There are many reasons people experience anxiety. Some of them are obvious, like a letter from the IRS or giving a speech in front of coworkers. Others aren’t quite as obvious and you don’t know the cause, just the feeling of being anxious. You can do several things to avoid that feeling in the pit of your stomach, some of these involve deep breathing, mind tricks or even medication. However, one option that works and has no side effects is eating bananas.
Bananas contain potassium.
These delicious mellow yellow fruits have lots of potassium, which is extremely important for the body. If you’ve eaten too much salt, it can lower the body’s sodium level, which increases blood volume and lowers blood pressure. Anxiety and stress can take their toll on the body in a number of ways and one is by reducing the potassium levels, so a banana can replace the lost potassium. Bananas are also a source of tryptophan that converts to serotonin that is important in reducing anxiety. It also has B vitamins, which affects the nervous system.
Bananas are nature’s beta-blocker.
Beta blockers block the beta receptors and prevent adrenaline from binding to them. They contain natural beta blockers called beta-adrenergic blocking agents. Adrenaline can not only cause blood pressure to rise, but it also increases anxiety. It makes your heart beat more rapidly and your blood pressure to raise. Beta-blockers, whether natural or pharmaceutical, cause the heart to beat slower and with far less force.
You can’t wait until the last minute to get the benefits.
If you’re in the middle of an anxiety attack or are faced with a racing heart, you won’t get immediate relief from eating a banana. It takes a banana or two to help avoid the symptoms of anxiety about a half hour before the anxiety producing event occurs. Rather than wait, eat several bananas throughout the day. Have one with your breakfast and one at noon, as a snack or with your dinner on a regular basis. It can help you deal with the stress from daily activities. If you’re particularly nervous about a situation that’s upcoming, eat a couple either a half hour before you face it or on the way.
- Strawberries, blueberries and other fruit can provide some of the same calming effect as bananas. It’s due to the high serotonin content. In fact, blueberries have been shown to be more effective than some medications presently used.
- Besides a high serotonin content, other nutrients found in fruit can help relieve anxiety. For instance, magnesium can promote relaxation. One sweet fruit high in magnesium is pineapple.
- Make a smoothie that contains strawberries, blueberries, bananas and pineapple. Add a little green tea to it for good measure. Green tea also lowers heart rate and blood pressure.
- Bananas can bring more than just anxiety relief and lower blood pressure. It can help lift depression and aid in stress relief, if you have mild depression. For more severe cases, always consult a health care professional.
For more information, contact us today at Rising Fitness Gym