Food & Culinary

Foods that worsen anxiety: What to avoid on a stressful day

Dan Kauna 22nd July, 2026 09:20 PM

Wednesday is usually the toughest day of the workweek. By afternoon, mid-week fatigue sets in, and many naturally reach for an extra cup of strong tea, an energy drink, or a quick mandazi to power through the slump.

While these quick pick-me-ups feel comforting in the moment, what you eat and drink can directly alter your body chemistry. Certain foods trigger physical reactions in the body that actively make anxiety symptoms worse.

A woman on a matatu experiences the sudden physical panic and racing heart that often follows a rapid sugar crash.

Caffeine is a primary culprit. Drinking large amounts of strong tea, coffee, or popular energy drinks floods your system with cortisol, which is the main stress hormone in the body.

If you are already feeling tense, this hormonal spike directly causes a racing heart, hand tremors, and physical jitteriness.

Sugary foods and sweetened sodas cause similar trouble through rapid blood sugar swings. When you consume high amounts of sugar, your blood glucose spikes quickly and then crashes.

To bring your blood sugar back up, your body releases adrenaline. This sudden chemical surge causes sweating, shakiness, and heart palpitations that feel almost identical to a panic attack.

Evening drinks present another hidden trap. An alcoholic drink might feel relaxing after work, but as your liver processes it, chemical shifts in the brain create a sharp bounce-back effect.

This rebound anxiety usually peaks four to six hours later, disrupting your sleep and leaving you far more anxious by morning.

Additionally, highly processed meals loaded with artificial sweeteners and heavy doses of monosodium glutamate (MSG) can irritate your stomach and nervous system.

What research says about food and stress

Scientific research confirms this direct connection between diet and mental calm. In a review published in BMC Psychiatry, researchers observed that “unhealthy eating habits and poor nutritional status are correlated with various mental health problems” across adult populations.

A young man at home displays indigestion and mental heaviness after consuming a meal of common, highly processed foods.

Cutting back on sugary snacks, excess caffeine, and heavily processed foods on high-stress days keeps your blood sugar stable and stress hormones in check, making mid-week pressure far easier to manage.