalent in widely used pesticides. An associative relationship was shown: The chemical works by disrupting the same neurotransmitter that is also implicated in ADHD. If a pesticide has such a strong effect, surely all the other nonfood things added to our food cannot lag far behind in affecting mood and behavior. In "Easing Anxiety and Stress Naturally," Susan Lark says outright that poor nutrition can play a major role in causing anxiety, and therefore, proper nutrition plays an enormous role in promoting optimal functioning of your entire system and stabilizing your mood.

Stress

A certain amount of stress can be healthy, but too much of it puts the body in a constant fight-or-flight mode, which depletes the body of important nutrients. Lark concedes that it is difficult to heal the body through diet alone, and that supplements are needed, but she also cautions that eating a nutritious diet goes along with the supplements. There is no point in taking supplements and continuing to eat poorly.

Vitamins

Take a good vitamin B complex. Deficiency of vitamin B6, for example, affects the relaxant hormone prostaglandin, says Lark. A lack of it has also been linked to anxiety and stress-related migraine headaches, as well as irritable bowel syndrome. Vitamin E relieves mood swings and anxiety; 400 to 2,000 IU per day are adequate for women whose anxiety is related to menopause or PMS. However, if you have hypertension, diabetes or any kind of bleeding problem, you should start with 100 IU and be supervised by your doctor.

Minerals

As Lark explains, magnesium deficiency has shown an adverse effect on the adrenal gland, which in turn mediates stress in the body. In addition, too little magnesium causes the body to form lactic acid, which is linked to anxiety and irritability. Take magnesium before bedtime to help with restful sleep. Calcium must be taken daily, at least 800 to 1,200 IU. Calcium deficiency promotes irritability and even muscle cramps. Zinc facilitates the action of vitamin B and maintains proper blood sugar balance. Chromium also evens blood sugar, which aids in cell energy, and manganese is important for digestion of proteins, production of good cholesterol and fatty acids.

Considerations

Food--as unprocessed as possible--should be your premier source for the nutrients you need. Fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, almonds, seeds, sprouts, cold-water fish, organic meats and low-fat dairy, the bulk of the foods listed in Lark's book are all full of vitamins and minerals. If loss of appetite is an issue, eat little snacks throughout the day so you get what you need and avoid a slump in blood sugar. For nausea, add 1 teaspoon of fresh minced ginger to a cup of tea, advises Women's Health Services.