Can nutrition affect your mental health as it does your physical health? Active research related to the topic suggests that Food directly impacts a person’s mental health. So, in this article, we will show you the Relationship Between Food and Mental Health and what Food is good for your mental health.
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How your Food can affect your Relationship Between Food and Mental Health
The Relationship Between Food and Mental Health is that food and your cognitive behaviour comes from the very close relationship between your brain and the gastrointestinal tract. Your gut has millions of bacteria that secrete chemical substances that directly impact your mental health. These chemical signals include dopamine and serotonin, the excitatory neurotransmitters in the body.
Consuming a nutritionally rich diet contributes to the growth of healthy bacteria in your body that, in turn, release these chemicals and give a positive signal to the brain. In response to these signals, your mental state is boosted, and you feel energised.
Some foods, such as sugar, create a sense of temporary good feeling with dopamine release as they merely boost the production of the harmful bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. These spikes in your body lead to the fleeting sugar rush followed by the hard crash.
Contrary to this, when you consume a healthy and nutrition-rich diet, you set yourself for fewer mood swings and an increased ability to concentrate and live a joyous day. Some studies have even found that unprocessed foods, whole grains, fruits and vegetables can help to decrease the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Foods that boost mental health
Suppose there is genuinely a relationship between your Food and mental health. In that case, you must acknowledge the food items that directly connect with maintaining your mental health and improving it for your betterment.
Whole foods:
Food colourings and preservatives added to the Food enhance the hyperactive and depression symptoms in your body balance the Relationship Between Food and Mental Health. So, eating whole, fresh and unprocessed Food must be your priority for improving your mental health. Go for natural colourful vegetables and fruits to add colour to your plate instead of artificial colours.
Fiber
Fibre-rich foods such as spinach and green leafy vegetables slow the absorption of sugar in your body, and thus they prevent the sugar rushes and crashes in your body. Carbs like whole grains, beans, etc., are some more examples of fibrous foods. This balance the Relationship Between Food and Mental Health.
Antioxidants
Antioxidants prevent the formation of reactive oxygen species in your body and thus help keep your skin and other tissues healthy. These include berries, vegetables, spices, omega-3 fatty acid-rich foods such as fish, etc.
Folate
Folate is the form of vitamin B, which is involved in working many essential enzymes in the body and producing haemoglobin. The reduced level of folate in the body leads to anaemia. Lentils, green leafy vegetables such as spinach, dates, and cantaloupes help to maintain the right amount of vitamin B in your body.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D helps produce serotonin, the happiness hormone in your body. You can usually get Vitamin D from sunlight and mushrooms, which are also good sources of vitamin D. You can consume it to have a good proportion of vitamin D in your body.
Fermented foods
Fermented foods are rich in probiotics and prebiotics, which maintain the number of good bacteria in your gut and remove the harmful bacteria in your stomach. Kimchi, miso, sauerkraut, kombucha, etc. are a few examples of fermented Food that help you to boost the gut microflora.
Final words
The relationship between food and mental health is strong. A healthy diet supports brain function and mood, while an unhealthy diet increases the risk of mental health issues. Now that you know how foods can benefit your mental health and Food for mental health, you can smartly include this Food in your diet and improve your and your family’s psychological and physical health. Improve your mental health with a nutritional diet.