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Our diet has an impact on our mental health. You are probably familiar with the proverb "You are what you eat." In terms of how you feel after eating, there might be some truth to that. What we consume through our meals affects both our physical and mental well-being, as our body uses what we consume to break down and rebuild our physiology, which, undoubtedly, includes the brain.
Everyone is familiar with the sensation of food or the short-term positive effects of eating food. We feel well psychologically and physically when we eat something that tastes good for us or that we associate with something pleasant.
Conversely, when we consume anything that causes illness, or even something that simply doesn't taste that great or that we associate with a negative experience, we suffer a short-term decrease in our well-being.
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How Diet Affects Mental Health
The application of food and nutritional science to brain health is known as nutritional psychiatry. So, when it comes to mental health issues like depression and anxiety, as well as schizophrenia and PTSD, we have effective treatments for all of them.
The gastrointestinal tract, or what is more popularly referred to as the gut, is very closely connected to the brain. That's one reason why our dietary choices have such a profound impact on the brain.
The gut is home to trillions of living bacteria that perform a variety of activities in the body, including neurotransmitter synthesis, which sends chemical messages to the brain to regulate sleep, pain, appetite, mood, and emotion. In fact, the two have such a complex network of relationships that the stomach is also known as the second brain.
It's crucial to keep in mind that no one food possesses magical properties. We want to talk about food categories rather than individual foods and diets. The highest concentration of antidepressant ingredients may be found in foods like spinach, Swiss chard, kale, and lettuce, but it doesn't really matter which leafy greens you have as long as they're a regular component of your diet.
These discoveries might have a significant effect. Depression affects 4% men and 7% women globally, and it can have an impact on every aspect of life, including work output and athletic performance. Although nutrition is only one aspect of mental health, experts are enthusiastic about it.
Stress, Depression and Food
Sugar and processed meals can cause inflammation in the body and brain, perhaps contributing to mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. We frequently turn to processed meals when we need quick relief from stress or depression. When depressed, an ice cream cone serves as a meal (or you skip dinner altogether).
Research claims that when you're sad or under stress, you tend to eat too much or too little. If you eat too much, you will experience fatigue and weight gain. It's difficult to quit this habit of eating too little because of the weariness it causes. In any scenario, eating poorly while stressed out or depressed only makes things worse. Even if this cycle is destructive, it can be broken.
Focus on consuming a lot of fruits and vegetables, as well as meals high in omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon, to improve your mental health. Particularly healthy for the brain are dark green leafy vegetables. Also great for the brain are nuts, seeds, and legumes like beans and lentils.
A three-month trial of a Mediterranean-style diet in patients with moderate to severe clinical depression demonstrated extremely significant reductions in depressive symptoms. More people who changed their diets experienced less depression.
If you're worried about your mental health, should you change your diet? Seek out a therapist to assist with your mental health. You can also work with a nutritional therapist who can gradually change your dietary habits, inform you of the value of a balanced diet, and help address any concerns.
These changes cannot be undertaken if the person lacks the motivation or the right mindset to carry them out gradually. By recording that along with a food diary, one can increase awareness of areas that need to be improved. That's because on certain days a person may feel more driven than on others.
Takeaway
Although developing a balanced diet can be challenging initially, the benefits are enormous for both your physical and mental well-being.
You can start by making healthy food and product choices every day. If you're still having problems having a balanced diet, speak with your primary doctor about visiting a nutritionist or taking vitamin D and B12 supplements.
Janvi Kapur is a counselor with a Master's degree in applied psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology.
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