6 Eating Habits That Cause Anxiety & Depression

Although you don’t relate them, your eating habits are closely related to your emotional health. For this, if you have anxiety or depression issues, you should review your diet to avoid complications.

Generally, many people believe that a balanced diet and good eating habits are synonymous and result of a lean and healthy body.

However, this is not the only benefit you get from good eating habits. Eating a balanced diet will also help you maintain a healthier mind.

Of course, there are many factors that come into play as you go through a day where you are feeling genuinely good, energized, positive, connected, and in balance.

Other days you may feel sluggish, tired, sad, and unmotivated for no apparent reason.

For this reason, you need to know the relationship between your eating habits and anxiety and depression.

1. Bad eating habits, caffeine addiction

Coffee can in many cases be the only thing that keeps you active throughout the day. In the morning a cup of coffee before going to work and, in the afternoon, another to recover your tone and continue with your routine.

Unfortunately, caffeine can have very harmful effects on your brain.

When you include it consistently and it becomes a daily need, your body begins to assimilate it as something essential to keep it functioning.

Therefore, when there is a lack of caffeine, serotonin is reduced and causes you anxiety, irritability and lack of concentration. This is one of the eating habits that you should give up as soon as possible.

2. An excessive sugar diet

Nowadays, people consume around 16 tablespoons of sugar per day. Consuming foods with excess sugar is one of the worst eating habits for your health.

The main effect is affecting the levels of serotonin in your brain. Serotonin is basically a hormone that regulates several functions of the body. This includes :

• Sleep cycles
• Pain control
• Lack of carbohydrates or carbohydrates
• The digestion

Low levels of this hormone are associated with states of depression. On the other hand, an increase in blood pressure also increases the production of cortisol.

This in turn can increase the production of thyroid hormones, and cause problems in your digestive system.

You will also run the risk of encountering problems in your reproductive system, fertility, and also unintended abortions.

3. Alcohol consumption

Most people already know that alcohol is a depressant factor.

Nevertheless, we all fall into the temptation to have a few extra drinks without really thinking about their repercussions, far beyond the famous “hangover” that everyone knows they will have the next day.

Alcohol, in addition to being a depressant, is a stimulant.

This means that at the same time it suppresses your glutamate neurotransmissions, and increases your immune system inhibitor neurotransmissions.

Because of this, your thoughts, language and the movements that you perform are slowed down. The more you drink, the greater the sensation of these effects.

This is the reason why aggressive or impulsive behaviors appear after consuming a little alcohol.

4. Eating too much fried food

Everyone has had a bad day in their life. It is normal that when we feel distressed, we resort to things that make us “feel better”.

The most common foods in these cases are:

• Pizza
• Hamburger
• Chips or fries

How many times have you eaten these things and felt better? That is to say, really better and not just during this moment, and then repent of having consumed them.

Perhaps you are used to these bad eating habits because you don’t really know what these foods cause to your health and mind.

Fried foods that are cooked in hydrogenated oils and contain trans fats harm your body by increasing your weight.

Thus, they are also closely linked with depression.

5. High salt intake

If you are one of those people who love salt, you should already know that consuming too much salt is very bad for your overall health.

Salt raises blood pressure, which makes your heart have to work harder than usual.

However, when you consume little salt, you are likely to develop certain problems, both physical and mental. The most common problems are:

• The Depression
• Feelings of frustration
• Tiredness
• Hostility
• Resentment

It is important that in your eating habits, you include a balanced intake of salt.

Even though we know that low salt food is not very appealing, you should know that changing this habit gradually will be of great help to you.

6. Skip breakfast

Some people are not very friends with breakfast. But, did you know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day?

When you don’t take it, your brain gets tired of having to run on a low amount of energy.

If you’re prone to depression,  your brain needs all the energy it can get to keep you in good shape.

It is even possible that sometimes you skipped breakfast and then you weren’t hungry, and did the same with lunch.

The real reason you don’t feel hungry is because your body gets used to not eating at that time of day when you prolong this attitude for too long.

This is one of the eating habits that could become a problem for your health.

For that, it would be better to have your breakfast. Your body as well as your mind will thank you for it.