I get patients like Thom more often these days. They’re overworked, underslept, sometimes feeling spiritually empty, and oftentimes wanting to discuss tapering off pharmaceutical drugs (like Xanax or Prozac) their conventional doctors prescribed, seaking a more holistic, natural regimen to alleviate depression or anxiety (of course, never go off prescription medicine without a doctor’s guidance). Newer studies1 show your microbiome can also influence other emotions like anxiety, which I see far more often among patients like Thom these days. “Anxiety has become our everyday argot, our thrumming lifeblood,” writes Alex Williams in a recent New York Times article titled “Prozac Nation Is Now the United States of Xanax.” The most striking statistics mentioned by Williams include: Among the science-supported tactics I use to reduce anxiety and restore calm are: Thom’s breakfast usually entailed a muffin and several cups of cream-and-sugar-infused coffee. Working in a hectic high-stress job, he often skipped lunch and grabbed a few slices of pizza or Chinese takeout before he hopped on the subway. The spike-and-crash feeling of even a few teaspoons of sugar in your coffee (or any other sugar-filled breakfast) can ramp up anxiety, impair your ability to cope with even the minor stressors life throws your way, and leave. you feeling lethargic and groggy. Here’s what a day in the “anti-anxiety prescription” looked like: Yoga means “union.” In essence, when you do yoga, you connect with your body and ground the nervous system. I recommended 10 minutes of yoga stretches right after his morning meditation. This sets the tone for the day. If it means waking up a few minutes earlier, that’s OK because you don’t want to start the day in sympathetic nervous system “fight-or-flight” mode. It’s easy enough to find short yoga routines to follow online. This was followed by a nutrient-packed, herb-infused smoothie for breakfast. I had him skip the coffee as well. Low on the glycemic scale, it is rich in beta-carotene (a precursor to vitamin A), minerals, protein, and niacin (vitamin B3). Kefir offers a healthy dose of the probiotic lactobacillus, which produce calming neurotransmitters like GABA (gamma-amino butyric acid). Ingredients One study2 looked at caffeine’s effect on brain regions implicated in social threat processing and anxiety among 14 healthy males who either used caffeine infrequently or not at all. They either got a 250-milligram amount of caffeine (about what you’d get in a tall brewed coffee) or a placebo. Among their findings, researchers found caffeine increased self-rated anxiety and the feeling of being threatened. Another study looked at caffeine intake in secondary school children. Researchers found significant connections between total weekly caffeine intake and mental disturbances like anxiety and depression. Living in Manhattan, I especially see the connection between increased anxiety levels and overworked, sleep-deprived folks (including high schoolers) who suck down sugar-loaded, caffeine-laden liquid desserts. With the breakfast smoothie powering his morning, I made sure Thom wouldn’t suffer from caffeine withdrawal with a better alternative—green tea. With its smaller dose of caffeine than coffee, and anxiety-lowering l-theanine in the tea leaves, green tea offers more steady energy without the peak/trough produced by sympathetic “fight-or-flight”-accelerating coffee. I had him go for a cup of Tazo Zen Tea, which includes green tea with calming lemon verbena, spearmint, and lemongrass. I also had Thom start taking 100 milligrams of L-theanine three times a day. L-theanine is found in green tea but can also be taken as a supplement to lower anxiety and stress3 by working directly in the brain. It bears a close resemblance to the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate, but by binding to glutamate receptors it blocks the effects of glutamate, instead having an inhibitory, relaxing effect on the central nervous system. And it promotes the production of GABA—an inhibitory, relaxing neurotransmitter4. The great thing is it does all this without causing drowsiness while actually improving alertness and focus5. Rather than working through lunch without a break, I asked Thom to prepare a well-balanced salad that included optimal protein, healthy fats, antioxidants, and fiber. Among the superfood ingredients you may include in an anxiety-busting salad are raw Jerusalem artichoke, raw dandelion greens, and scallions, which are all excellent sources of gut-boosting, anxiety-lowering prebiotic fiber. For the salad, I had him toss chlorophyll-rich, cleansing baby spinach with a protein of his choice (like chicken, salmon, or shrimp) and a healthy fat (like avocado, walnuts, almond slivers, hemp hearts). You can enhance the salad’s nutrient power with raw carrots, scallions, red beets, radishes, and broccoli. Separately, in a small Mason jar, I had him put ¼ cup of extra-virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon (about 2 lemons), and ½ teaspoon of mineral-rich Himalayan sea salt with cracked black pepper to taste. It’s easy to mix in the Mason jar and add just before eating the salad. Basically, dinner should focus on high-quality fat and protein like grass-fed beef, free-range poultry, or wild-caught fish along with plenty of leafy and cruciferous veggies. I’m seeing more “paleo rice” options, including broccoli and cauliflower. They add variety to your meals. Another alternative to his fast carb-laden on-the-go dinners is the Happy Gut–approved Wild Salmon on a Bed of Spring Greens. The salmon filet can be prepared the day before or over the weekend to make heating up dinner easier on a busy workday. A simple salad dressing will do with just a touch of your favorite extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste (as described above). A 3- to 4-ounce serving of wild salmon will provide half of your weekly anti-inflammatory omega-3 requirements, which also helps lower anxiety. Toss in a slow, complex carb, like a baked sweet potato, to make it a filling meal and promote harmony-inducing serotonin production. Thom gradually added a five-minute break every few hours at his office to practice a breathing technique I taught him. Here’s what I had him do: A cutting-edge nutrition deep dive taught by 20+ top health & wellness experts
