Food-Nutrition-Brain health. Nutritional medicine is getting more attention now in the field of mental health. More evidence shows good quality nutrition promotes brain and mental health while eating low-quality food (e.g. processed food and refined sugars) can promote inflammation and oxidative stress and therefore, damaging our brain cells and worsening mood disorder. The food we eat can affect how we feel. Studies also show that nutrients link to brain health include B vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids, choline, iron, zinc, magnesium, vitamin D and amino acids.
Probiotics also has been shown to reduce anxiety, the perception of stress and mental outlook. Mediterranean and Japanese diet contains the higher portion of vegetables, fruits, unprocessed grains, and seafood. These diets are found to have a lower risk of depression than typical Western diet as per researchers.
What do we learn from these studies? Be aware of what we eat can affect how we feel long term. Cutting down on sugary and processed food, replacing with unprocessed and wholesome foods will have a positive impact on how you feel. Adding probiotics and nutritional supplement of good quality will enhance the overall general well being.
Food for thought:
‘healthy food-> positive thought;
Unhealthy food -> negative thought’
References:
www.worldhealth.net
Nutritional psychiatry: Your brain on food http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/nutritional-psychiatry-your-brain-on-food-201511168626
Jerome Sarris, Alan C Logan, Tasnime N Akbaraly, G Paul Amminger, VicentBalanzá-Martínez, Marlene P Freeman, et al. “Nutritional medicine as mainstream in psychiatry.” The Lancet Psychiatry, January 25, 2015.