8 Dangerous Foods That Can Worsen Your Anxiety

Alcohol

Consuming a glass of wine to relax after a long day doesn’t come with any health risks. However, increased amounts of alcohol consumed regularly can have the exact opposite effect.

According to the current Dietary Guidelines, women should consume one drink per day and men should ideally stick to two drinks daily. This is the equivalent of 12 fluid ounces of beer with 5% of alcohol, five ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits.

Drinking alcohol excessively can also cause dehydration, loss of focus and fatigue – all of which can contribute to anxiety.

Ketchup

A single tablespoon of ketchup contains 12 calories of added sugar.

Sharon Zarabi, RD, bariatric program director at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, admits that sugar is found in almost everything we get at a supermarket nowadays. What tricks most people is thinking that sugar is only found in sweet treats, which is not true! Zarabi explains it best:

‘Don’t be fooled to think that something needs to taste sweet to contain sugar, since sugar is concealed in the ingredient list with other forms of molasses, high fructose corn syrup, rice, syrup, brown syrup, invert sugar, granulated, table, and anything ending in -ose.’

In fact, even over-the-counter painkillers are coated in sugar. Does that mean we can’t escape the negative impact of this dangerous ingredient? No.

It just means that we should consume everything in moderation and design a balance diet that suits our lifestyle. Not only does this help us stay healthy, but it also gives us piece of mind which can reduce the risk for anxiety in the long run.