I don’t know about you, but I love sweets. They taste so good it’s hard to imagine that they could be one of the major causes of panic attacks. My parents live in Orlando and there’s a place in downtown Winter Park called The Briar Patch that makes homemade cakes and ice cream. Mind you, the slices of cake are the size of your head. My two all-time favorite sugary indulgences? Bananas foster, set on fire right next to the table and dribbled down to my waiting ice cream. And of course, homemade red velvet cake.
Can I tell you that after the last time I ate an entire piece of red velvet cake from there I’d start to freak out if I couldn’t get my head comfortable on a pillow. Seriously. Why? Because for those who suffer from panic attacks, refined sugar is one of the three worst things you can put into your body.
Now it’s clear that the causes of panic attacks are numerous; stresses in your life, amount of rest, physical condition, diet, and mental health all contribute to the likelihood that you’ll suffer from panic attacks. As far as diet is concerned, there are three things you must avoid to give yourself the greatest chance of success to avoid ever having a panic attack again. The “terrible three” are caffeine, alcohol, and sugar. In other articles I go into depth about caffeine and alcohol. For the moment, suffice it to say that they are all bad Very bad.
So what’s the deal with sugar and panic attacks? Sugar is not only nutritionally useless and prone to add pounds to your waistline, it also raises the lactate levels in your blood and makes you hyperactive. This hyperactivity feels much the same as anxiety, and your body will find it more challenging to avoid a full on panic attack when stimulated.
We all know that there are tons of things that can trigger a panic attack, but usually the root cause is our own thoughts. We get one thought, we lose control of that thought, and then the condition of our body might determine whether or not it goes into that fight or flight mode scares the heck out of us. So really there are two wonderful benefits of minimizing refined sugars in your diet. Benefit number one is obvious from this article, you’re less anxious and therefore less susceptible to panic attacks. Benefit number two is the one I find more powerful. Once you’ve taken the steps to limit sugar in your life YOU NOW KNOW that you are less likely to have a panic attack. Simply believing you can’t have a panic attack puts you back in control. That control can make all the difference.
So am I suggesting giving up all refined sugars? If possible, why not? There are plenty of sugar free alternatives out there now. Though some come with their own warning labels, I have yet to see anything bad about Stevia. If you can’t give up refined sugars, just learn to seriously limit them. Try to eliminate ALL the dietary causes of panic attacks. It will make a difference to your health, waistline and overall mood. Most importantly, it could help you regain control of your life.
Leslie Michaelson is an expert dietitian who likes sharing knowledge of fitness and healthy living to assist others in improving their lives. Check out free info on the causes of panic attacks at Curepanicattacks.me. Discover what the drug companies don’t want you to know and eliminate panic attacks from your life forever – NATURALLY!