Fruit Juice
The fiber in whole fruit fills you up and slows down how your blood takes in energy. Without that fiber, you’re just drinking nutritious sugar-water that can quickly hype you up — and bring you down just as fast.
That can leave you hungry and angry — “hangry.” That won’t help anxiety and depression. Eat your fruit whole. When you’re thirsty, drink water.
Regular Soda
There’s no win for you here: It has all of the blood-spiking sugar of fruit juice with none of the nutrition. Sugar-sweetened drinks like soda have a direct link to depression, too.
If you crave a pop, try seltzer water with a splash of juice instead. It’ll give you a bubbly fix without too much of the stuff you don’t need.
Diet Soda
No sugar, so no problem, right? Not exactly. You may not have the energy crash that comes with having too much sugar, but diet soda may make you depressed.
In fact, it could make you feel more down than its sugary cousin would. Too much of the caffeine that many sodas have can be bad for anxiety, too.
Toast
Wait, toast?! If it’s made from white bread, yes. The highly processed white flour it’s made from quickly turns to blood sugar after you eat it.
That can cause energy spikes and crashes that can be bad for anxiety and depression. You can have your toast — and eat it, too. Just use whole-grain bread.
‘Light’ Dressing
You might know to avoid some pre-packaged dressings and marinades loaded with sugar, often listed as “high-fructose corn syrup.” But what about “light” or “sugar-free” dressings?
Many get their sweetness from aspartame, an artificial sweetener linked to anxiety and depression. Check the ingredients or, better yet, make your dressing at home from scratch.
