The Anti-Anxiety Diet Read online

  7:30 p.m. 1 serving Spaghetti Squash Bolognese (page 138) over 2 cups sautéed rainbow chard

  Day 2

  7:30 a.m. 1 serving Butternut and Brussels Breakfast Hash (page 99)

  12 p.m. 1 serving Zesty Creamy Carrot Soup (page 127) with 4 ounces wild halibut baked in parchment with lemon slices

  6 p.m. 1 serving grain-free Carnitas Burrito Bowl (page 137) over a bed of 2 to 3 cups leafy greens

  9 p.m. 1 Chia Cherry Thumbprint Cookie (page 141)

  Day 3

  7:30 a.m. 1 serving Sweet Potato Avocado Toast (page 101)

  11 a.m. 1 serving Quick Coconut Yogurt (page 104) topped with ½ cup berries and sprinkle of cinnamon

  2 p.m. 1 serving Roasted Almonds with Nori and Sesame (page 118), plus 3 ounces roasted turkey

  7:30 p.m. 1 serving Sweet and Sour Pork Meatballs (page 131) with 1 cup Roasted Colored Peppers (page 122)

  Day 4

  7 a.m. 1 serving Coconut No-Oatmeal (page 107) with organic berries

  12 p.m. 4 to 5 ounces wild baked salmon with 1 cup of a variety of simple roasted veggies

  4 p.m. 1 serving Citrus Burst Smoothie (page 112)

  7:30 p.m. 2 to 3 cups greens and 4 ounces shredded rotisserie chicken, dressed with juice of ½ lime, 1 to 2 tablespoons cilantro, sprinkle of mineral salt, and 2 tablespoons Mellow Mama Dressing (page 121)

  Day 5

  7:30 a.m. Paleo Pumpkin Protein Pancakes (page 105)

  11 a.m. 4 to 5 ounces bunless grass-fed burger with ½ avocado, 2–3 tomato slices, ½ cup sweet potato wedges, and ¼ cup fermented pickles

  2 p.m. 1 serving Turmeric Orange Gummies (page 148)

  7:30 p.m. 1 serving Mediterranean Tuna Salad (page 132), served in avocado half over 2 cups mixed greens, with lemon juice, to taste

  Day 6

  9 a.m. 11 serving Matcha Green Smoothie (page 111) with 1 scoop protein (collagen or grass-fed whey)

  1 p.m. 1 serving olive tapenade with 2 hard-boiled eggs, 6 to 8 flax crackers, ⅛ cup kimchi, and ½ cup each of bell peppers, jicama, and snap peas

  6 p.m. 1 serving Almond Flour Chicken Piccata (page 135) with 1 cup roasted broccoli cooked with 1 teaspoon coconut oil and 1 clove crushed garlic

  8 p.m. 1 serving Grain-Free Low-Carb Peanut Butter Cookies (page 146)

  Day 7

  7:30 a.m. 1 serving Smoked Wild Salmon Scramble (page 103) served over 2 cups of farmer’s market mixed greens

  12:30 p.m. ¼ cup guacamole with 8 to 10 plantain chips, ½ cucumber, sliced, 3 to 4 ounces shredded chicken, and 7 to 8 blackberries

  6 p.m. 1 serving Naturally Nourished Pot Roast (page 128) with ½ cup sautéed mushrooms

  9 p.m. 1 serving Chai Gelatin Panna Cotta (page 143)

  Lifestyle Support

  The recipes in The Anti-Anxiety Diet support your body, providing nourishment along with a functional approach targeted to aid in the remove, reset, repair, restore, rebound, and rebalance phases of mood stability and mental health. The variety in flavor profiles and textures will support sustained outcomes as you will find you can make an anti-anxiety diet alternative to any food craving! As you continue to explore new foods and flavors you will also discover you don’t miss prior foods that were causing “yuck” in your body while driving anxiety or lack of clarity in your mind.

  Remember, food as medicine is a double-edged sword where removal of inflammatory foods is equally as important as inclusion and abundance of therapeutic foods. Each Foundational R chapter provides a summary of food-as-medicine support. If Phase 1 and Phase 2 macro distribution is overwhelming at this time, start with adding an abundance of featured therapeutic ingredients into your diet, and start playing with the recipes in this book. You will experience the benefits of incorporating healthy fats, anti-inflammatory seasonings, and micronutrient-rich produce and proteins within days of consumption. Once you get rocking with abundance, you may feel more ready and empowered to firmly remove all ingredients suggested in Chapter 2. Then, once you have removed inflammatory foods and continue with nourishing your body and brain, you may decide to take things to the level of exploring ketogenic shifts in metabolism.

  For some of you, the benefits of incorporating therapeutic foods will be enough. The tools of applying the anti-anxiety diet will ultimately be implemented in different ways for individuals based on need, ability, and outcomes. Be kind to yourself through the process, and when trying a suggestion, focus on giving yourself a minimum of a three- to four-week commitment to experience shifts in your anxiety level.

  As your body is physiologically resetting from foundational drivers that cause anxiety, it is important to have support on what you can do now to accelerate outcome beyond nutrition and supplements. Below are primary lifestyle focuses to aid in anxiety reduction.

  Download Drivers of Anxiety

  Rumination or overthinking can drive racing thoughts and anxiety. Often, the doubting self will critique and question actions or blow events out of proportion, making the body feel paralyzed from action. When working with clients, I recommend they download, or write down, racing thoughts or patterns of rumination and then rework the script. This allows you to consciously confront the voice in your head that nags at your mind, and empowers you to rework the repeating phrase to something that makes you feel confident and at ease.

  An example of this may be:

  Download: “I’m not going to get better. I am so tired yet there is never enough time. I am never going to get ahead.”

  Rewrite: “I am taking steps to get done what is reasonable. I am healing and my body is working toward rebalance.”

  Surrender to the Flow

  Beyond rumination, seeing things as doomed or extreme is another factor in anxiety that can throw day-to-day function off balance. When we mentally battle what needs to get done, such as daily tasks or commitments, it can build up and become overwhelming. The surrender-to-the-flow approach focuses on allowing what is and accepting what needs to be done.

  An example of this may be as follows:

  A woman working full time as a nurse in the hospital picks up extra shifts as she is getting her master’s degree and planning a wedding.

  She may get in her head, “I have so much to do; I never have time to get anything done. The last thing I want to do is dishes and laundry. I don’t get to do what I want to do, ever. My life is out of my control.”

  This can be shifted with a surrender-to-the-flow approach: “I am empowering myself with a strong career. I choose this stress, and getting things done makes me feel accomplished.” Then, put on your favorite music and channel your mellow while you rock out those dishes!

  Reduce and Execute

  Following up on surrendering to the flow, reduce pending to-dos; this aids specifically with reducing anticipatory anxiety. Regardless of what is on your to-do list, the more items you can knock out or complete, the more at ease you will feel. This can be applied in simple tasks like rinsing your plate immediately and putting it in the dishwasher, to placing your tennis shoes in your car to motivate walking.

  Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage, identifies “the 20-second rule,” or taking on 20-second actions that reduce energy toward a positive behavior, as a principle of happiness. For example, he references moving his guitar within arms’ reach to practice more often. Also, I look at it as doing something such as putting an item away, writing something down, replacing, or refilling, as these actions can make day-to-day keep-up seem less overwhelming.

  For those larger to-dos, taking a look at your list and scheduling pending items by date and time realistically will allow you to release what needs to be done until the day it will be done. It takes “what if” out and translates more to what is, releasing anticipatory anxiety. For instance, rather than worrying about everything that is on your plate, you can compartmentalize this and have an attack plan versus feeling unable to take it all on and paralyzing any action only to perpetuate anxiety!

  Practice Mindfulness and Meditation
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  The mind can be like a wild stallion racing in chaos. Meditation and mindfulness can harness this stallion, aiding to induce deep relaxation from an anxiety state. Using visualization to focus racing thoughts, mantras to counteract mental chaos, or the varied forms of meditation, one can achieve inner peace and a silent space in the mind. These techniques are more powerful when applied proactively and will be a handy tool during times of acute anxiety or panic attack.

  A meta-analysis at Johns Hopkins University found evidence that incorporating meditation can reduce anxiety, depression, and pain. Aim to incorporate mindfulness and meditation at least 30 minutes daily!

  “Chaos demands our attention. It’s like a bratty child, jealous of our peace. Chaos will do everything in its power to suck you in and keep your stress level high. With meditation, you can use the quietness of your mind to surround and subdue chaos. Let it go easily somewhere else, while you apply your energy to reaching out into the universe for answers. Let the answers come to you as easily as you let chaos go.”

  —Source: Ram Das Foundation at ramdas.org

  Find Your Breath

  Rapid heart rate and shortness of breath are two of the most common physiological responses to anxiety. Interestingly enough, breath is one of the most powerful ways to control the autonomic nervous system, aiding in shifting you from the anxiety and driving sympathetic fight or flight to the parasympathetic relaxed state. Various techniques have been studied as effective, such as pranayamic breathing, which is calming breath in through the nose and out through the mouth, counting to three with inhale, and what some people call belly breathing or yoga breath. To accompany breath as a manager of anxiety during times of acute panic, often it is helpful to focus on purposefully creating tension in muscles of the body to then create more release with exhale, or counting heartbeats and trying to match with the breath.

  In my clinic, I typically start with recommending Dr. Andrew Weil’s 4-7-8 breathing. Using this type of conscious breath can harness the autonomic nervous system and reduce the vagus nerve excitatory output. Implementing even a few sets can shift your system back into your rest-and-digest parasympathetic balance, which is essential for reducing anxiety response and supporting your metabolic function and health. Two to three cycles should be enough to slow your heart rate, relax you, and create whole-body balance.

  Follow these steps for 4-7-8 breathing:

  •Close your mouth and inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four.

  •Hold your breath for a count of seven.

  •Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whoosh sound to a count of eight. The exhale should be audible.

  According to Dr. Weil, this breathing exercise is a natural tranquilizer for the nervous system. He recommends doing 4-7-8- breathing twice daily at a minimum, and notes the more you practice, the more effective a tool it becomes. Using breath to harness the mind and slash anxiety is a tool that can gain power over time, unlike many drugs that may start as effective but lose their influence.

  Get a Good Night’s Sleep

  One of the most powerful ways to support healthy mood and mind for anxiety reduction is getting quality sleep. In fact, sleep can benefit nearly all systems of the body, preventing adrenal burnout and supporting neurotransmitter function while reducing inflammation. When experiencing restful sleep, the brain gets enhanced neuroplasticity as the neurons of the brain get a chance to shut down and repair themselves or improve function. If you find yourself averaging less than seven hours a night, this will accumulate as sleep debt that can drive anxiety with brain fog, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and confusion.

  Focus on setting up your daily routine to wind down with a sleep ritual. Stop screen time at least one hour prior to sleep and keep lights dim to support melatonin production. Consider taking time for journaling or meditation and mindfulness, along with practice of breath. Commit to get an average of seven to nine hours per night, and adjust your schedule to accommodate this need.

  Drink Enough Water

  Dehydration can cause a multitude of health concerns, and anxiety is no exception. Anxiety may not be driven by dehydration, but it can be exacerbated by it. Dehydration can cause rapid heart rate, dizziness, and shifts in blood pressure, which can make anxiety more expressed. Ample hydration can aid in neurological function, and thus, increasing your intake of water can influence neurotransmitters to favorably reduce anxiety. Also, practicing the healthy habit of drinking water can allow you to take a moment to slow down and process when in social or work situations.

  Get at least half of your body weight in pounds as the number of fluid ounces of intake per day, and regardless of weight, drink a minimum of 75 fluid ounces.

  Example: A 180-pound person needs at least 90 fluid ounces of water per day.

  Move Your Body

  Walking while talking to a friend or listening to a podcast is a great way to distract the mind from worry or anxiety-driving self-talk. Movement stimulates blood flow, which helps deliver nutrients throughout the body, relax the vessels, and relax mussels while supporting breath. These benefits can be seen with all forms of exercise, but I love to recommend walking outside where the mind can take in nature’s beauty while smells, sounds, and touch can distract the brain from anxious thoughts. Being outside also provides exposure to sun, which can boost vitamin D production in the body as a hormonal supporter of mood and inflammatory regulation.

  If you prefer to have a phone conversation or walk with a buddy, this would be beneficial as well, as talking can enhance trust and openness, relieving pent-up energy that will drive anxiety if not released.

  When focusing on exercise, I like to use the term gentle movement therapy, defined as walking, yoga, Pilates, stretch, and mild strengthening, as I don’t like to provoke stress response to the body and burning out the adrenal glands. There are also benefits to more high-energy output such as dancing, resistance, spin, CrossFit, and HIIT training due to the release of endorphins. Higher output typically drives increased endorphins, which interact with the brain to reduce pain perception, allowing physiological performance at a state of distress. The endorphins released have mood-stabilizing, feel-good properties that can ward off anxiety and give a feeling of bliss. Exercise in all forms can reduce anxiety via modulation of the HPA-axis, release of endorphins, and increase of low levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor.

  Mechanisms of the benefits of exercise are broad and multifactorial. Beyond the chemical and physiological effects, the simple distraction of movement with focused energy can be a great tool for managing anxiety. Aim to incorporate 30 to 60 minutes of movement every day.

  Closing

  From inflammation in your gut to imbalances in your body’s stress axis and beyond, anxiety can be a complex web where the root cause can produce vicious cycles if not addressed. Use the quizzes and popouts in this book to prioritize the greatest area of focus for the foundational root of anxiety in your body. Based on symptoms and scoring, you may consider one to two advanced labs to assess your body’s needs on a clinical level. Using the Appendix’s Supplement Support for the 6 Foundational Rs section, follow guidance based on your scoring and symptoms of need. You may be a candidate for three to six foundational formulas to start resetting your system and accelerate outcomes as you apply the anti-anxiety diet.

  Recipes in this book will support each foundational R and can be used regardless of your anxiety area of focus; however, it is recommended to include the recipes or therapeutic ingredients in your primary root cause R of focus, three to four times per week. Start to break free of the vicious cycle of anxiety by eating positive nutrients in abundance and start to implement lifestyle support as a layering effect. Take the time to prioritize self-care and apply the information in this book into your daily life to free yourself from anxiety for good!

  CHAPTER 9

  Recipes

  The recipes of the anti-anxiety diet are organized into the format of a traditional cookb
ook, starting with breakfasts and ending with desserts. Each recipe falls within the guidelines of the anti-anxiety diet for removal of inflammatory foods, providing strategic nutrients to replete deficiency and rebalance neurotransmitters as well as ingredients to repair gut lining and rebound adrenal gland function h a high-fat, low-glycemic approach.

  All recipes featured are gluten-free, corn-free, soy-free, and sugar-free. Look for tags identifying recipes that fall within the Phase 1 ketogenic guidelines as well as potential allergens or irritants:

  ketosis-friendly for the Phase 1 ketogenic guidelines

  grain-free

  dairy-free

  nut-free

  egg-free

  Finally, each recipe will be tagged with its primary therapeutic focus, representing one of the 6 Foundational Rs of the anti-anxiety diet. Note that there is synergistic overlap of many recipes, so you may get benefits of two or three different Rs of focus when consuming a recipe in one category.

  Build from the ingredients featured in these recipes, pairing them with new ingredients of focus from the Anti-Anxiety Diet Grocery List on page 153 and the Exchange List on page 150 to provide sustainable variety.

  THE 6 FOUNDATIONAL RS OF THE ANTI-ANXIETY DIET

  Remove Inflammatory Foods

  Reset Gut Microbiome

  Repair GI Lining

  Restore Micronutrient Status

  Rebound Your Adrenal Glands

  Rebalance Your Neurotransmitters

  View the 2-Week Meal Plan (page 90) to envision a layout of how these recipes could look in a typical week. For smoothies and beverages, there will be an option to add protein to provide as a meal replacement or to provide daily amino acid need. Grass-fed whey has the most bioavailable amino acids and, if tolerated, as a casein-free form a dairy, is recommended. Collagen or gelatin as alternates provide protein and gut support as further discussed in Chapter 4, but are less known for their bioavailability of amino acids.