Health
When we're stressed, eating is one of the easy ways to deal with negative emotions.
But did you know that the foods we eat also affect our emotions and can make us irritable, anxious and unable to concentrate?
Some foods, even if they seem beneficial to you, tend to overexcite the nervous system, and their effects can be compared to a severe stressful event.
By identifying which ingredients on your menu work against you, you can protect yourself from their negative effects.
Special attention should be paid to women, people over 40 years of age, those who have hypersensitivity to drugs, allergy sufferers, and people with digestive and immune system disorders.
What foods can make you too nervous, anxious and keenly react to any little things.
Foods that cause anxiety
1. Coffee
This is not about giving up coffee and other caffeinated drinks altogether. However, if you are often irritable and anxious, part of the reason lies in your love for coffee.
Coffee stimulates the nervous system and leads to the production of the stress hormone cortisol, often causing anxiety and trouble sleeping. This is especially true for people suffering from panic disorders and social anxiety.
Even 5 hours after you've had your coffee, 50 percent of the caffeine stays in your blood and won't let you sleep. Moreover, it takes 16 to 24 hours to completely eliminate caffeine from the body. This means that even a morning cup of coffee can deprive you of good sleep.
To understand how caffeine affects your nervous system, try gradually reducing your coffee consumption to 1-2 cups a day.
2. Solanaceae vegetables (potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers)
Plants belonging to the nightshade family produce natural pesticides called glycoalkaloids, which kill insect pests and are toxic to human cells.
These insidious chemicals block the acetylcholinesterase enzyme, which leads to overstimulation of the nervous system in sensitive people. Anxiety is just one side effect that can be observed.
Most people eat nightshade in one form or another on a regular basis. They are found in foods such as potatoes, chili peppers, bell peppers, tomato paste, paprika, eggplants, tomatoes.
Over time, glycoalkaloids accumulate and it takes at least 5 days to remove them from the body. So if you're worried about something, you're nervous, and you can't sleep, you'll have to give up these foods for a week or more and watch your body.
Causes of anxiety and anxiety
3. Alcohol
Although many people are used to skipping another drink to cheer up, the emotional uplift from alcohol is short-term and, over time, exacerbates anxiety.
Even those who do not suffer from anxiety can have problems if they abuse alcohol. This happens for several reasons.
First, alcohol suppresses mental arousal and wreaks havoc on the central nervous system, which controls our emotions.
Secondly, alcohol leads to sharp changes in blood sugar levels, which causes anxiety. Finally, alcohol is a diuretic that leads to dehydration, impairs mental functions and the ability to concentrate, which also leads to anxiety.
4. Aged products (sausages, cheese, sauerkraut, red wine)
Gourmet foods such as brie cheese, merlot wine, or Korean cabbage are obtained through fermentation.
During fermentation, bacteria break down proteins into tiny molecules called biogenic amines that accumulate in foods as they age.
One such substance in aged foods is histamine, which affects the digestive, hormonal, cardiovascular and nervous systems. Histamine can cause anxiety and insomnia in susceptible people in part because it increases adrenaline levels.
It is also worth knowing that histamine cannot be destroyed by heat treatment or freezing.
5. Sweets and bakery products
Refined carbs like pasta, white bread, pastries, candy, and sugary sodas can play a trick on your mood because they cause drastic fluctuations in levels blood sugar.
Scientists have found that the more women's blood sugar levels rose after sweet and refined foods, the higher the risk of developing depression.
Read also: 9 signs you're on the verge of a NERVOUS BREAKDOWN
For example, one sweet carbonated drink doubles adrenaline levels in adults and 4 times in children.
Adrenaline causes panic symptoms such as excessive sweating, dizziness, and increased heart rate in sensitive people.
At the same time, if you suddenly give up sweets, a person may develop nervousness and anxiety — symptoms similar to withdrawal syndrome.
Try to eliminate refined carbohydrate foods for two weeks and see how you'll feel.