How does your anxiety
show up?
Choose the one that feels most like you right now. There are no wrong answers.
Or scroll to see what three experts say about anxiety and food
Dr. Mara Okafor
Functional Nutritionist & Certified Dietitian
15 years translating gut-brain research into clinical nutrition protocols. Trained at UCSF. Seen in Mindbodygreen.
What You Eat Is Wiring Your Nervous System
Every inflammatory food sends a distress signal up the vagus nerve. Here's the swap your body is asking for.
↗ Hover any row to hear from Mara
Canola & soybean oils (seed oils)
Extra virgin olive oil, sardines in olive oil
White bread & refined carbs
Long-fermented sourdough, oat groats
Conventional yogurt with fruit syrup
Plain kefir + raw honey + walnuts
Farmed Atlantic salmon
Wild Alaskan sockeye, mackerel, anchovies
Processed deli meats (nitrates)
Pasture-raised eggs, lentil soup, tempeh
Store-bought granola bars
Pumpkin seeds + dark chocolate 85%
Free personalized plan · Delivered in 2 minutes
Dr. Priya Venkataraman
Clinical Psychologist, Nervous System Specialist
Director of the Stress & Somatic Research Lab at Northwestern. Author of 'The Cortisol Calendar.' Specializes in burnout recovery.
Your Daily Habits Are Choosing Your Cortisol Level
The nervous system doesn't distinguish between a deadline and a predator. These swaps teach it the difference.
↗ Hover any row to hear from Priya
6 back-to-back Zoom calls + black coffee
Zoom blocks with 10-min lunch away from screen
Checking email within 5 minutes of waking
Sunlight + magnesium glycinate before screens
Skipping meals during busy workdays
Protein + fat breakfast eaten before 9am
Alcohol to wind down after stressful days
L-theanine tea + 10-min body scan before bed
Scrolling social media in bed until midnight
Dim lights at 9pm, tart cherry juice, cold room
Caffeine after 2pm to push through fatigue
Electrolyte water + 20-minute non-sleep deep rest
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Dr. Solange Beaumont
Microbiome Researcher, PhD Microbiology
Principal investigator at the Gut-Brain Axis Consortium. Published in Cell Host & Microbe. Advisor to three functional medicine clinics.
Your Supplements Might Be the Problem
Synthetic isolates bypass the gut's signaling pathways. Whole-food sources speak the language your microbiome actually understands.
↗ Hover any row to hear from Solange
Magnesium oxide capsules (4% absorption)
Pumpkin seeds, dark leafy greens, cacao nibs
Probiotic pill with 10 strains (survives transit?)
Kimchi, miso soup, raw sauerkraut, aged kefir
Synthetic vitamin D3 megadose (10,000 IU)
20-min midday sun + sardines + pasture eggs
Ashwagandha extract standardized to 10%
Whole ashwagandha root powder in warm milk
Fish oil capsules (oxidized within 90 days)
Fresh oily fish 3x/week + flaxseed ground fresh
Zinc gluconate tablets (competes with copper)
Oysters, pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts
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What changes when you
eat for your nervous system
These aren't promises — they're documented outcomes from the clinical nutrition literature.
Racing thoughts
Magnesium-rich protocol that quiets the default mode network within 7 days
Gut symptoms
Fermented food rotation that rebuilds your vagus nerve signaling in 14 days
3am wake-ups
Cortisol-flattening evening plate that extends deep sleep by 47 minutes on average
Muscle tension
Omega-3 & magnesium stack from whole foods that reduces jaw tension within 10 days
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