A Strong Mind is Built in the Kitchen
5 Supplements & Foods for Social Anxiety (Extreme Shyness)
This Newsletter is free for everyone. I send this email to you weekly. If you would also like to receive it, join the 10,000 other learners today.Â
Never in my life growing up had I ever heard someone tell me, the kinds of food you eat will probably be your #1-5 most important decisions of your entire life.
I always thought if you ate too much food, you would gain weight. Thatâs all. Or brushed the healing power of food under the umbrella of just âexercise and eat a good diet.â
Why is food so important for mental health?
Because everybody on the planet eats multiple times a day.
The key to exponential long-term change is to start with what you are already doing, and change, add, and substitute.
Everyone is at a different point on their health journey.
Some of you may have been eating healthy and exercising for years, while others may have never eaten anything green in your life other than Christmas sugar cookies.
No matter what, you are now becoming conscious of this universal fact that our mental health is so heavily correlated with our diet itâs honestly scary. And hey itâs not just mental health, a Bill & Melinda Gates study found in our modern world the #1 cause of death from chronic disease is processed food, frequent alcohol consumption, and soda.
If I havenât scared you enough perhaps you should ask the 65% of Americans who are obese and experience depression & anxiety and are stuck in a relentless brutal cycle I used to live inâŠ
Yesterday, I put this picture up on my LinkedIn, of the foods I eat all the time or as often as possible to foster brain growth and mental health.
Eating these foods is so important because what you eat goes to every single one of your cells, creates your hormones, and powers your brain.
Imagine trying to fuel a supercar with not premium fuel, but oreoâs and coca-cola and expecting it to drive normally. If your body doesnât recognize an ingredient or another issue, cellular dysfunction may occur which may have ranging symptoms from spiraling thoughts of anxiety, to a skin rash, to not being able to sleep all night which in turn all impact your mental health.
But donât be obsessed with this. Iâll be the first one to tell you I donât have a 100% clean diet out of choice.
But 9/10 of the time what I eat is clean and consider myself in an excellent spot mentally. However, if I go off on a bender eating a ton of junk food for a full day or more, I will be tired, I will be depressed, I will be more anxious than usual because Iâm a human being.
If you just spent the last 18 years eating mostly terrible food like I have, you might need some extra firepower to give you that additional boost. On my journey, I began researching any critical minerals or compounds that could assist in rebuilding my brain.
Below are key minerals backed by science that will help you decrease anxiety at a biochemical level. Keep in mind that everyoneâs body is different and no such thing as universal truths and to experiment for yourself and see what happens.
Note: Before taking any supplement, it's important to talk to your doctor to see if this supplement is a good choice for you. Some supplements can interfere with your treatment and harm your health, particularly if you are taking other medications.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, medical professional, psychologist, etc.
The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Following chemical compounds are ranked in no particular order.
1. Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids
Iâm sure you have already heard of Omega Fatty Acids. Did you know that the term Omega in biblical times is often a term to refer to God? Wow. If thereâs a chemical compound that has its roots with God, you better bet its important. A study done by the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the Medical University of Vienna in Austria found that in those who take Omega 3âs reduce the risk of progression to psychotic disorder and may offer a safe and efficacious strategy for indicated prevention in young people with subthreshold psychotic states.
Another study found a vital role in Omega-3 fatty acids in psychiatry primarily in mood disorders but also in psychotic disorders, attention-deficit disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and personality disorders from the Depression Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Best forms of Omega 3 Fatty Acids:
Oysters
Wild Salmon
Anchovies & Sardines
Tuna
Grass Fed Beef
2. Vitamin D
The moment when I began to consume quality food with high levels of bioavailable vitamin D I watched my entire life change. Not only did I have more energy but my asthma, skin rashes, brain fog literally went away overnight, confirmed by my Doctorâs test results. Iâve found 3 credible studies that show a correlation between low vitamin D status with a range of adverse neuropsychiatric outcomes.
Best Forms of Vitamin D:Â Â
Direct Sunlight Exposure
The Freshest wild-caught seafood including salmon, mackerel, sardines.
Beef Liver
Mushrooms (Plant-based folk, focus on this hard!)
Egg Yolks
If you do not eat the foods listed above, it may be best to take a quality Vitamin D supplement. If you are not sure on how much vitamin D you are getting, you can get tested to find out if you are deficient or overdoing it.Â
3. Potassium
Potassium is debatably the most important electrolyte that is involved in many cell functions all throughout our body. A study done by the School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences found that dietary electrolytes like potassium are connected to our moment-to-moment mood.Â
The only way to get potassium is to eat more plants.
Best forms of potassium:
Kale
Spinach
Bananas
Beet Greens
Swiss Chard
4. Tryptophan
Ah, the beloved serotonin precursor that is often associated with Thanksgiving Turkeysâ sleep coma. Tryptophan will not make you sleepy but rather eating too much protein combined with sugars alongside your meal will put you to bed early. But, this is a key amino acid to digest in order for your body to generate serotonin & melatonin in your gut microbiome. In fact, there have been studies done that show tryptophan levels associated with participants who have panic attacks can have a protective effect on overall anxiety.
Best Forms of Tryptophan:
Salmon
Turkey & other forms of poultry
Eggs
Spinach
Seeds & Nuts
Watermelon
Bananas
5. GABA
Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) is an amino acid in the body that acts as a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. GABA limits nerve transmission, which inhibits (prevents) nervous activity.
Without the right levels of GABA in your body, nerve cells are activated too often, making mental illnesses worse such as social anxiety disorder (SAD), depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Low GABA activity has been shown to cause more severe symptoms, while proper levels of GABA may help calm symptoms and make them more manageable for you in your everyday life.
Taking a GABA supplement can be foundational in calming the mind.
Bonus
Zinc is the key to immune function, which is your bodyâs defense system. Deficiency risk factors include people who consume a vegetarian diet, pregnancy, and heavy alcohol use.
Best forms of Zinc
Steak
Ground Turkey
Pumpkin & Sesame Seeds
Oysters
PS. Have you checked out my new podcast yet?
I just relaunched my former podcast âHumans 2.0â into Social Anxiety Society.