We are all constantly looking for ways to find calm, especially those with general anxiety (like myself). We learn to feel comfortable and confident by using self-talk and breathing to keep that little hum at bay, and we never say no to learning about new ways to feel more at peace. Some go-to’s like meditation, ASMR, yoga and massages are all significant and make us feel great, but there’s one major piece that has recently been a game changer: Food. The connection between blood sugar, gut health, brain fog and anxiety has, in recent years, been something that many of us have paid much closer attention to.

About 4 years ago I met my now husband, who was at the time much more conscious about how the food he ate made him feel. Some nights we would over eat massive cheesy, greasy burgers, large salty fries and a chocolate chip cookie, having trouble falling asleep, waking up feeling super groggy and anxious. He would say “we have a food hangover” and I would laugh it off because I didn’t believe that food could affect someone’s mood that much. This was a pattern... we would periodically eat high quantities of calorically dense, nutrient-poor foods, feel off the next day, he would tell me it’s from the food, and I would shrug and carry on. It wasn’t until about two years later that my mom bought me a book called ‘Heal Your Drained Brain’ by DR. Mike Dow that I learned that there was a real connection between anxiety and the food that you put in your body. Without going into too much detail about how the Glycemic index (GI) of certain foods spike your blood sugar and how those spikes effect your brain and mood, the point is that it’s incredibly important to be aware of the food you are putting into your body and how it makes you feel.

Each person is unique and reacts to food differently, some people can eat high GI foods, but in small doses. Others choose to eat wheat free, leaving them with less brain fog. But the biggest thing is simply analyzing how you feel after eating. If eating past fullness is what causes anxiety later in the day, then try to eat nutrient rich foods that keep you full for longer so you don’t find yourself ravenous and binge eating foods that don’t sit well with you. There are no rules around which foods are “good” and “bad” just be aware of the contents of what you’re consuming and how you feel either immediately after or the next day.

It’s important to balance filling your cravings while also honouring your body and mind by being aware of what makes you feel good and what doesn’t. At Noco we have created foods that keep you feeling full and satisfied while preventing spikes in blood sugar by staying away from refined sugars, wheat, and dairy. It’s so important to feel good about what you’re putting into your body, while not compromising on eating the foods that you love.