Stress & Anxiety
We all know eating healthy is beneficial for our body, but what do we know about the effects on the mental health. Sometimes what you eat can effect how you are feeling emotionally. If you’re stressed or anxious this can cause a loss of appetite or in some cases increase the appetite. I personally lose my appetite when I am stressed or upset.
Healthy gut foods include: fruits, vegetables and whole-grains, beans, yoghurt and other probiotics. From a young age, we’re taught that eating well helps us look and feel our physical best. But we’re not told that good nutrition also affects our mental health, too. Sometime we see people over eating and have unhealthy diet routines because of stress & depression. But a healthy, well-balanced diet can help us think clearly and feel more alert. It can also improve concentration and attention span. The opposite effect, a poor diet can slow down reaction time, lead to fatigue and actually stress and depression.
Firstly paying attention to how you feel when you eat, and what you eat, is one of the first steps in making sure you’re getting well-balanced meals and snacks. This will create a routine for your body. So if you’re looking for the perfect snack to get your antioxidant fix then blueberries, raspberries and blackberries and Strawberries are not to be missed. These antioxidants have helped improving symptoms associated with anxiety and depression.
Serotonin is a chemical that has a wide variety of functions in the human body. Low levels of serotonin in the brain may cause depression, anxiety, and sleep trouble. It’s also referred as happy chemical its known to help with mood.
The importance of good nutritional intake at an early age is always discussed but how many parents actually consider this. Parents are working full time and kids are left with child minders, nurseries. When children go school, starting high schools they start buying takeaways and this can lead to physical health problems such as obesity. Do all parents understand the importance of poor diet and its link to poorer mental health in children and adolescents? Eating high-quality foods that contain lots of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants maintain the brain and protects it from oxidative stress.
As I personally have experienced most of the time I didn’t feel like eating, however at times when I was down I did notice certain foods changed my mood but I still never ate junk food. Our brain is always working 24/7, takes care of our thoughts and movements, our breathing and heartbeat, our senses. We look after our house, car, expensive clothes etc everything needs care and same way our brain needs the premium fuel. Eating regular meals containing some carbohydrates, proteins, amino acids and keeping your blood glucose levels steady throughout the day is key. If we don’t have enough energy for the brain, we can feel weak, tired and unable to think clearly. Why not try paying attention to how eating different foods makes you feel?
