5 Best Foods for Anxiety and Stress, According to a Top Doctor—Feel Calmer With Every Bite
What you eat plays a bigger role in your mood than you may think
If you’ve ever felt your heart race for no obvious reason, or found yourself lying awake at 3 am with racing thoughts, you know how exhausting anxiety can be. And when talk therapy feels out of reach or medication side effects worry you, it’s easy to feel stuck. But here’s hopeful news: What you eat can actually help calm your anxious brain. A leading psychiatrist shares five of the best foods that can ease anxiety naturally while supporting your overall health.
What exactly is anxiety?
“Anxiety is more than just worry or fear,” says Daniel Amen, MD, physician, double board-certified psychiatrist, award-winning researcher and 20-time national bestselling author. “It’s your brain sounding an internal alarm. Sometimes it’s helpful, like when you’re avoiding danger. But sometimes it’s harmful, like when the alarm keeps ringing without a clear reason.”
Anxiety can look different from person to person. Dr. Amen says it may show up as irritability, sleep issues, racing thoughts, constant worry, or even stomach upset. Anxiety is often misunderstood or confused with everyday stress, but they’re very different.
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“Stress is a normal response to a demanding situation—think of a tight deadline or a traffic jam,” says Dr. Amen. “It’s temporary. Anxiety, on the other hand, is chronic and internal. It doesn’t always need an external trigger.”
Dr. Amen says there are real and measurable brain changes behind it. When using brain SPECT scans, which look at brain function and blood flow, he says he commonly sees overactivity in the brain’s fear and anxiety centers, specifically the basal ganglia and amygdala, in people with anxiety.
“When your brain’s fear centers become overactive, you can feel anxious even when everything around you seems fine,” says Dr. Amen. “This means anxiety is not a character flaw, it’s a brain health issue.”
How food can help with anxiety
When anxiety has you in its grip, you might doubt that something as simple as food could make a real difference. But our experts say food can be much more helpful than you may realize.
“When it comes to anxiety, what you put on your fork matters just as much as what you put in your mind,” says Dr. Amen. “Your brain is an energy-hungry organ. It’s only about two percent of your body weight, but it uses 20 to 30 percent of the calories you consume. Every bite either helps or hurts your brain chemistry.”
And unfortunately, most of us aren’t quite hitting the mark when it comes to health. “The Standard American Diet (SAD), filled with sugar, ultra-processed foods and artificial additives, promotes inflammation and blood sugar spikes, which can hijack your emotional balance,” says Dr. Amen.
But being intentional with your nutrition matters for your mental health. “Brain-healthy foods stabilize blood sugar, reduce inflammation, support calming neurotransmitters like serotonin and GABA and soothe the nervous system,” says Dr. Amen.
The 5 best foods for anxiety
Now that we’ve established why food can be so helpful for combatting anxiety, let’s talk about the foods that can help (in addition to whatever treatments your doctor recommends).
Spinach and other leafy greens
“[It’s high in magnesium, folate and B vitamins—all crucial for calming neurotransmitters like GABA,” says Dr. Amen. “Magnesium deficiency has been linked to increased anxiety and irritability.”
How much should you eat? Dr. Amen recommends aiming for one daily cup of raw or cooked spinach.
Tip: “Sauté spinach with garlic and avocado oil for a calming, nutrient-rich dinner side,” says Dr. Amen. He says spinach can also be added to soups, smoothies, salads or omelets as part of a balanced diet.
Blueberries
“Blueberries are packed with antioxidants and anthocyanins that fight oxidative stress in the brain,” says Dr. Amen. “They also boost brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a growth hormone that helps new brain cells thrive.”
How much should you eat? Dr. Amen recommends aiming for a ½ cup daily.
Tip: “Freeze them and enjoy them as a refreshing treat to curb sugar cravings without the crash,” says Dr. Amen. He says blueberries can also be sprinkled onto a salad, added to a smoothie or you can grab a handful as a snack in the morning.
Avocados
“[They’re] rich in healthy fats and vitamin B6, which help produce serotonin, your brain’s ‘feel good’ chemical,” says Dr. Amen. “The monounsaturated fats also support steady blood sugar levels” in the long term.
How much should you eat? Dr. Amen recommends aiming for ½ an avocado four to five times a week.
Tip: “Crack an egg into half an avocado and air fry at 350 [degrees] for eight to 10 minutes for a stress-stabilizing breakfast,” says Dr. Amen. He says you can also blend avocados into your smoothie, make a homemade guacamole or add it on top of a slice of gluten-free toast.
Fermented foods
Think tangy fare like sauerkraut, kimchi and kefir. “The gut and brain are intimately connected through the vagus nerve and the microbiome,” says Dr. Amen. “Fermented foods feed beneficial gut bacteria that help regulate mood, anxiety and even your immune system.”
How much should you eat? Dr. Amen recommends aiming for two to four tablespoons of fermented foods a day.
Tip: “Look for unpasteurized versions in the refrigerated section to ensure live probiotics,” says Dr. Amen. He says you can drink kefir, a fermented milk drink, with your breakfast or pair fermented foods like kimchi as a side with a meal or mixed into a salad.
Walnuts
“[They’re] a top plant-based source of omega-3 fatty acids, which support emotional balance and lower inflammation,” says Dr. Amen. “They also contain tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin.”
How much should you eat? Dr. Amen recommends a daily handful of walnuts, equivalent to about seven walnut halves.
Tip: “Sprinkle on top of coconut yogurt for a satisfying crunch,” says Dr. Amen. He says a good place to keep walnuts is in your purse or car for an on-the-go brain-healthy snack.
Living with anxiety isn’t easy—but every bite of these foods you take is a small, powerful step toward feeling calmer and more balanced.
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