5 foods that boost psychological well-being

© Miriosti How to eat your way to wellness. Most of us know that what we eat has an effect on how our body feels. For me, binges of sugar and other refined carbs (I’m only human) leave me feeling enlarged and lethargic the next day. When I’m eating well – as in, not eating a box of cookies for lunch – I feel like a damn gazelle. (Which is amusing given my tall and not-so-graceful presence.) And of course, the long-term effects are pretty good too: decreased risk of ending up with things like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. Food is our fuel, and it affects every part of our body – even the parts that are bit more esoteric than, say, our livers and hearts. Notably, write Joanne Bradbury and Megan Lee in The Conversation , healthy food is also good for our mental health and can decrease our risk of depression and anxiety. Mental health disorders currently cost $2.5 trillion dollars globally for various therapies and medications, according to Bradbury and Lee, a number so large that it’s hard to fathom. But with more and more research showing that a change in what one eats can decrease the development of mental health issues, it seems like a prudent approach to try. Of course there are plenty of people who need medication and this is not to say that they’d be fine if they started eating better – just that for many, changing the diet might be a great first approach for finding some emotional balance. And it’s an idea that is gaining traction. As Bradbury and Lee point out, Australia’s clinical guidelines recommend addressing diet when treating depression. Decreasing the consumption of medication has so many benefits; fewer side effects, less packaging and transportation of goods, […]

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