Diet and Mental Health
What we eat doesn’t just affect our physical wellbeing but also impacts our mental health and overall mood. By taking this more holistic approach to wellbeing, we can lead healthier lifestyles and reduce the risk of physical and mental illness.
In general, a more ‘Mediterranean’ diet with whole foods, vegetables and fish is better for wellbeing compared to a more ‘Western’ diet of processed foods and red meats. However, food and wellbeing aren’t simply interrelated on the basis of what we eat but also when we eat. It is important to eat regularly as mood can dip when our blood sugar levels are low and eating regularly helps keep them at a stable level. It is important not to skip breakfast and eat smaller meals throughout the day and avoid foods that make your blood sugars rapidly increase, such as sugary soft drinks. Furthermore, it is key to stay hydrated as dehydration can reduce our memory ability and focus and water is also key in serotonin production which helps improve mood[1]
Understanding Eating Disorders:
While food is a source of pleasure for some, it can unfortunately be a source of anxiety and eating disorders can quite suddenly develop and become very harmful to our physical and mental wellbeing, Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia nervosa require professional intervention from a therapist and/or medication. Information on bulimia nervosa diagnosis and treatments can be seen in this article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/bulimia-nervosa-diagnosis-impacts-causes-treatments-/
References
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Grosso, G., Galvano, F., Marventano, S., Malaguarnera, M., Bucolo, C., Drago, F., & Caraci, F. (2014). Omega-3 fatty acids and depression: scientific evidence and biological mechanisms. Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity, 2014.
Huntley, E. D., & Juliano, L. M. (2012). Caffeine Expectancy Questionnaire (CaffEQ): construction, psychometric properties, and associations with caffeine use, caffeine dependence, and other related variables. Psychological assessment, 24(3), 592.
Golomb, B. A., & Bui, A. K. (2015). A fat to forget: Trans fat consumption and memory. Plos one, 10(6), e0128129.
Golomb, B. A., Evans, M. A., White, H. L., & Dimsdale, J. E. (2012). Trans fat consumption and aggression. PLoS One, 7(3), e32175.
Gangwisch, J. E., Hale, L., Garcia, L., Malaspina, D., Opler, M. G., Payne, M. E., … & Lane, D. (2015). High glycemic index diet as a risk factor for depression: analyses from the Women’s Health Initiative. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 102(2), 454-463.
[1] Popova, N.K., Ivanova, L. N., Amstislavskaya, T. G., Melidi, N. N., Naumenko, K. S., Maslova, L. N., & Bulygina, V. V. (2001). Brain serotonin metabolism during water deprivation and hydration in rats. Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology, 31(3), 327-332.