How does healthy eating help me manage my anxiety?

Motherhood is so consuming, we can forget to eat until we are extremely hungry.

Not only will this low blood sugar make us more cranky and irritable, it can also increase anxiety levels. Eating small meals throughout the day stabilizes our blood sugar and helps us concentrate and think more clearly.

To ensure you’re eating regularly, try to eat by the clock (scheduling in meals and snacks), rather than waiting until you notice the symptoms of not eating.

When we eat irregularly or skip meals, our blood sugar will be less consistent and more likely to dip. This can cause many different symptoms, many of which overlap with anxiety:

  • fatigue
  • hunger
  • irritability
  • lightheadedness
  • mental cloudiness
  • nervousness
  • shakiness
  • sweating

Being a new mom may add some extra challenges to eating well

It is hard to think of regular, balanced eating when even getting dressed in the morning might be a challenge. Give yourself a break and just make it easy.

  • Have prepared meals on hand.
  • Stock up on lots of easy to eat food.
  • Order in.
  • Say “yes” when anyone offers to cook for you.
Food on the go ideas for the busy mom:
  • meal replacement bars and drinks
  • easy veggies (baby carrots, precut packages)
  • trail mix
  • granola bars
  • easy to carry fruit (bananas, apples)
  • fruit cups or other packaged snacks
  • wraps
  • shakes (add some protein powder)

You might be eating out of a can over the kitchen sink, but the important thing is that you are providing your body with needed fuel!

A resource for ideas for healthy eating is the Dietitian Services at HealthlinkBC: visit Healthy Eating for information and to email a dietitian.