By: Natalie Frost
One of the most significant health dilemmas society is facing today is its reliance on processed food. Processed food is packed with highly addictive substances that change your brain chemistry. The satisfying feeling you get from eating it only makes you crave more of them rather than consume nutrient-dense food and complex carbohydrates. In turn, when you keep on eating it, your brain begins to associate happiness with unhealthy food.
Seeking Mental Health Assistance
Over time, it can be challenging to break this bad habit and step out of such a vicious cycle. Unfortunately, an unhealthy diet can lead to energy crashes and fatigue, slow reaction time, and poor concentration. If a person is already experiencing a particular mental health condition, consuming an inadequate diet may decrease their ability to manage stress effectively, aggravating the problem.
Suppose a friend is experiencing this; encouraging them to reach for medical assistance is a massive step to help them overcome their challenges. For instance, you can support them by requesting a consultation at wellbeingscounselling.ca or other similar credible mental health clinics where they have counsellors trained to handle various mental health problems. Going to therapy is part of a holistic approach towards a healthier mind and body.
Ways Food Affects Your Mood And Mental Health
Parents teach their children that eating right will help them grow strong and healthy. A healthy diet can help minimise school absences and hospital visits. While letting youngsters understand the essence of healthy dietary choices, parents often overlook how nutrition impacts mental wellness.
Studies repeatedly show that a healthful diet is beneficial: decreasing mood fluctuations, providing steady energy, and maintaining excellent mental health in the long haul. So, it’s vital to know what foods and nutrients can help improve your well-being.
Keep reading to understand how diet and nutrition affects your mental wellness.
Boosting Your Energy
The body tends to process refined simple carbs fast, resulting in spikes in blood sugar levels and fatigue. This source of carbohydrates was processed entirely by manufacturers. Consequently, some of their natural nutrients were removed.
While occasionally eating some of these foods is fine, people must be mindful of their portions and consumption. It’s best to eat in moderation or, better yet, refrain from these foods entirely. These foods include pasta, white rice, and white bread. Besides them, sugary drinks, such as juices, sodas, and alcohol, can bring about blood sugar swings.
Make sure to pack your plate with whole grains, fibre, healthy fats, and various greens and fruits to boost your energy naturally and sustainably. For instance, you can have oatmeal filled with bananas, peanut butter, and seeds for breakfast. You can top it with fresh berries and a drizzle of honey. Eating different healthy foods will dramatically reduce any potential for blood sugar spikes and energy crashes.
It’s also ideal to eat three meals a day rather than consume two large meals. Snacking healthy food in between meals can keep you fuelled for longer hours too, minimising the need to reach for sugary snacks. At the same time, this initiative will help you feel full, reducing unhealthy food cravings.
Affecting Mood
A study by The US National Library of Medicine claims that intense stress may over-activate the immune system, leading to an imbalance between inflammation and anti-inflammation. At the same time, eating food that could prompt an inflammatory response in your body can cause elevated cortisol levels, affecting your mood and headspace.
Supporting studies show that chronic inflammation might be due to lifestyle choices, such as poor diet and inadequate nutrition. Unfortunately, chronic stress and inflammation are believed to be linked with a greater risk of developing depression. According to another study by The US National Library of Medicine, increased inflammation prompts behavioural changes, including the initiation of depressive symptoms.
To avoid these health problems, it’s crucial to follow a healthy diet that decreases inflammation in the body naturally. Drew Ramsey, MD, claims that a well-functioning microbiome will reduce inflammation and influence mood. To maintain a healthy microbiome, you must consume foods rich in probiotics. Probiotics are good bacteria that keep your immune system in check and control inflammation in the body.
Typically, probiotic sources include but aren’t limited to kombucha, sour dill pickles, and fermented food, such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, and yogurt. Looking after your gut health will stabilise your mood and improve mental wellness.
In addition, practising mindfulness exercises and breathing techniques will help you manage and ease stress. For instance, you can incorporate yoga, meditation, or journaling into your daily routine. A wholesome regimen will help you maintain strong mental health.
Takeaway
Your mental wellness is partly a reflection of your diet and nutrition. Therefore, be mindful of your food intake and make better food choices. Look for nutrient-dense sources and steer clear of unhealthy ones. These minor adjustments will create a positive impact on your mood and behaviour.
About the Author
Natalie Frost is a health psychologist. She conducts webinars and consultations on physical and mental health and its relation to having a proper diet and nutrition. Natalie enjoys watching movies and doing workouts during her free time.
