By Reina Bayoud | Staff Writer
To many people, the relationship between food and mental health always returns to the concept of consuming fast food to cheer oneself up. And that’s okay. Many of us tend to binge-eat, stress eat, eat our comfort foods, or even forget to eat when we are mentally going through hard times. What many don’t know, however, is that at times like these, we have to be mindful of what we let into our bodies.
What’s the science behind it? The gastrointestinal tract is directly related to our brains, hence its name our “second brain”. The GI tract houses billions of “good” bacteria that help in regulating our need for food, and in turn release neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and serotonin. However, what stimulates the growth and activation of good bacteria is eating healthy food.
So, when you eat healthy food, you’re indirectly influencing the production of neurotransmitters that regulate and improve your mood. Constantly doing so will eventually affect your long-term mental health as a whole. On the other hand, consuming junk food will lead to inflammations in the GI tract that tend to kill off the good bacteria and feed the “bad” ones. This will eventually affect the production of the “feel happy” neurotransmitters. The irony? Eating junk food stimulates the production of these neurotransmitters to create a temporary spike, making us temporarily happy. This will eventually trick our minds into believing that constantly eating junk food will trigger that spike, thus creating an addiction.
Whether you are stressed, anxious, overwhelmed, or just having a bad day, it may be tempting to reach out for a burger or pizza. But little do we know that these foods will actually reinforce that state we’re in, and will eventually affect our mental health. Instead, reach out for foods that will stimulate the production of dopamine and serotonin.
Next time you’re at the grocery store, or in the kitchen contemplating what to eat, make sure you include these “feel good” foods on your plate.
- Antioxidants: adding these anti-inflammatory foods, such as leafy greens, salmon, dark chocolate, and berries, into your diet will make sure that the “good” bacteria is sustained well enough to produce the neurotransmitters you need.
- Vitamin D: whether you get it through your diet, supplements, or walking outside, vitamin D plays a role in producing serotonin.
- Fiber: whether you are a vegan or not, make sure to incorporate as many fibers as you can in your diet. Eating fiber-rich foods such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables will slow down the absorption of glucose (the sugar found in foods) leading to a decrease in hyperactivity, and a calmer state of mind.
- Magnesium: many doctors believe that magnesium plays a role in calming you down if you’re having an anxiety attack or a panic attack. So, magnesium not only plays a role in relaxing the muscles and nerves and steadying the heartbeat but also plays an essential role in how healthy the good bacteria in your GI tract is. For example, magnesium deficiency may trigger symptoms of anxiety and depression. However, good levels of magnesium will relieve you of these symptoms. Some foods that are rich in magnesium are bananas, dark leafy greens (spinach), almonds, and dark chocolate.
- Folate: a kind of vitamin B that increases dopamine levels in a healthy way. Contrary to sugars that cause temporary spikes in dopamine, folate helps produce moderate and adequate amounts of dopamine. Some foods include lentils and leafy greens.
- Water: being constantly hydrated, especially with water, will constantly keep your body, especially your GI tract, healthy. Refraining or limiting your intake of sugary drinks will decrease the chances of GI tract inflammation, and therefore the production of “happy” neurotransmitters.
The key takeaway is to be careful what you eat. Whether you already are in a mentally bad place, or simply want to put yourself in a better mood, you should strongly reconsider what kinds of foods you’re reaching out for. We know junk foods are highly tempting to eat and trick you into believing that you really enjoy them and that they give you comfort. The challenging part is to reach out to healthy foods in such times. This is why many doctors, psychologists, and dieticians encourage us to incorporate such healthy diets into our lifestyles. Living off of such diets will minimize mental health fluctuations and ease the bad moods we get into.
However, the diet itself is not enough to establish a lifestyle, and not enough to relieve you of all the symptoms of mental health challenges. Make sure to stay physically active and adopt healthy sleeping habits. Also, be mindful of how you spend your leisure time. Over-consuming alcohol can trigger feelings of anxiety and depression, and smoking will trigger your nerves and increase the chances of having anxiety attacks.
With finals around the corner, be mindful of what you eat and make sure to consume food for the mood. Feed your brain healthy foods to benefit from the long-term effect of them and in turn, take care of your mental health!