Many studies show that what we eat can have a great impact on our mental health.
People can manage their stress, depression, and anxiety by changing their lifestyles and including a healthier diet.
Several meals include vitamins and minerals that can help you enhance your mental health and mood.
Here are some diets to include in your lifestyle in order to improve your overall health as well as your mood.
How are diet and mental health related?
Food has the ability to affect our mood, emotions, and even long-term diseases such as depression.
This happens because our brains run on the energy we put into them and are influenced by blood sugar levels, hormones, and more.
There are many issues to be expected if your brain is deprived of the proper nutrition it needs.
A good diet can increase the growth of the brain, the number of beneficial bacteria in the stomach – which helps maintain a healthy gut since inflammation can impact your mood -, increases neural transmitters, as well as raises serotonin levels.
What diet should you follow?
Mediterranean Diet
The Mediterranean Diet is now widely regarded as one of the world’s healthiest dietary methods.
Following a Mediterranean diet entails eating in the manner in which people in the Mediterranean area have historically eaten.
In addition, the diet consists of plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, white meats, legumes, olive oil, as well as healthy fats, and fish.
The Mediterranean diet is beneficial when it comes to mental health and depression since the nutrients included in the traditional Mediterranean food including lower consumption of red meat, protect brain cells from damage and inflammation.
Lidl deals cover a variety of products that are included in the Mediterranean diet from vegetables and fruit to white meat, fish, and other wholegrain products.
They have got weekly offers with up to 30 and 50% off on products such as red peppers, apples, salmon, chicken breast, onions, and many more included in the Mediterranean diet that will help with your mental health and stability.
Calorie restriction diet
A diet with low calories has shown potential in the treatment of any depressive symptoms.
Calorie restriction is defined as a 10 to 30% reduction in daily calories consumption without becoming malnourished.
It enables you to drink as much water as you like and it does not require individuals to go without eating for long periods of time.
Calorie restriction has been shown to benefit the brain by causing physiological changes such as molecular pathways and neuronal signaling.
When it comes to calorie reduction the first thing to be cut off of your diet would be fatty foods.
However, those are the first things that people with a low mood turn to, instead, you can turn to healthy fats such as flax seeds, walnuts, salmon, and others.
Polyphenols diet
Polyphenols represent a group of substances found in a wide range of foods including fruits, wine, tea, vegetables, olive oil, and others.
Polyphenols can be obtained by consuming foods that contain them including supplements that come in pill form.
They are high in antioxidants and may provide many health advantages.
Studies have discovered a link between polyphenols and the prevention of depression as well as treatment of depressive symptoms.
Besides that, they also have other health benefits such as aid in the treatment of digestive issues, diabetes, weight management problems, cardiovascular disease, and more.
Intermittent fasting
One of the easiest methods to enhance your overall health including mental health is to practice intermittent fasting.
This is not a diet but rather a shift in your eating habits that has been shown to have a substantial impact on how your body processes food.
It is a method of going without meals for a few hours at a time, allowing your body to rid itself of waste such as viruses, bacteria, damaged proteins, and more, which makes it good for your brain health.
Intermittent fasting including calorie restriction can help in terms of mental strain, confusion, low mood.
Participants in studies have reported that after 3 months of intermittent fasting they have had better moods, reduced anger, disorientation, and tension.