Are anxiety attacks triggered by blood sugar spikes?

[JulieBird]

I've had anxiety FOREVER (coupled by depression) and have been on Zoloft for 10+ years. The Zoloft works well but the last few years have been a little more of a struggle (have 4 kids, the youngest is 2) with my getting low grade panic attacks frequently late in the day- especially when making dinner. I'd just get very anxious, start hyperventilating, etc. because it just seemed like an insurmountable task to get dinner on the table! I was also quite irritable with my kids, again late in the day when I was tired. As soon as I got everyone to bed, I'd grab a book or turn on the TV or sit at the computer and ZONE out. My poor husband couldn't get a conversation going with me without me being either distant or bitchy.

So about 8 weeks I ago, I started this Chia diet (it's actually called the Aztec diet) because it's supposed to help with inflammation and (hopefully) stave off disease in the long run. Anyway about 2 or 3 weeks into it I noticed that I was holding my calm throughout the day and was not only NOT irritable but I was finding ways to actually ENJOY these kids of mine- and even initiating conversation with my husband!

I thought it might be a fluke but it's held steady unless I change my eating habits (that is, eat fast food, drink diet soda) more than infrequently.

I literally thought I must be making this up- so I went online and found out that chia can help with this stuff because most of the development of serotonin starts in the gut. This makes sense for me, I've always had gut issues but haven't since starting chia smoothies.

Long story short- diet may really impact how we feel! I have no idea if this type of thing would help anyone else, but I thought I'd share just in case. Be well!