Chocolate for Anxiety? Yup!

Written By Julia Tedder

If you’ve ever felt anxious (hello, who hasn’t?) you know how desperate you can feel for relief. Especially if your anxiety is constant, debilitating, or even leading panic attacks. The good news is, there are so many ways to support a steady and calm nervous system, and one of those ways is to eat chocolate. Let me explain. This dark chocolate cherry bark is loaded with brain and nervous system loving nutrients, like magnesium, omega 3s, fiber and more. Including more of these into your diet can help support healthy neurotransmitter levels, reduced anxiety, and improved brain function. Here’s what each nutrient is doing for you:

Magnesium: Magnesium plays a central role in nervous system balance by enhancing GABA activity (the brain's primary calming neurotransmitter) regulating the HPA axis to lower stress hormone signaling, and balancing excitatory neurotransmitters like glutamate that can overstimulate the nervous system. Dr. Jolene Brighten has found that stress and magnesium deficiency may form a vicious cycle: stress causes the body to excrete more magnesium, and low magnesium in turn makes the body more vulnerable to stress - a pattern that can significantly worsen anxiety over time. Dark chocolate is one of the most magnesium-rich foods available, making it a genuinely functional ingredient in this recipe.

Vitamin B6: Vitamin B6 serves as a coenzyme in the production GABA, which directly calms nervous system activity and reduces the neural excitation associated with anxiety. In a double-blind controlled trial from the University of Reading, participants who took high-dose vitamin B6 for a month reported a significant reduction in anxiety, with the effects linked to increased GABA levels in the brain. B6 is found in a range of whole foods including seeds, nuts, and dark chocolate — all of which appear in this recipe.

Zinc: A systematic review found a consistent relationship between serum zinc levels and anxiety — patients with anxiety have lower zinc levels compared to healthy individuals, and zinc consumption was inversely associated with anxiety severity. Research suggests that low zinc levels may reduce GABA and glutamate activity in a way that promotes anxiety, and that zinc supplementation may help improve anxiety symptoms by raising GABA levels. Dark chocolate, cherries and nuts are good dietary sources of zinc.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Omega-3 fatty acids are a critical component for healthy development and have been shown to reduce anxiety symptoms. Omega 3s are one of my favorite nutrients for my anxiety clients because of how much they can help to soothe the nervous system. A meta-analysis published in JAMA found that higher-dose omega-3 supplementation was associated with the greatest reductions in anxiety symptoms. The seeds and nuts in dark chocolate bark provide plant-based omega-3s that contribute to this anti-anxiety effect.

Want more? Here is the recipe:

Dark Chocolate Cherry Bark

(This recipe is very modifiable. Feel free to use this as a template, adding in your favorite ingredients)

Ingredients:

  • 12 oz dark chocolate

  • ¼ c pepitas, chopped

  • ¼ c walnuts, chopped

  • ¼ c pecans, chopped

  • ¼ c dried cherries

  • Optional: white chocolate for drizzling on top

Instructions:

Lay out your chopped nuts, seeds, and fruit on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Reserve a small amount of each for topping. Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler, or in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between. Once it is melted, pour over the other ingredients, then top with the remaining toppings. If you want to add a white chocolate drizzle, wait until the bark is set. Melt the white chocolate and use a spoon to drizzle over the bark. Store in an airtight container.

If you want to go deeper in to nutrition for your anxiety, book your free 15 minute interest call with Julia here: https://l.bttr.to/TWWfw

References:

Julia Tedder
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