Did you know that consuming fewer processed foods can lead to better emotional and brain health?
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“A healthy, well-rounded diet boost clear thinking and help us be more alert. It can also improve focus and lengthen our attention span..”
Conversely, an inadequate diet can lead to fatigue, poor decision-making, and can impair our reaction time. In fact, a poor diet can actually may even lead to, or provoke stress and depression.
One of the biggest health faults in society is it’s reliance on processed foods. These foods are high in flours and sugar and train the brain to crave more of them, rather than nutrient-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables.
A lot of the processed foods we eat are highly addictive and activate the dopamine regions of our brain, which are associated with pleasure and reward. In order to cease the craving of unhealthy foods, you’ve got to cease from eating those foods. You even start to change the physiology in the brain when you pull added sugars and refined carbohydrates from your diet.
Stress and Depression
Sugar and processed foods can lead to inflammation throughout the body and brain, which often contribute to mood disorders, including anxiety and depression. When we’re feeling stressed or depressed, it’s often processed foods we reach for in search of a quick pick-me-up. During busy or difficult periods, a cup of coffee often is the substitute for a complete breakfast, while fresh fruits and vegetables are replaced with high-calorie, high-fat/sodium fast foods. When feeling down, one might even dare eat a pint of ice cream as a substitute for dinner (or you skip dinner altogether).
According to the American Dietetic Association, people tend to either eat too much or too little when depressed or under stress. Eat too much and you find yourself dealing with feeling groggy and bloated weight gain. Eat too little and the resulting exhaustion makes this a hard habit to break. In either case, an unbalanced diet during periods of stress and depression only makes matters worse. This cycle can be a vicious one, but it also can be overcome once recognized.
To boost your mental health, focus on eating plenty of fruits and vegetables along with foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon. Dark green leafy vegetables in particular are brain protective. Nuts, seeds and legumes, such as beans and lentils, are also excellent brain foods.
A Healthy Gut
Researchers continue to prove the old adage that you are what you eat, most recently by exploring the strong connection between our intestines and brain. Have you ever noticed how both the brain and intestines look alike. Our guts and brain are physically linked via the vagus nerve, and the two are able to send messages to one another. While the gut is able to influence emotional behavior in the brain, the brain can also alter the type of bacteria living in the gut.
According to the American Psychological Association, It is believed 95 percent of the body's levels of serotonin, a mood stabilizer, is produced by gut bacteria. Gut bacteria create an array of neurochemicals that the brain uses for the regulation of physiological and mental processes, including one’s mood. Stress is thought to suppress beneficial gut bacteria.
Mindful Eating
Therefore, 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. Since many of us don’t pay close attention to our eating habits, nutritionists recommend keeping a food journal. Documenting what, where and when you eat is a great way to gain insight into your patterns.
If you find you overeat when stressed, it may be helpful to stop what you’re doing when the urge to eat arises, and to write down your feelings. By doing this, you may discover what’s really bothering you. If you under-eat, it may help to schedule five or six smaller meals instead of three large ones.
Sometimes, stress and depression are severe and can’t be managed alone. For some, eating disorders develop. If you find it hard to control your eating habits, whether you’re eating too much or too little, your health may be in jeopardy. If this is the case, you should seek professional counseling. Asking for help is never a sign of weakness or failure, especially in situations too difficult to handle alone.
Brain Food
Your brain and nervous system depend on nutrition to build new proteins, cells and tissues. In order to function effectively, your body requires a variety of carbohydrates, proteins and minerals. To get all the nutrients that improve mental functioning, nutritionists suggest eating meals and snacks that include a variety of foods, instead of eating the same meals each day.
The top three foods to incorporate into a healthy mental diet are:
Complex carbohydrates — such as brown rice and starchy vegetables can give you energy. Quinoa, millet, beets and sweet potatoes have more nutritional value and will keep you satisfied longer than the simple carbohydrates found in sugar and candy.
Lean proteins — also lend energy that allows your body to think and react quickly. Good sources of protein include chicken, meat, fish, eggs, soybeans, nuts and seeds.
Fatty acids — are crucial for the proper function of your brain and nervous system. You can find them in fish, meat, eggs, nuts and flax-seeds.
Healthy Eating Tips
Steer clear of processed snack foods, such as potato chips, which can impair your ability to concentrate. Pass up sugar-filled snacks, such as candy and soft drinks, which lead to ups and downs in energy levels.
Consume plenty of healthy fats, such as olive oil, coconut oil and avocado. This will support your brain function.
Have a healthy snack when hunger strikes, such as fruit, nuts, hard-boiled eggs, baked sweet potatoes or edamame. This will give you more energy than packaged products.
Develop a healthy shopping list and stick to it.
Don’t shop while hungry, since you’ll be more apt to make unhealthy impulse purchases.
Think about where and when you eat. Don’t eat in front of the television, which can be distracting and cause you to overeat. Instead, find a place to sit, relax and really notice what you’re eating. Chew slowly. Savor the taste and texture.
Article references per sutterhealth.org/health/nutrition/eating-well-for-mental-health
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