Foods That Help with Anxiety
- Bryson R. Tibbitts
- 14 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Anxiety doesn’t always start in your head. Sometimes it starts in your body. Here’s what to eat to calm the system down.
Anxiety doesn’t just show up mentally—it shows up physically. Tight chest, racing thoughts, restlessness, muscle tension, irritability. For some people, it's a daily battle. And while mindset and therapy matter, so does nutrition. One of the most overlooked but powerful tools to calm your brain and body is magnesium.
Why Magnesium Helps with Anxiety
Magnesium plays a major role in how your nervous system regulates stress. It supports GABA (your brain’s main calming neurotransmitter), helps modulate cortisol levels, and keeps your muscles and nerves firing smoothly. When you're low in magnesium, your nervous system stays in fight-or-flight mode. You feel jumpy, overwhelmed, and wired, even when nothing's actually wrong.
In one of the largest clinical trials by Tarleton et al., magnesium supplementation showed drastic and significant decrease in anxiety and depression symptoms. (Tarleton et al.)
Signs You Might Be Low in Magnesium
Restlessness, tension, or racing thoughts
Light sensitivity or frequent headaches
Tight muscles, clenched jaw, grinding teeth, or tense shoulders
Trouble falling or staying asleep
Feeling tired but wired
Anxiety that seems to come out of nowhere
Any of these feel familiar? If so, you're not alone. It's estimated that about 48% of the US is deficient in magnesium! (Rosanoff et al. 2012) This is partially due to the lack of nutrient and mineral dense whole foods in the standard American diet, and also because of mineral depletion in farming soil. It used to be as simple as eating plenty of whole foods, and now even that often isn't quite enough for some people.
For most people, increasing their intake of the following foods can be sufficient.
Top Magnesium-Rich Foods
Spinach and Swiss chard
Pumpkin seeds and almonds
Avocados
Black beans
Dark chocolate (70% or higher)
If you're feeling overstimulated or anxious, adding these foods to your day can make a real difference.
When to Consider Supplementing
Sometimes, food alone is not enough. But if that still isn't quite sufficient (indicated by either continual symptoms or bloodwork results), supplementing with magnesium is easy and low cost.
Some forms of magnesium are better for the brain than others. Magnesium glycinate is great for nervous system support and better sleep. Magnesium threonate is specifically designed to cross the blood-brain barrier and support cognitive function.
Download Our Brain Nutrition Guide: If you haven't downloaded the guide yet, that's the next move Download it below and get clear on exactly what to eat and why it matters:
If Food and Supplementation Aren't Fixing It
Sometimes the nervous system is too overwhelmed to fully reset with nutrition alone. That’s when we layer in targeted tools like Alpha-Stim, vagus nerve stimulation, and customized therapy based on your brain’s needs.
We see patients all the time who are already eating clean but still feel anxious. That’s our cue to go deeper and look at what their brain and nervous system actually need to heal. If anxiety is running your life, there are real, physiological tools that can help. That's where our in-clinic testing and therapies come in. If nutrition isn't enough (even after supplementing!), we can help you figure out what else is going on and how to get your brain firing again.
To discuss treatment options or schedule a consultation, contact us today.
Key Take-away:
Anxiety isn't always rooted in thoughts. Often, it comes from your biology. Magnesium is one of the safest and most effective nutrients to help your brain relax and your body reset.
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