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Mental Health-Lets improve by diet

                        The most important but neglected aspect of health is mental health. Nowadays, it is gaining a lot of importance due to pandemic but, was a matter of concern from long time. Normally, mental health is synonymously used for depression, stress, anxiety and various other terms but all these are just a part of mental health with different meaning and effect. Mental health can get affected at any age therefore, it is very important to look after your psychological and emotional perspectives.

The common symptoms to identify if one is undergoing any mental problem or not are: regular mood swings, feeling lethargic and unhappy, emotional disturbance and breakdown, self-harm, social distancing, insomnia, irritability, feeling of guilt and many more.

The treatment for the same is usually by medications, with the help of clinician or therapist but diet is given least important which is also the beneficial parameter to improve and treat the mental health.

Diet for mental health

In today’s time there are numerous research studies which prove that taking a healthy diet and specific nutrients help in treatment and prevention of mental health. As per studies it is stated that western diet which includes sugary food, junk food, oily food items are all linked with decreased mental health while Mediterranean diet which consists of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, low fat dairy products and good quality of oil is beneficial for the same. And a study done by a research scientist claimed that there are 12 antidepressant nutrients (omega-3 fatty acids, iron, folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin A, magnesium, thiamine, vitamin C, zinc, selenium and potassium) which are helpful in treatment and prevention of mental illness. The study also stated that the plant foods are more prominent in antidepressant nutrients than animal foods, therefore plant foods have more potential to prevent mental sickness.

The food eating pattern also changes with deteriorated mental health, like if the person is in stress or feeling low, having mood swings, or is getting emotional breakdown may tend to eat more sometimes. In such condition one focuses more on unhealthy or say junk or fried/sugary foods which ultimately leads to overeating further in weight gain. This kind of dietary habit can also be the reason of further health related problems like cardiovascular disease (CVD), hypertension, diabetes, stroke, hence, one must need to be careful. On the other hand, if the person is in same mental condition, sometimes prefers eating less, skip meals, do long hours fasting or may stop eating completely. In such situation person becomes fragile, muscles loosen, feels lethargy and weight reduces, further leading to malnutrition and nutrient deficiencies in worst case. Hence, person feeling the same symptoms must seek professional help as soon as possible and try to include balanced diet or more importantly healthy food options.

If I talk about the Mediterranean diet, specifically, then person having any symptoms of degraded mental health must focus on these food items: all kinds of fruits and vegetables, low fat dairy products (skimmed milk, low fat curd, low fat cheese), proteins (whole pulses, eggs, beans), olive oil (the key component in Mediterranean diet which is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, one of the antidepressant nutrient), nuts and seeds, fish and whole grains. Simple carbohydrates which are sugars and refined products are avoided as they are rich in sugar and have almost negligible amount of nutritional value. Also, these items are part of western diet which is not good for mental health. Even red meat is not considered in this dietary pattern as it is rich in unhealthy fat and also many research papers claim that red meat deteriorates the mental illness.

Ways to combat mental health

Mindful eating: The other way to reduce the mental sickness is by doing mindful eating. As I have discussed above, the person having mental sickness either eats more or eats less, therefore in order to break this pattern one can try to adapt mindful eating system. To do so one must keep his/her mind calm while eating so that overeating can be avoided and nutritious food can be eaten. An individual must also not watch television or use any digital gadgets while having a meal so that unnecessary eating can be avoided, hence, create a peaceful and calm environment around you, watching television also influence us and advertisement of any food item can make our brain crave for it.

Food Diary: The person can always keep the track of the dietary intake by recording the meals in a food diary. Anything eaten will be entered in the diary with the amount and timings so that one can look into it and understand where the diet is going wrong. Food recording method or food diary helps an individual and the nutritional expert (if approached for help) to understand and track the diet better. Nutritional expert can make the client understand where the things are going wrong with its disadvantages for mental health and ways to modify it. This way it also becomes easy for client to look after the diet and change it.

Healthy snacks: The in-between snacking is also the wrong practice if one has to improve their mental health. They must take snacks in between the meals but only the healthy options like nuts and seeds mix (unsalted), any fruit, salad with olive oil seasoning, roasted foxnuts (makhana), sprouts salad, low fat yogurt and others. The midnight munching or munching while watching movies must be avoided as under these situations only unhealthy or junk food items (pizza, burger, candies, chocolates, ice creams, soft drinks, etc.) come in mind to reduce the hunger which further hampers the mental health.

Conclusion

Above all mental health is equally important as physical health. It’s difficult in maximum cases to understand the root cause and symptoms of the mental illness therefore proper treatment at proper time gets delayed. Hence, to reduce this sickness, just like the dental check-up, a psychological check-up on a school level is also important. This helps in tracking down the cases on acute or mild levels and complicated situations can be avoided. Person can also be given right treatment and dietary help on time to prevent the situation from getting worse. The diet related help must be taken by a nutritional expert or clinician in order to make you understand more precisely. Lastly, mental health is not a topic of ignorance and person dealing with it must not be taken lightly, they crave to be listened. Listen more, speak less. Healthy diet, mind will be blessed.

[deepikasarasgupta]

Superfoods: A hype?

Superfoods, the hot and trending topic in the nutrition sector. It is basically a term which is used for the foods which are rich in additional nutrients and provide some or the other health benefits. As per many nutritional experts, ‘Superfood’ is just a magical word used to promote specific foods or to increase their demand in market. Hence, it is a new concept in market which is gaining popularity like a new released movie. Some examples of superfoods are: spinach, blueberry, kale, acai berry, garlic, broccoli, salmon, nuts, wheat grass, and the list goes on and on. Majorly plant-based products are accounted as superfoods with only 2-3 animal products. Many scientists and organisations believe that the usage of term: superfood, is only to increase their market value; there is no scientific evidence and criteria to do so. Though, food items categorised under it, have few health benefits but claims are used misleadingly.

Why superfoods are gaining importance in market?

Many researches are going on nowadays, to understand the role and health benefits of the superfoods on a human body. This further promotes the consumer to consume those particular food items more. Even nutritionists/dieticians use this term a lot in their practice and recommend superfoods for additional health benefits. Likewise, the whole chain works, therefore superfoods gain their position in market.

If we look wisely then we will be able to understand that fruits, vegetables, nuts, listed under superfoods, are already the part of healthy and well-balanced diet. These food items have health benefits, are full of nutrients and are low in calorie (few), hence, they don’t need a special tag to be considered as super-food. But the industries and manufacturers are using the term and showcasing the health claims on their label boldly which ultimately attracts the customers. There are no solid guidelines to use the term ‘Superfoods’ on nutritional label.

Already, people are becoming so much health conscious and want nutrient rich food which provides additional benefit to their body. And, when they walk in the grocery store for shopping, they look after the food items keeping all these parameters in mind. If the company has portrayed the health claim on the front of the label, then it’s like a blessing in disguise for them. But, as written earlier there are no solid guidelines or research-based evidence to use the term superfood and to claim those additional health benefits. It is all a marketing strategy to increase the demand of those specific products and popularity among population. Even if these products cost higher than the other, people buy them for additional health benefits. As per a study, nowadays, bread is also coming with the title of superfood in the market. A bread is not a superfood in itself until and unless it is fortified with any nutrient or any healthy ingredient is added in it.

Superfood not a “SUPERFOOD”

A research paper stated that majority of population consider superfoods as ‘super-medicine’ and hence, end up buying those particular food items in more number. This henceforth, increases the demand and price of those food items in market. As per another research paper, people who tend to buy more superfoods in comparison to other also end up eating them more in quantity. People think those food items are not harmful to the body as they proclaim themselves as medicine, but it is not the same. As per expert, people can gain weight if they eat certain kind of superfood in more amount. Every food item has a constrained quantity of consumption.

If we talk about another aspect, then there are many superfoods which are packed. These foods go under a lot of processing. A food product going under processing loose it’s nutrients and natural quality and sometimes additional source of ingredient or nutrient is added, thereafter, to increase its nutritional value. Hence, the originality of the food item is not left anymore but still are being sold as “Superfoods” and consumed on high scale.

How superfoods increase monetary value?

It has been observed by the professionals that the graph of superfoods market is growing every year and it is predicted that it will continue to grow in upcoming future. Their share in market is huge and generates a big amount of revenue for the manufacturers. Consumers following the trend blindly is one of the reasons behind it and industries are using this as an opportunity to boost their net worth. As per a report even farmers’ mindset is getting changed. They have started growing more of superfood items rather than other food items which they used to grow normally. Due to alleviate demand in market, farmers also increase their production and get huge benefit in comparison to other food products. The chain keeps running due to huge demand by consumers.

The increasing demand of superfoods is also because, many researches are claiming the health benefits of them and forcing people to opt them more to improve their eating habits. Superfoods are linked with improving cardiovascular disease, reducing stress, improving the immune system and body functions, providing numerous amounts of antioxidants, balancing hormone levels and other factors. Thus, people find these food items the easiest way to moderate their dietary habits and further improve their lifestyle. This all is overpowering the community due to which the list of superfood items is getting stretched day by day. Any food item which tends to improve the human health, is getting listed under it without any strong evidence. Hence, people need to be careful while buying the grocery items as this can lead to misguidance.

“It’s a high time that people start breaking the trends with the help of right information.” These trends are not completely scientific therefore, one must collect the required information and then implement it. No doubt superfoods have gain lot of importance and it is not so easy to imply the rules on such a huge market, suddenly. But, concerned bodies must set up some guidelines before people start following this concept blindly. People need to understand that these items are already a part of healthy diet, just getting labelled as superfood by the manufacturers or others does not make it healthier. It’s all a market gimmick and it needs to slow down.

So, invest in right kind of food but don’t run after false information. Include superfoods in diet but in limited amount and if given a thought superfood is just a concept to increase the market value of particular foods. Hence, be a smart consumer and contribute in improving the nutritional sector.

[deepikasarasgupta]

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