Good food for great mood

You are what you eat. The age-old adage has a lot of merit to it. After all, we spend a cumulative of about 4.5 years of our lives eating and far more hours in planning what we eat. When we think about the purpose of the food that we consume, we usually think of our bodies being nourished, but often overlook the vital role that this nutrition also plays for our mind.

How they are interlinked

The food that we eat and our mood share a bi-directional relationship. In fact, nutritional psychiatry or mental health nutrition is an emerging field that interfaces between nutrition, dietary and psychological sciences to optimise one's mental health optimally. Association between our gut and mental health is a leading area of research. Studies show that up to 95 per cent of our serotonins are produced in the gut. It plays a significant role in mood, sleep, and appetite regulation. The release of serotonin in the brain is modulated by food intake, amongst other things.

Deficient and poor diets can cause mental health issues. Conditions such as depression and anxiety have underlying deficiencies of vitamin B complex, vitamin D, magnesium, calcium, zinc, iron and even protein. In psychosis, a strong correlation with deficient omega 3 fatty acids and L-methylfolate (a specific type of folic acid) has been noted. Memory impairment can be attributed to nutritional deficiencies listed above as well.

Mood affects appetite:

A person's mood plays a strong role in determining the choice of food. Changes in appetite in the form of too much or too little have been observed in depression and anxiety. Eating disorders are a group of psychological conditions that cause unhealthy eating habits to develop. There may also be an obsession with food, body weight, or body shape.

Stress eating is something that resonates with many of us. Emotional or stress eating is a way to suppress or soothe negative emotions, such as stress, anger, fear, boredom, sadness and loneliness. We tend to look for comfort foods during stress to elevate our mood.

Prevent mental health issues by consuming more: Whole grains, lean protein, fresh produce, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, lots of fiber, probiotics, vitamins and minerals from whole-food sources prevent mental health issues.

Suggestions:

Fatty fish: rich source of Omega-3 fatty acids

Dark chocolate: rich in flavonoids

Fermented foods: rich source of probiotics

Bananas: rich in tryptophan which is a precursor for serotonin

Oats: rich in fiber

Berries: rich in antioxidants

Nuts and seeds: rich source of Omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants

Green tea: rich in L-theanine for depression, anxiety and sleep

Avoid foods that are high in: Sugar, simple carbohydrates, sodium, saturated fat and fiber, packaged foods, fast food and off-season products. These can lead to systemic inflammation causing worsening of mental health issues.

From fad diets to a balanced diet:

The only key to healthy, happy and holistic life is balanced nutrition.

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