The Relationship Between Food And Mental Health

When children do not eat a healthy meal, their concentration and energy become more difficult to manage. The “Journal of School Health” issued a study in 2008 about the eating behaviors of approximately 5,000 school children. The research showed that children who ate more fruits and vegetables, accomplished higher grades on tests compared with children who consumed a high-fat, high-salt diet

The body responds differently to food types, either healthy or convenience, and determines the mood and daily productivity of an individual. According to Donald D. Hensrud, in order to enjoy an increase in energy and good-feelings, eat more fruits and vegetables as they promote a healthy body

Food is an essential part of our life, to stay alive. Food is necessary for our bodies to develop, replace, and repair cells and tissues; produce energy to keep warm, move, and work; carry out chemical processes such as digestion of food; and protect against resist, fight infection, and recover from sickness. Food is made up of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, protein, and fat. The body cannot function properly if one or more of the nutrients are missing. It has been common today to dismiss that, the earlier a person starts to eat healthy foods, the more he or she will stay healthy.

Food can also help with a person’s memory and give them a feeling of belonging. It also helps them to keep interested in foods and drink.

If a person constantly eats too little proteins they can become susceptible to disease, it can cause a person to develop anemia, dry skin can develop and in women their bones can become brittle. If a person does not have enough carbohydrates in their diet they can develop malnutrition which is also called lack of calories. If a person does not have enough lipids in their diet it can also cause serious health risks. Fat provides nutrients for the body and supports the body’s basic function. Lack of this macronutrient can cause problems with a person’s immune system, skin and vision.

Recent studies have demonstrated that nutrition affects students' thinking skills, behavior, and health, all factors that impact academic performance.Nutrition also indirectly impacts school performance.If you don't have a certain amount of nutrients you could lack energy and focus during the day or and after noon sports. Instead of being excited and fully energized you will be drowsy and ready for more sleep.Calories provide a measure of how much energy you get from a serving of this food. Many Americans

Malnutrition is a common health problem and is caused by either an inadequate diet or a problem absorbing nutrients from food. There are many reasons why this might happen, including having reduced mobility, a long-term health condition or a low income. The most common symptom of under-nutrition is unplanned weight loss and other signs could be weak muscles, feeling tired all the time, low mood and an increase in illnesses or infections. The main sign of over-nutrition is being overweight or obese. However, people with under-nutrition can also be overweight if they eat a diet high in energy (calories), but low in other nutrients. Signs of malnutrition in children can include failure to grow at the expected rate and changes in behaviour such as appearing unusually irritable, sluggish or anxious

Hunger can cause the human body to make conclusions that they would not have on a full stomach. In Night by Elie Wiesel, he proves the point numerous times. Elie among others loses sight of his ethics due to human nature, needing food. During the Holocaust, the prisoners in concentration camps would risk their lives for an extra crust of bread or ration of soup. The captives of the Holocaust had to acclimate to their surroundings and do anything they could for food. The need for energy can cause a human to make ignorant decisions, thus allowing for a loss of their personal values.

Can diet affect mood and behavior? Dr. Neal Barnard with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine addresses the subject in the following statement: “In the evolving landscape of neurological research, a plant-based diet may help in treating symptoms of anxiety and depression.”. A western diet, high in fat and animal protein leads not only to higher rates of obesity and type II diabetes, it also produces impaired cognitive abilities, mood disorders and decreased productivity. Adopting a vegan diet is an excellent choice for many people because it contributes to improved physical, mental and emotional health.

Altered nutrition, more than the body requirements related to consumption of excess calories as evidence by the

People tend to use food as an escape route from feelings, to-do lists, or problems. Each emotion we have has its own trigger, and each has its own solution. Food does not fix problems or feelings, but instead, is a temporary distraction.

The human body is like an engine, how it is taken care of and the gas that is put in it determines how well it runs. Eating a diet that covers a healthy amount of food groups will allow the body to run how it was built to (Rodriguez). A great example of this would be from a film documentary called “Supersize Me”, in this documentary a man named Morgan Spurlock eats nothing but McDonalds for thirty days. Spurlock being in good shape at the beginning of this journey finds himself on a path heading towards a heart attack after the thirty day experiment is concluded. There are many physical differences but there is an even bigger mental difference from start to finish (Supersize). What is put into an individual’s body determines how the body feels and

Mental health problems are believed to be the result of a combination of factors, including age, genetics and environmental factors. One of the most obvious, yet under-recognized factors in the development of major trends in mental health is the role of nutrition.(Associate Parliamentary & Health, 2008). Recent evidence suggests that good nutrition is essential for our mental health and that a number of mental health conditions may be influenced by dietary factors.. The body of evidence linking both diet and mental health is growing at a rapid pace ( Associate Parliamentary & Health, 2008). Recently, there have been a number of published studies identifying an inverse association between diet quality and the common mental disorders, namely depression and anxiety, in adults (Bellisle, 2004). Other prospective studies suggest that diet quality influences the risk for depressive illness in adults over time. The evidence indicates that food plays a contributing role in the development, management and prevention of specific mental health problems such as depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and Alzheimer’s disease ( Associate Parliamentary & Health, 2008).

In the modern era of medicine, doctors have been making discoveries about how nutrition affects our mental health. They are making connections between the diet of an adolescent and how it affects their moods. An example that has been sweeping the nation, is ‘Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder’ (ADHD) is a ‘brain diseases.’ Commonly found in children in their adolescent stages.

​Food plays an important role in our daily life. Without food, we cannot survive. Food gives us all the required nutrients that our body needs in order to perform activities in our daily life. People usually find it difficult when choosing the right and effective diet for themselves. Its easy to get overwhelmed with all the dieting advice you get. Do you have to try out every type of diets without obtaining any result? Some people are unaware about how to have a proper diet and with those misleading advice, they may have to stop consuming the food they love, cutting down some portions and calories. Some people do survive this, nevertheless majority of people find it restrictive. In order to have a proper diet, the below information will give an idea about how nutrients plays a significant role in a proper diet. What helps the people to get a proper diet are the three types of diets involved, which are divided into three categories; balanced diet, diabetic diet and fitness diet.