Yes, not eating enough or skipping meals can significantly contribute to symptoms of anxiety and depression. This connection is due to the impact of nutritional deficiencies and irregular eating patterns on brain function and body chemistry.
Undereating, which often comes with malnutrition and excessive weight loss, can also cause or worsen depression as well as anxiety due to changes in brain chemistry.
Symptoms
Lena Beal, MS, RDN, LD, a therapeutic dietitian at Piedmont, shares the most common signs a person isn't eating enough: Anxiety and depression: “Studies have shown that not eating enough can cause prolonged periods of anxiety and depression in teens and adults,” Beal says.
Self-talk your way to less anxiety
Five common anxiety symptoms include excessive worry, a racing heart, trouble sleeping, restlessness, and difficulty concentrating, often accompanied by physical feelings like a churning stomach, shortness of breath, and muscle tension, alongside irritability. These symptoms can be persistent and interfere with daily life, signaling the need for professional help.
Even if you're still wondering, can you live normal life with anxiety, the answer is yes. It may mean finding long-term tools and strategies that work for you, but it's very possible to achieve a life that feels balanced, meaningful, and joyful again.
Supplement options
Although further studies are needed, vitamin D deficiency has been linked to anxiety and depression. Supplements may help manage symptoms of stress and anxiety in those who are deficient. Vitamin B complex supplements may also help lower stress and anxiety levels.
Other symptoms of malnutrition include:
To be diagnosed with GAD, a person must find it difficult to control worry on most days for at least 6 months. They must also have at least three of these symptoms: feeling restless or “on edge,” fatigue, trouble concentrating, irritability, muscle tension, or problems with sleep.
There are several things you can try to help combat anxiety, including:
Defining high-functioning anxiety
They often are successful in careers or other roles, yet internally struggle with persistent feelings of stress, self-doubt and the fear of not measuring up. They feel extremely uncomfortable inside and struggle with significant self-criticism.
Skipping meals, especially breakfast, may lead to binge-eating caused by a lack of satiety, which may cause diseases such as obesity and diabetes, and an increased likelihood of experiencing depressive symptoms.
Findings from preclinical and clinical studies show magnesium and zinc deficiency can lead to anxiety, and supplementation can help alleviate anxiety-like symptoms. Magnesium intake along with other combination therapies was effective in treating anxiety and related disorders in 3 clinical trials.
Signs and symptoms that a person may not be eating enough include:
Restricted eating, malnourishment, and excessive weight loss can lead to changes in our brain chemistry, resulting in increased symptoms of depression and anxiety (Centre for Clinical Interventions, 2018b). These changes in brain chemistry and poor mental health outcomes skew reality.
Understanding the 3-3-3 Rule
Specifically, the rule suggests: Three balanced meals per day. Three hours between each meal. Three hours of movement per week.
Other complications of anorexia include:
Is there an effective herbal treatment for anxiety?
Other sources include legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. Foods rich in zinc such as oysters, cashews, liver, beef, and egg yolks have been linked to lowered anxiety. Other foods, including fatty fish like wild Alaskan salmon, contain omega-3 fatty acids.
To cope with an anxiety disorder, here's what you can do:
Step 5: Growth and Maintenance
The last stage involves ongoing care of mental health and personal growth. Even after progress has been made, it is important to use healthy coping strategies to maintain this. By this stage, patients usually understand the triggers of their anxiety and how to manage them.
The best treatments for anxiety involve a combination of psychotherapy (especially Cognitive Behavioral Therapy - CBT) to change thought patterns and behaviors, and sometimes medication (like SSRIs), alongside crucial lifestyle changes such as regular exercise, a healthy diet (limiting caffeine/nicotine), and good sleep. CBT, particularly exposure therapy, teaches you to gradually face fears, while other therapies like ACT and mindfulness also help manage symptoms effectively, often with lifestyle adjustments as powerful complementary tools.