When it comes to our physical health, we all know the importance of our food choices. However, when it comes to taking care of our mental health and minds, the part that food plays is somehow overlooked. Which is such a shame because having a healthy diet rich in nutrients and antioxidants has been clinically shown to significantly improve our moods, and general well-being.
Having said this we are not disregarding that serious mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and other psychiatric disorders require appropriate management by a doctor, but the positive impact that diet can have shouldn’t be neglected. In fact, making sure that we get all the vitamins and minerals we need can help our brain chemistry and make it easier for us to take charge of our mental health.
If you’d like to take a few extra steps today that can help improve your mental well-being and make you feel better overall, here are a few diet changes that you can try out for a few weeks to see what happens and ultimately how you feel:
Eliminate GMOs
Genetically-modified foods (GMOs) are biological products that are laced and saturated with toxic herbicides, and because they are largely unstudied, we are only now beginning to understand how they do their damage, as well as the relevance of the gut to mental health. (GMOs in our books are THE WORST and should be avoided at every cost) Here’s what we do know: people almost ALWAYS report some degree of improvement once eliminating all GMO foods from their diet. So, start looking more closely at food labels when you at are the grocery store next time, and you will most probably be surprised to find in the small print that at least one of the ingredients has been genetically modified!
Eliminate Gluten
Gluten is often processed with genetically-modified oils and is just plain unhealthy. The proteins in gluten are gut irritants: it’s as if they create little papercuts in the lining of your gut, causing an inflammatory response from the body, which is not good. Many people with mental health issues and well as ADHD and even Autism have seen marked improvement when removing gluten from their diets.
Eliminate Sugar
Often, this is the second or third ingredient on any package of food on grocery store shelf, and as humans we are simply were not built to manage the (at least) 22 teaspoons of sugar that many of us ingest daily! Clinically, sugar imbalance can look like depression, panic disorder, and even bipolar. Oh, and did we mention that its addictive?! The best way to avoid extra sugars? Stick to whole foods that you prepare yourself and stay away from fast foods and packaged ones as well.
These are possibly the top three brain sabotagers, but unfortunately there are more where these came from. The biggest take-a-way here? Do not underestimate the power of your diet to influence your mental health.
Mindfully supporting your body and mind through the times that you don’t feel your best offers you the opportunity to take a look at the symptoms and see how small changes to your diet and lifestyle can affect your overall wellbeing. We believe that when it comes to dealing with our bodies and minds, there is always a natural and gentler way to approach things.
If you feel that this is something you would like to learn more about reach out to us and we will connect you with one of our team members that can guide you further to a more natural and healthy lifestyle.
