Food wars Meets Mental Fitness: How to Train Your Brain to Beat Anxiety Before It Begins

Let’s cut through the noise.

Anxiety is no longer a fringe mental health issue. It’s a full-blown epidemic. And while most of the world is talking about how to manage anxiety once it’s taken over your day, your energy, and your peace—what almost no one is talking about is how to prevent it from ever getting that far.

That’s where I come in. You know my mission: I fight for health at the root. I challenge the food industry, raise awareness about hidden toxins, and coach people like you to take back control. But this isn’t just a war on processed food anymore—it’s a war on what’s eating us from the inside.

And anxiety? That’s the silent enemy a lot of us are battling in the background.

Now, let’s set the record straight—feeling anxious is human. It’s a built-in warning system that’s kept our species alive for thousands of years. But what we’re seeing now isn’t just occasional nerves before a presentation or butterflies before a big decision. Today’s anxiety is constant, chronic, and crushing.

The Stats Don’t Lie

According to a 2023 Mental Health Foundation study, 60% of people in the UK said their anxiety negatively impacted their daily lives. In the U.S., the numbers are just as staggering—nearly 20% of adults are currently diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. That’s tens of millions of people living with a constant state of tension, dread, and exhaustion.

This isn’t just an emotional issue—it’s physical. Anxiety disrupts sleep, hormones, digestion, immunity, relationships, and long-term health. It drains your energy, dulls your decision-making, and steals time from your life. And the worst part? Most people just accept it as their new normal.

Traditional Tools Work—But They’re Not Enough

Yes, tools like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and SSRIs (antidepressants) are valuable. In many cases, they save lives. But they’re reactive. They step in when anxiety has already taken root, already disrupted your life, already hijacked your ability to function. It’s like waiting until your house is burning to figure out where the fire extinguisher is.

What if you could go upstream? What if there was a way to bulletproof your mind, to inoculate yourself from the mental wear and tear of modern life?

Spoiler: There is. And science just caught up to what a lot of us have known for years.

The Study That Changes the Game

In January 2025, a study published in the journal Emotion looked at how people coped during one of the most collectively stressful events in modern history—the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers tracked 18 different “emotion regulation strategies” used by people to navigate that time. These weren’t just coping tools—they were resilience tools.

And here’s the kicker: the people who practiced certain habits weren’t just less stressed—they were less likely to develop anxiety at all.

That’s huge.

This study flipped the anxiety conversation from “how do I fix myself when I’m overwhelmed?” to “how do I train myself to not get overwhelmed in the first place?”

You know I love that mindset—because it’s the same approach I’ve used with athletes, parents, and high performers for over 20 years. We don’t wait for the breakdown. We train for the storm. We prepare. We take ownership.

And now we have the data to prove that the same approach applies to mental health.

The Mental Immunity Blueprint

Here’s what the best of the best did—and what you can start doing today to train your mind the way you train your body.

1. Movement as Medicine

Exercise isn’t optional. It’s a requirement for mental clarity and emotional stability. When you move, you regulate cortisol, increase serotonin, and activate the body’s natural stress relief mechanisms. Think of it as a built-in anxiety flush.

You don’t need to live in the gym. You just need consistency. Walk. Lift. Breathe hard. Sweat. This is your physical signal to your nervous system that you’re not stuck—you’re strong.

Daily Target: 30–45 minutes of intentional movement, minimum.

2. Journaling for Mental Hygiene

Your brain is not meant to store everything. That’s what paper is for.

Journaling helps dump the emotional weight of your day and make sense of the mental fog. It’s not about writing poetry—it’s about processing your thoughts. It turns chaos into clarity.

Include three things: What’s stressing you out, what you’re grateful for, and what you’re committed to changing.

Pro tip: Stack journaling with morning sunlight to prime your brain for focus and calm.

3. Reframe or Remain

Cognitive reframing is the art of shifting your perspective—on purpose. It’s not about lying to yourself. It’s about seeing the whole picture.

Instead of: “I can’t handle this,” say, “This is tough, but I’ve handled worse—and I’m still here.”

Instead of: “Everything’s going wrong,” say, “What can I learn from this, and what can I control?”

It’s not positive thinking. It’s proactive thinking. You become the narrator—not the victim—of your story.

4. Breathe to Regulate, Not Just Survive

When you’re anxious, your breathing becomes shallow, rapid, and disconnected. This feeds the fire.

Learn to control your breath, and you learn to control your state.

Try this: Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, exhale for 8. Two minutes. That’s all it takes to lower your heart rate, reset your vagus nerve, and re-enter the moment.

5. Fuel That Supports, Not Sabotages

Let’s talk food. You know I built Food Wars to protect kids from the garbage flooding our food supply. But this applies to you, too.

Ultra-processed foods, sugar spikes, and caffeine crashes mimic anxiety symptoms. And if your blood sugar is on a rollercoaster, your mood is strapped in next to it.

The solution? Balance. Eat real food. Prioritize protein, healthy fats, fiber, and hydration. Cut out the artificial junk that hijacks your brain chemistry.

6. Human Connection: The Original Antidepressant

We weren’t meant to do life alone. When we isolate, we spiral. When we connect, we regulate.

Make space for real conversation, laughter, community, and yes—vulnerability. This is part of your mental health hygiene.

If your circle isn’t helping you grow or feel grounded, it’s time to upgrade your environment.

The Bottom Line

You are not broken.

You are not “weak” because you feel anxious.

But you are untrained if you’ve never been taught how to build mental resilience the same way we build muscle, endurance, or discipline.

This blog isn’t just about awareness—it’s about action. Every day is an opportunity to train your nervous system for strength, clarity, and calm. You don’t have to wait for burnout. You don’t have to hit rock bottom. You can start now.

Pick one habit from this list. Just one. Lock it in. Master it. Then stack the next. And if you’re a parent reading this—model these habits for your kids. They’re watching. They’re learning. Be the calm in their storm.

This is how we win the real Food War.

Not just on the plate, but in the mind.

Let’s raise the standard together.