#17 How Nutrition may benefit Mental Health
Your Brain on Food.
Our brains are constantly “on”, even when we are asleep. The brain takes care of our everyday functions, both complex and simple. For example, the brain controls our thoughts, use of our senses, breathing, and movement. For the brain to function correctly, it requires energy, similar to how an electric vehicle requires charging. Our brains get its energy from the food we eat. Research related to food and health has mostly always focused on the physical aspects.
In recent times, the focus has shifted to the effect that food can have on our mental health, in a new field of study known as nutritional psychiatry. Globally, there has been a rise in our stress-levels and more people are struggling with depression and anxiety due to events such as the pandemic. When we are dealing with these issues, we usually turn to our favourite snacks and beverages. Chocolates, chips, and fizzy drinks are high in sugar and fat content. Your favourite fast-food joint also falls into this category, sadly, as pizzas and burgers share the same fate. Studies have shown that these types of processed food are in fact the least beneficial to our mental health. Of course, a meal filled with processed food eaten once in a while is not detrimental to your health, but when these foods become a part of the staple diet, they can have an adverse effect on your mental health.
A 2017 study proved that our dietary choices can improve our mental health. People who followed a diet consisting of nutritional food were found to have felt less depressed at the end of the trial compared to people who were consuming more processed foods. Sticking to a healthy diet also proved to be more economical, helping to save around 2000 rupees on average per week. Another study showed that a Mediterranean diet, supplemented with fish oil, over a three-month period, helped reduce the depression, anxiety, and stress levels of people.
Science has also demonstrated that the correlation between mood and diet is related to the connection between the brain and the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, also known as the “second brain”. The GI tract contains billions of bacteria which affect the production of neurotransmitters (chemical substances such as dopamine) which relay messages from the gut to the brain. Eating healthy food can help in the production of “good” bacteria which helps in positive neurotransmitter production, while eating processed foods can deter the production of these neurotransmitters by causing inflammation. Sugar is known to be one to the biggest contributors to this inflammation. Nutritionists have suggested that eating whole foods, high in fiber content, can help improve your stress levels and reduce mood fluctuations. It is also suggested that individuals should reduce their alcohol and caffeine intake in order to ensure improvements to mental health.
Despite all the positive research that exists in this sphere, there have also been studies that have not produced the same results. A study conducted in 2019, over a one-year time period, found that a Mediterranean diet, resulted in a reduction of anxiety but not depression among a group of high-risk people. This is why psychiatrists are cautious before prescribing any diet that may help deal with mental health issues. Although, from a holistic perspective, it does seem that a healthier diet can only lead to physical and mental benefits.
