Table of contents:
- Regular breakfast
- Drink water instead of sugary drinks
- Provide folate (folic acid, vitamin B9)
- Don't forget about vitamin D.
Reports show that nearly two-thirds of people who eat a high-quality diet every day have no problems with mental health. Meanwhile, the number of those who eat a low quality diet facing mental health problems is double. This indicates that what you eat can affect your mental health. You must know what a healthy diet is.
Research on the relationship between diet and mental health has been growing. Recent evidence has shown that good nutrition is very important for your mental health. Apart from impacting short and long-term mental health, evidence also suggests that diet contributes significantly to the development, regulation and prevention of certain mental health problems such as depression, schizophrenia, attention deficits, hyperactivity disorder, and Alzheimer's disease. This suggests the possible influence of dietary factors on mental health conditions.
Regular breakfast
Skipping breakfast is bad for your mental health. Regular breakfast will help energize your body and brain. After a long sleep, food can become the metabolism for your day. Skipping breakfast causes fatigue and creates a feeling of "environmentalism."
Therefore, you need to consider breakfast as an important food in your routine. If you don't have a lot of time in the morning, you can consider a whole grain granola bar, yogurt and a slice of fruit as a good start.
Drink water instead of sugary drinks
Sweet drinks and excessive amounts of caffeine are things you should avoid. Sugary drinks have a lot of calories and damage tooth enamel, while consuming too much caffeine can trigger panic attacks in people with anxiety disorders.
Instead, you should prevent dehydration by drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day (about 2 liters). Even mild dehydration can cause effects such as fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and mood swings, along with physical effects such as thirst, decreased or dark urine, dry skin, headaches, dizziness and / or constipation. If you need caffeine, tea is a good alternative. Tea has a lower amount of caffeine than coffee. In addition, tea contains many antioxidant-chemicals to help protect body tissues and prevent cell damage.
Provide folate (folic acid, vitamin B9)
Did you know that vitamins can lower the risk of depression? Folate, also known as folic acid or vitamin B9 is an essential nutrient for the body! Folic acid is usually recommended for pregnant women but in fact, everyone needs folic acid for cell production. Apart from treating anemia and several other conditions, folate can help in treating depression. Deficiency of folate can lead to the development of depressive diseases. You can find folate in green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale, fruits, nuts, seeds and whole grains.
Don't forget about vitamin D.
People who are deficient in vitamin D report higher rates of depression than those who have adequate levels of vitamin D. Vitamin D's role is to help the body absorb calcium for strong teeth and bones, and support healthy muscles and the immune system. If you are deficient in vitamin D, you are at risk for heart disease such as a heart attack.
One of the ways our bodies get vitamin D is from food and from sunlight. Being exposed to the sun for five to thirty minutes twice a week generally produces enough vitamin D. People with darker skin may need more time in the sun than people with fairer skin. A safe consideration for getting enough vitamin D is to add foods high in vitamin D to your diet such as milk, orange juice, cereal, fatty fish like salmon and tuna. If you are afraid of a vitamin D deficiency, you can use vitamin D supplements after consulting your doctor.
"You are what you eat." What you eat fuels your body to function and has an impact on how well your mind and body work. So if you want to prevent mental problems, you can change your diet.
