Best Breakfast for Anxiety (15+ List)
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OptimistMinds
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Author bio
The Optimistminds editorial team is made up of psychologists, psychiatrists and mental health professionals. Each article is written by a team member with exposure to and experience in the subject matter. The article then gets reviewed by a more senior editorial member. This is someone with extensive knowledge of the subject matter and highly cited published material.
In this blog, we are going to discuss over fifteen of the best breakfast items you can start your day with if you’re dealing with an anxiety disorder. Readers will first learn how breakfast can help lower anxiety. Then, we will take a closer look at these breakfast options.
What is the Best Breakfast for Anxiety?
Here is a quick list of food items that you can have for breakfast if you suffer from anxiety:
- Yoghurt and Fresh Berries
- Smoked Salmon with Spinach
- Cereal with Nuts and Seeds
- Eggs
- Dark Chocolate Danish/Croissant
- Green Tea
- Rice Flakes with Turmeric
- Avocado on Toast
- Turkey on Rye
- Cinnamon Roll
- Acai Bowl
- Oatmeal Smoothie
- Asparagus
- Quinoa Salad
- Boiled Beets
- Orange Juice
How can Breakfast help with Anxiety?
They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it helps you get a nutritious start to your daily routine. If you’re dealing with chronic anxiety, stress, or an anxiety disorder, there are certain food items you must include in your first meal to become more resilient.
These breakfast options include foods from various categories that are rich in nutrients, adaptogens, and fluids. The breakfast ideas included in our list come from research-backed recommendations on what kind of foods to eat to tackle such mental health issues.
16 Best Breakfast Ideas for Anxiety
In this section, we’re going to discuss sixteen of the best breakfast ideas for people struggling with anxiety and anxiety disorders.
Yoghurt and Fresh Berries
Yoghurt comes packed with probiotics that improve your gut bacteria. A 2016 systematic review of randomized controlled trials concluded that probiotic supplementation can positively affect anxiety and depressive symptoms.
Berries too are full of important vitamins and minerals that help sustain good mental health and wellbeing. You can have fresh strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries with your morning yoghurt. Goji berries, too, are considered to be useful adaptogens for people who face chronic stress.
Smoked Salmon with Spinach
While most fish supply us with important omega-3 fatty acids, salmon is known as one of the best sources of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). This makes it good for anxious people as treatment with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may help reduce symptoms in patients with clinical anxiety, according to scientists.
Spinach also contains vitamin K, fiber, phosphorus, and thiamine. These are all nutrients that not only benefit physical health but also act as shield against mental health issues like anxiety.
Cereal with Nuts and Seeds
A lot of people enjoy having cereal for breakfast because of the convenience. It only takes a few minutes to whip up a bowl of your favourite cereal and milk. You can increase the anxiolytic impact of this breakfast bowl by adding a few extra ingredients.
Nuts like almonds, cashews, pistachios, and Brazil nuts are good sources of essential nurtients that help you fight anxiety. Add sunflower seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, or pumpkin seeds for the same effect. If you like, you can even add some honey and cut fruits.
Eggs
When most people think of breakfast, the first image that comes to their mind is a plate of eggs. It doesn’t matter how you like your eggs, they’re an excellent source of nutrition to start your day with an energy boost.
Besides being rich in protein, eggs also contain tryptophan, which is an amino acid that helps create serotonin. In disorders like anxiety and depression, the levels of serotonin in your body get impacted. Reverse this effect by eating eggs for breakfast.
Dark Chocolate Danish/Croissant
According to research, chocolate is actually good for mental health problems like depression and anxiety. But not just any chocolate, we’re talking about bitter dark chocolate, which is chocolate without no added milk solids.
One easy way to add dark chocolate to your breakfast menu is by eating baked goods stuffed with it. Pick a sark chocolate Danish pastry or croissant to start your day with less anxiety.
Green Tea
If you like a cup of hot tea in the morning, instead of going for black or white, we recommend trying some green tea. Green tea is high in L-theanine, an amino acid that might reduce anxiety.
One 2017 systematic review found that individuals who drank green tea experienced consistently lower levels of stress than those in the placebo group. Green tea is also packed with antioxidants that are good for your wellbeing.
Rice Flakes with Turmeric
This is a popular breakfast dish in Asian countries. Rice flakes are thinly sliced flattened rice that make a cereal type dish. You can have it with milk, yoghurt, or roast it on the stove. The roasted version is great for people with anxiety because you can add a dash of turmeric to it.
Turmeric is a natural adaptogen that contains curcumin, a bioactive compound linked to treating anxiety, depression, and more. This is because it helps boost the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.
Avocado on Toast
Avocados when spread on toast make for a scrumptious and healthy breakfast. This South American fruit may not have much of a flavour but it comes packed with monounsaturated fats, protein, fiber, and important vitamins.
These heart-healthy fats and stress-relieving vitamins work brilliantly to lower levels of anxiety. When sprinkled with a bit of pepper and rock salt, avocado tastes fantastic on crisply toasted bread.
Turkey on Rye
This popular sandwich is a much healthier way to start your morning than a typical sub. Turkey is a lean meat, which makes it good for your physical health. It also has tryptophan, which as mentioned before, is good for anxiety.
Rye bread is made with various proportions of flour from rye grain. It is linked to many potential health benefits, including weight loss, reduced inflammation, better blood sugar control, and improved heart and digestive health. These are all problems associated to chronic anxiety.
Cinnamon Roll
The smell of cinnamon has been used as an aromatherapy treatment technique for individuals with anxiety disorders. One way of integrating this calming and healing aroma to your daily life is to have some cinnamon rolls for breakfast every now and then.
These delicious rolls taste delightful and give a bright start to your day. Moreover, the scent sort of stays with you as an aftertaste and keeps you feeling calm and composed.
Acai Bowl
An acai bowl, also known as Açaí na tigela, is a Brazilian dessert made with the frozen and mashed fruit of the açaí palm, which has berries described as having an “earthy” or creamy taste.
This fruit is pureed and served as a smoothie in a bowl or glass, typically topped with granola, banana, and guaraná syrup. Açai is incredibly high in antioxidants, which neutralize anxiety- causing oxidative stress.
Oatmeal Smoothie
Oatmeal is a other slow-burning complex carbohydrates that is good for anxiety as it impacts serotonin levels. You can add oatmeal smoothies to your breakfast arsenal against stress and anxiety.
Add youghurt, berries, citrus fruits, or other nuts and seeds that have adaptogenic properties to make this smoothie a powerfood against your anxiety issues.
Asparagus
Asparagus stems are known for being rich in potassium, fiber, vitamins A, C, E and K, and the beneficial trace element chromium. This nutritional composition makes it excellent for fighting anxiety and stress.
You can have asparagus with eggs, cheese, grilled, or simply as a salad with dressing. Mix and match recipes to add variation to your breakfast menu.
Quinoa Salad
Quinoa seeds are edible and a good source of protein, dietary fiber, B vitamins, and dietary minerals in amounts greater than in many grains. Unlike most plant proteins, these seeds contain all the nine essential amino acids that we must consume via diet.
Having sufficient amino acids is necessary for good physical and mental health as they build up the proteins and neurotransmitters in our body. That’s why a quinoa salad is a quick way to start your day fighting anxiety.
Boiled Beets
If you’re a health freak, you won’t mind stuffing your face with some boiled beets in the morning. Do remember to brush your teeth afterwards though or else you’ll be smiling purple all day!
Beet roots have a lot of bioactive compounds in them and are rich in nitrates, which reduce inflammation by removing harmful compounds from your bloodstream. This makes them good for people dealing with chronic stress and anxiety.
Orange Juice
While everyone associates a glass of OJ with a healthy breakfast, this is especially true for people dealing with anxiety. Not just juice from oranges, but any citruc fruit is great for reducing symptoms of anxiety disorders.
Research shows that the smell and nutrients of citric fruits is quite effective in lowering anxiety and stress. So, whatever you choose to eat for breakfast, make sure you add a glass of orange juice to your meal.
Conclusion
In this blog, we discussed over fifteen of the best breakfast items you can start your day with if you’re dealing with an anxiety disorder. Readers first learned how breakfast can help lower anxiety. Then, we took a closer look at these breakfast options.
The breakfast options included in our list were Yoghurt and Fresh Berries, Smoked Salmon with Spinach, Cereal with Nuts and Seeds, Eggs, Dark Chocolate Danish/Croissant, Green Tea, Rice Flakes with Turmeric, Avocado on Toast, Turkey on Rye, Cinnamon Roll, Acai Bowl, Oatmeal Smoothie, Asparagus, Quinoa Salad, Boiled Beets, and Orange Juice.
FAQs (Best Breakfast for Anxiety)
What food reduces anxiety?
Here is a list of foods that are good for reducing anxiety levels:
- Yoghurt
- Dark chocolate
- Citrus fruits
- Salmon
- Whole-grains
- Quinoa
- Green leafy vegetables
- Eggs
- Oatmeal
- Brazillian nuts
Can eggs help with anxiety?
Yes, eggs are good for anxiety because they contain tryptophan, which is an amino acid that helps create serotonin. Serotonin levels are impacted when one is suffering from an anxiety disorder.
References
Take Control of Your Anxiety Today: Personalized Counseling with BetterHelp
