anxiety is the Intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations., and can be caused by a number of factors. There are several types of anxiety that a person can face, one of them is social anxiety. social anxiety or social phobiaIt involves high levels of anxiety, fear, and avoidance of social situations due to feelings of shame and shyness, as well as concern about being judged or viewed negatively by others.
Fortunately, there are methods to help overcome that fear, food being one of them. According to a study conducted by the Journal of Psychiatric Research, The #1 best type of food to help social anxiety is fermented foods.
Fermented foods are foods that are produced through controlled microbial growth, an increase in cell number, and the conversion of food components through enzymatic action, the conversion of starch into simple sugars. Fermented foods provide many health benefitsincluding balanced blood sugar levels, healthy skin, and a mood boost.
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For the research, a sample of young adults completed self-report measures of consumption of fermented foods, neuroticism, a broad dimension of personality traits that represents the degree to which a person experiences the world as distressing, threatening, and insecure, and social anxiety. There was also an interaction model that controlled for demographics, overall consumption of healthy foods, and exercise frequency. It showed that exercise frequency, neuroticism, and consumption of fermented foods significantly and independently predicted social anxiety.
Other results also showed that eating fermented foods helped neuroticism predict social anxiety. Specifically, for those high in neuroticism, higher intake of fermented foods was associated with fewer symptoms of social anxiety.
The research also suggests that the results of this study plus previous studies argue that probiotic-containing fermented foods may have a protective effect against symptoms of social anxiety for people at increased genetic risk if they have neuroticism.
While additional research is needed, these results suggest that consumer fermented foods that contain probiotics may serve as a low-risk intervention to reduce social anxiety.
The Nutrient Diary says highly fermented foods and beverages that contain natural probiotics or additives include yogurt, kefir, pickles, sauerkraut, kombucha, tempeh, miso, kimchi, and sourdough bread.
Exercise is another method to try if you’re looking to incorporate more than just fermented foods into your daily routine. The Cleveland Clinic also suggests trying these techniques:
- practicing public speaking
- Try cognitive behavioral therapy: Therapy that involves making changes to the way you think and feel about a situation, which, in turn, can help you change your behavior.
- Slowly moving toward anxiety-provoking situations, such as small group activities.
- Asking for help
- be kind to yourself
Do you want more information about anxiety? If so, try reading These 5 Foods Can Naturally Reduce Your Anxiety, New Study Suggests.
