Diet and Mental health are interrelated. How?
What you put on your plate may impact your mental health and overall well-being!
In a world where we constantly get stressors every day, prioritizing our mental health is more important than ever. It may come as a surprise to you, but diet and mental health go hand in hand.
While exercise and meditation are often touted as the go-to solutions for mental wellness, it’s the need of the hour to emphasize the crucial role that our diets play in maintaining a healthy mind.
What we put into our stomachs affects not only our physical health but our cognitive and emotional functioning as well.
Research has shown that a balanced diet can help prevent and manage mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. That’s why if you want to know a simple but effective way to take care of your mental health, we assure you the answer may be as simple as changing your dietary habits and modifying what you’re putting on your plate.
In this blog, we will discuss the importance of diet and mental health and how nutrition and mental health have a link you need to understand. Moreover, we will list the best foods for mental health so that you only eat foods that improve mental health in the long run. Keep on reading.
Table of Contents
Diet and Mental Health – What’s the Importance?
Society makes us think from a young age that beauty and appearance matter a lot, and eating healthy helps with that. However, no one from our grandmothers to our teachers tells us that if we don’t eat healthily, we can have a much bigger problem on our hands – bad mental health.
According to one of the leading dietitian Dr. Abdul Rafay, “eating healthy makes us think articulately and feel more active and awake. Not only that, eating healthy can lengthen and sharpen our focus as well.”
If we talk about a poor diet, it can cause extreme fatigue, impair our daily judgments, and slow our reaction attitude toward things of importance. A poor, malnourished diet can really make stress and depression worse and even set these off.
Processed and Poor Diet – How Food Affects Mental Health?
One of the dilemmas we face as a society is our increasing reliance on processed and packaged foods. Do you know what these processed foods make our brains think? They educate the brain to seek more high-fiber and sugar items rather than nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables.
And what do nutrition and mental health entail in reality? These manufactured foods are addictive. Consuming them activates the dopamine reward and pleasure-related brain regions.
In a way, these foods change the physiology of our brains. Let’s see how processed foods can harm your brain health and subsequently your mental health:
1- Your Cognitive Function May Get Impaired
Diets high in processed foods can impair cognitive function, including poor memory, difficulty with learning, and reduced ability to concentrate.
2- Inflammation Can Occur in the Body
Inflammation happens when your body receives lots of refined carbs, sugars, and unhealthy fats from the food you put in your stomach. Sadly, all these are in abundance in processed foods.
Inflammation is not good, guys. It can lead to lots of mental health conditions, with depression and anxiety only topping the list.
3- You May Get Alterations in Gut Microbiota
Our gut is home to trillions of bacteria that play a vital role in our overall health, including our mental health. A diet lacking in fiber and plant-based foods can disrupt the balance of bacteria in our gut, leading to inflammation and other health outcomes.
The processed foods you so love to eat often contain additives and preservatives that can negatively affect the balance of bacteria in your gut.
4- You May Lean Towards Addiction
Processed foods can be highly palatable and addictive due to their high sugar, salt, and fat content.
Psychiatry Experts at Dr. Ziaddudin Hospital say that if you overconsume these foods, it will lead to changes in the brain’s reward pathways, making it difficult to control cravings and leading to a cycle of unhealthy eating. That’s how nutrition and mental health link with each other.
5- You May Get Nutrient Deficient!
If you eat foods that don’t contain omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin B Complex, and minerals like iron and zinc, you are on the verge of severe nutrient deficiency.
It can also lead to mental health problems like depression, anxiety, and cognitive impairment. So, you need to be mindful of your mental health and nutrition.
6- Your Blood Sugar Levels May Fluctuate
Eating a diet high in sugar and refined carbohydrates can cause fluctuations in blood sugar levels, leading to mood swings, fatigue, and other symptoms that can negatively impact mental health.
7- And You may Gain Weight!
You may get surprised to read this, but obesity and weight gain have a close link with consuming processed foods. That’s because these foods contain lots of unhealthy fats and sugars – which you must not eat if you want to shed a few pounds.
Besides weight gain, a diet high in processed food may lead to upset mental health.
Read more about natural remedies for anxiety and depression.
Foods Good for Mental Health – What You Must Eat?
How does eating healthy affect your mental health?
Well, when we talk about diet and mental health, it is imperative to know which foods can do the job for you. Here’s a list of foods good for mental health that you must eat regularly:
Leafy Green Vegetables!
Leafy greens are the best diet for mental health. These vegetables such as spinach, kale, and collard are full of nutrients. They contain magnesium and folate, which are crucial for a healthy mind.
Folate help lessen the signs and symptoms of depression, and magnesium can help lower tension and calm anxiety.
Fatty Fish
Omega-3 fatty acids, abundant in fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and mackerel, have been associated with lowered incidence of depression and enhanced mood. However, these omega-4 fatty acids can prevent oxidative stress and inflammation.
Nuts and Seeds
Nuts and seeds are foods that help mental health. Almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds are great sources of protein, minerals, and good fats, vital for brain function. Also, they contain magnesium, which can, as was already noted, reduce anxiety.
Fermented Foods
Fermented foods have probiotics – the good bacteria that promote your gut-brain axis. You can find probiotics in foods good for mental health such as kimchi, kefir, and sauerkraut.
It means that your gut health can influence your mental health, and eating foods high in probiotics can assist to support healthy gut flora.
Berries
Berries high in antioxidants, such as blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries, can help guard the brain against oxidative stress. They include plenty of vitamin C, which lessens the signs and symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Whole Grains
Whole grains are high in fiber, which can help control blood sugar levels and encourage feelings of satiety. Examples of such whole grains include brown rice, quinoa, and oats. They are also an excellent source of B vitamins, which are crucial for maintaining healthy brain function and may lessen depressive symptoms.
Dark Chocolate
Flavonoids, the antioxidants which can help shield the brain from oxidative stress, are present in dark chocolate. Moreover, it has trace levels of theobromine and caffeine, which can aid concentration and lift the mood.
Read more about natural antidepressant foods.
Don’t Compromise Your Diet and Mental Health – Stay Vigilant!
Incorporating these foods into your diet can be a great way to support good mental health. However, it’s important to remember that no single food or nutrient can cure mental health problems fully.
If you are struggling with your mental health, consult a qualified psychiatrist and get much-needed help. Check out Healthwire’s website to book an appointment.
