Feed Your Way to Better Mental Health

Most people know that the food you eat can affect your weight and skin, but not everyone realizes that your diet can affect your mental health as well. Eating the right foods can make you more alert and less sluggish, they can promote a goods night sleep which is vital in fighting the stresses of everyday life and they can generally keep your body and mind in a much better shape.

Avoid Sugary Foods

Sometimes, people will eat sugary foods to give themselves a burst of energy. This does work but only for a very short time. Then the blood sugars levels drop dramatically causing feelings of sluggishness and anxiety. This makes your body crave for more sugary foods and the vicious circle just continues. Part of the problem is that sugary foods tend to have processed sugars in them and these have been linked to diabetes, heart diseases, some cancers, and depression.

There are many foods that will give you energy and any sugar in them is natural and so a lot less harmful. Some of them also promote the production of endorphins, which when they reach your brain encourage feelings of well being.

The foods that will give you more energy while not making you feel stressed include bananas, fatty fish, brown rice, sweet potatoes, eggs, apples, goji berries, oatmeal, yogurt, hummus, strawberries, lentils, and avocados.  Nuts and seeds are also a good addition to your diet.

These foods tend to have iron, B vitamins, magnesium, potassium and zinc and the will all help to give you more energy. The more energy you have the better your mood will be. Replacing sugary foods with energy boosting foods will get rid of that vicious circle and give you a positive cycle instead.

Another bonus of avoiding sugary foods is that your energy levels will be more level, and you are more likely to do some form of exercise such as walking, running, swimming or dancing. These exercises promote chemicals in the brain that put you in a good. Moos. Avoiding sugary foods is a winner all round because healthier eating with more exercise will not only help you achieve a better state of mind, it will help you to shed any excess weight. This will make you feel better about yourself and will be another reason that helps to lift any depression.

Sleep-Promoting Foods

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A good nights sleep is vital to keep your mental health in good order. A lack of sleep can cause so many mental issues that it should be avoided wherever possible. There are things everyone should do before retiring to bed to help them with the process of sleeping well. Turn off and TV’s and digital devices for an hour before retiring to your bedroom, and avoid eating a large meal in the last couple of hours before bedtime.

There are also foods that promote sleep, and these should perhaps be included in your last meal of the day or as a snack an hour or two before bed. Foods such as figs, watermelon, prunes, nut butter, almonds, cherries, and turkey. Avoid foods that will keep you awake such as, chicken nuggets, soy sauce, peppermints, orange juice, spicy foods, coffee, alcohol and energy drinks.

Natural Remedies

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For centuries, some herbs were used for medicinal purpose in places like China and Asia. The benefits of some of them were recognized by the western world a long time ago, and now some herbs are in regular use by sufferers of depression and anxiety, as they can be just as effective for some people as medication.

To find out the ones that might be most useful to you, you should visit someone like the Vital Chi Wellness Naturopath as they have the knowledge and experience to guide you in the right direction.

Some of the most common natural remedies used to fight stress include St. John’s Wort, Sam-e, lavender oil, rosemary, thyme, and chamomile. There are many others, but for them to treat you effectively, you must let the naturopath know about any medications you are taking, as some can react with them. St. John’s Wort, for example, can affect blood pressure tablets and some chemotherapy drugs. It can also reduce the potency of the birth control pills and hormone replacement treatment.

This is why you should never buy herb supplements yourself without getting the proper advice.

Your diet should be balanced to include plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, especially the green leafy ones. Grains, nuts, and seeds should also be included, and then you will be helping yourself to stay out of a stressed zone.

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