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Food For Mood: What you eat affects how you Feel

Food For Mood: What you eat affects how you Feel

2019-03-29

Better Diet Can Be Used As A Tool To Help Ease Depression And Anxiety: Experts

The patient, a 48-year-old real estate professional in treatment for anxiety and mild depression, revealed that he had eaten three dozen oyster over the weekend.

His Psychiatrist, Dr Drew Ramsey, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University was impressed: "You're the only person I've prescribed them to who came back and said he ate 36!" Ramsey, the author of several books that address food and mental health, is a Big Fan of Oysters. They are rich in vitamin B12, he said, which studies suggest may help to reduce brain shrinkage. They are also well stocked with long chain Omega-3 fatty acids,deficiencies of whcih have been linked to a higher risk for suicide and depression.

Ramsey argues that a poor diet is a major factor contributed to the epidemic of depression, which is the top driver of disability for Americans,aged 15 to 44, according to a report by te WHO.

The irony, he says, is that most Americans are overfed in calories yet starved of the vital array of micronutrients that our brains need, many of which are found in common plant foods. A survey published in 2017 by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reportedthat only one in 10 adults meets in minimal daily federal recommendations for fruits and vegetables - at least one- and-a- half to two cups per day of vegetables.

Americans change what they eat in order to lose weight, control their blood sugar level and lower artery- clogging cholestrol. But Ramsey says that it is still rare for the people to pay attention to the food needs of the most complex and energy- consuming organ in the body - the human brain.

Research on the impact of diet on mental functioning is relatively new, and food studies can be difficult to perform and hard to interpret, since so many factors go into what we eat and our general well-being. But a study of over 12,000 Australians published in the ' American Jounral of Public Health' in 2016 found that individual who increased the number of servings of the fruits and vegetables that they ate reported that they are Happier and more Satisfied with their life than those whose diets remained the same.

A mediterranean diet, rich in whole grains, legumes and seafood as well as nutrient- dense leafy vegetables that are high in fiber, promotes a diverse population of helpful bacteria in the gut. Research suggests that a healthy gut microbiome may be important in the processing of neurotransmitters like serotonin that regulate mood.  Experts also recommend " Eating the Rainbow" that is, consuming a wide array of colourful fruits and vegetables. Such foods are high in phytonutrients that may help to reduce harmful inflammation throughout the body, including the brain, and promote the growth of new brain cells throughout our adult years.

Article Taken From - Times of India

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