Food and psychological health. What Does It Mean to Be Happy?
Importance of the healthy and balanced food for maintenance of optimum physical health is recognized long ago — you are what you eat. The purpose of such food, by means of a various and nutritious diet, to reduce risk of developing of cardiovascular diseases, obesity, stroke, diabetes and cancer. It is important not to confuse her with a diet which purpose is weight loss or control of weight.
But our food influences also psychological state!
The last researches confirmed rather high degree of dependence between food of the person both his mood and mental health. Many people are noticed by influence of tea, coffee or alcohol on their health and mood.
Really, there are products which can help to feel more active and sociable, but also there is a large number of foods which can aggravate at us feeling of concern, nervousness or a depression.
Influence of food – good and bad – on our mental health begins before we are born, and continues throughout all our life. We understand that the modern resident of the megalopolis seldom adheres to a healthy diet – it is heavy and requires a lot of attention and time. For folks those who are totally new to all this healthy eating practice check out Jason’s Bites for great recipes and also his reviews of books to cook healthy foods and get less stress from daily routines.
Therefore, we chose as a subject of this month – Food and psychological health. What is to be happy? We will open secrets how the diet can affect your psychological health and well-being, we will talk about products which are necessary in a diet of any person caring for itself, we will share practical experience and we will learn to eat properly.
Correction of food often helps at not motivated alarm, feeling of concern, etc. However, it is important to understand that it cannot help at psychological problems, injuries and other situations when the help of the expert is required.
Influence of food on mental health
Several decades ago the thought that food influences state of mind of the person would be viewed rather with skepticism. But today, many doctors of medicine claim that there is a direct interrelation between what is created in the head of the person and his intestines. One of the reasons is the fact that bacteria of intestines develop a big share of serotonin for an organism. Let’s show it on an example: the patient of clinic was treated for a depression for many years and already accepted the fact that all life will accept antidepressants. But before it, she decided to go to one experiment. She followed a diet, having excluded gluten from the diet. In a month she lost weight, got rid of a depression which tormented her decades.
“Everything instantly changed, life became bright and saturated, some veil was removed from me as if” — the patient claims.
Scientists began to investigate this subject further: whether food so strongly influences reason how it influences a body? Professor-psychiatrist of medical faculty at the Australian University dean Michael Berk together with the colleagues came to the following conclusion: people who eat more vegetables are exposed to a depression, bipolar disorders or uneasiness less.
That the most interesting, the diet interconnection with mental health can be also observed till the child’s birth. Michael Berk conducted a research in 2013 among 23000 mothers which showed that there is direct link of the use of the sweet and processed products at pregnancy with mental problems and behavior at the child up to 5 years (see his researches as there are more related to mental health and diet). The concrete interrelation with one or other products and mental diseases is not described therefore there is yet no ideal picture of a food allowance that will get rid of this or that mental disease.
Scientists consider that everything needs to be corrected in a complex: not only to change a diet, but also to be engaged constantly in physical activities. In an example with a depression, there are many factors which influence frustration of mentality. You should not be guided only by one factor, namely improper feeding. A disease it is necessary to treat in a complex.
Watch what you eat and good luck!