This week I'm writing about the effects of your diet on your mood. Today I'm posting a general overview along with a look at food cravings. Tomorrow I'll be posting the negative effects of an unbalanced diet, on Wednesday we'll look at changes you can make to improve overall mood, followed by the effects of meal timing, on Friday I'll include some helpful herbs.
It should come as no surprise that food can have as direct
an effect on our mental health as it does on our physical health. Unfortunately
that doesn’t seem to stop people from reaching for that donut in the break
room, or from running out for fast food for lunch.
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These fast foods significantly increase the amount of
sodium, fat and sugar eaten in America today.
The standard American diet is notoriously low in nutrient density and
has been implicated in the development of chronic inflammatory diseases such as
heart disease and arthritis, as well as stroke, cancer, diabetes, and obesity.
What does that have to do with your mental health? A lot! Consider
the fact that the blocked veins struggling to bring blood to your heart, are
also struggling to bring blood to your brain as well. Long-term this
contributes to overall cognitive decline. Changes in your brain structure can be seen ten years before any symptoms
appear.
Let’s take a look at food cravings and why we might crave a
particular type of food.
Fats and butter: When people crave fats they are often
deficient in essential fatty acids. Try increasing fatty fish in your diet, add
flax seed oil to your salads along with avocados, and consider adding a fish
oil supplement to your diet.
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| www.ahchealthenews.com |
Salt cravings often point to a magnesium deficiency. Are you
also craving chocolate? Same thing, magnesium! Foods high in magnesium include
edamame, pumpkin seeds, swiss chard, soybeans, and salmon. You could also take
a magnesium supplement.
Cravings for dairy products and baked goods are often an
indication that you may have a sensitivity to these very things. Try an
elimination diet for a few weeks to see if your dairy and wheat cravings
decrease. Wait at least 2 weeks before reintroducing first one food group and
then the other and note any changes to the way you feel. If you felt no difference,
try adding a probiotic to your diet.
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