7 Foods That Can Help Your Mental Health
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| Photo by Krishnajith |
Throughout life, you go on a journey, and whilst on that journey, your mental health will have ups and downs. When you are at your highs, life is great and a good mental health outlook is easily achieved. When you are at your lows, your mental health can take a dive which is when it’s important you start paying attention to it and making changes to help improve.
There are many ways to improve your mental health - speaking to other people about it, ensuring you are getting enough exercise weekly, sleep is very important and so is your diet. From increasing your salmon intake to considering Delta 8 Gummies, below we look more into the different foods that you can eat to help your mental health.
Salmon
When looking after your diet, most guides will include eating plenty of fish. Fish is great for your immune system and helps supply your body with energy. Salmon in particular is full of omega-3 fatty acids which have been proven to help your mental health. It also contains vitamin B-12 which is a vitamin that helps your brain and for you to feel more positive. If you’ve never cooked with salmon before, it’s fairly easy to cook and there are plenty of meals that you can make with it. Try cooking it with honey garlic and adding potatoes and vegetables to it.
When looking after your diet, most guides will include eating plenty of fish. Fish is great for your immune system and helps supply your body with energy. Salmon in particular is full of omega-3 fatty acids which have been proven to help your mental health. It also contains vitamin B-12 which is a vitamin that helps your brain and for you to feel more positive. If you’ve never cooked with salmon before, it’s fairly easy to cook and there are plenty of meals that you can make with it. Try cooking it with honey garlic and adding potatoes and vegetables to it.
Avocados
Avocados are so good for you but often not consumed in your average daily diet. You can easily buy them in your local stores and make plenty of recipes using them. We love avocado on toast for lunch - it’s easy to make and something different to do. When it comes to your mental health, Avocados are high in good fats which can lower your blood pressure. They are flooded with fiber and folate which has been proven to help your heart. If you are unsure on how to cook with avocados, a quick google online and you’ll find a myriad of recipes for you to try out. Remember to try a few as the flavor profile can change drastically depending on how you cook with it. Just like potatoes, there are many ways to cook them.
Avocados are so good for you but often not consumed in your average daily diet. You can easily buy them in your local stores and make plenty of recipes using them. We love avocado on toast for lunch - it’s easy to make and something different to do. When it comes to your mental health, Avocados are high in good fats which can lower your blood pressure. They are flooded with fiber and folate which has been proven to help your heart. If you are unsure on how to cook with avocados, a quick google online and you’ll find a myriad of recipes for you to try out. Remember to try a few as the flavor profile can change drastically depending on how you cook with it. Just like potatoes, there are many ways to cook them.
Tomatoes
Add tomatoes to everything you cook! They have so many positive health benefits and can be used with virtually anything. Add them to your spaghetti bolognese, cut them up and place them in your sandwiches, roast them and enjoy them alongside your roast dinner - the possibilities are endless. If you are suffering from lower mental health, this could lead to you feeling depressed and suffering from depression. Whether you enjoy your tomatoes hot or cold, they have been shown to be full of vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K - all of which can help you feel more positive and send positive signals to your brain.
Dark Chocolate
You heard chocolate and everyone's ears suddenly pricked up. Yes, you heard it right, chocolate is another type of food that you can enjoy which will help your mental health. Of course, you shouldn’t over consume dark chocolate as it is high in calories (lower than milk chocolate) but you can enjoy it in moderation and see benefits to your mental health. The reason for this is that dark chocolate contains N-acylethanolamines which have been shown to help support your brain and reduce negative feelings.
Add tomatoes to everything you cook! They have so many positive health benefits and can be used with virtually anything. Add them to your spaghetti bolognese, cut them up and place them in your sandwiches, roast them and enjoy them alongside your roast dinner - the possibilities are endless. If you are suffering from lower mental health, this could lead to you feeling depressed and suffering from depression. Whether you enjoy your tomatoes hot or cold, they have been shown to be full of vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K - all of which can help you feel more positive and send positive signals to your brain.
Dark Chocolate
You heard chocolate and everyone's ears suddenly pricked up. Yes, you heard it right, chocolate is another type of food that you can enjoy which will help your mental health. Of course, you shouldn’t over consume dark chocolate as it is high in calories (lower than milk chocolate) but you can enjoy it in moderation and see benefits to your mental health. The reason for this is that dark chocolate contains N-acylethanolamines which have been shown to help support your brain and reduce negative feelings.
Berries
Eating plenty of fruit as a whole is very important for a balanced diet. Fruit not only helps fuel your body but also helps reduce tiredness and battles potential illnesses. There are so many different types of fruits out there that all have their own additional health benefits. Oranges are rich in potassium, apples are high in fiber, and melons are high in vitamin a and vitamin c - the list goes on. Berries in particular are very good for helping keep your brain healthy. They feature many different vitamins which have been shown to positively affect your brain, helping make you feel more positive, therefore helping your mental health.
Eating plenty of fruit as a whole is very important for a balanced diet. Fruit not only helps fuel your body but also helps reduce tiredness and battles potential illnesses. There are so many different types of fruits out there that all have their own additional health benefits. Oranges are rich in potassium, apples are high in fiber, and melons are high in vitamin a and vitamin c - the list goes on. Berries in particular are very good for helping keep your brain healthy. They feature many different vitamins which have been shown to positively affect your brain, helping make you feel more positive, therefore helping your mental health.
Nuts
Nuts are great for snacking on, you can easily add them to the meals you cook and they also feature a lot in people's desserts - there is so much functionality to them. From a nutritional standpoint, nuts contain a lot of fat, but these fats are the good fats that you should have in your diet. Nuts are also very high in iron, potassium, and magnesium as well vitamins and minerals. You’ve seen from the theme of this article that these are all very good for your brain and body which has the knock-on effect of helping your mental health. If you don’t like nuts but are trying to eat more of them, then try to add them to the foods you eat. Sprinkling on top of your yogurt can help as well as adding them to your salad.
Nuts are great for snacking on, you can easily add them to the meals you cook and they also feature a lot in people's desserts - there is so much functionality to them. From a nutritional standpoint, nuts contain a lot of fat, but these fats are the good fats that you should have in your diet. Nuts are also very high in iron, potassium, and magnesium as well vitamins and minerals. You’ve seen from the theme of this article that these are all very good for your brain and body which has the knock-on effect of helping your mental health. If you don’t like nuts but are trying to eat more of them, then try to add them to the foods you eat. Sprinkling on top of your yogurt can help as well as adding them to your salad.
Yogurt
Talking about adding nuts to your yogurt, yogurt is another food item that you can eat that is healthy and easy to consume. Just pop down to your local supermarket and you’ll see a whole plethora of yogurts that you can enjoy, all coming in a range of flavors and flooding with health benefits - including helping your mental health. You will have heard it a lot from your parents growing up, but yogurts are very good for your teeth. They also contain plenty of calcium, vitamins, and protein. We would recommend enjoying one or two a day as part of a healthy lifestyle. They make great snacks and if you want to treat yourself you can get the chocolate or sweet ones every once in a while - just not every day as these are unhealthy. If you enjoy healthy ones, these are a great way to help lose weight as part of a weight loss plan.
When changing up your diet and improving what you are eating, it’s important to remember that the changes won’t happen instantly. It can take a few days for the nutrients from the foods you are eating to help you feel better. When making changes to your diet, it’s also important to consider other lifestyle factors which may be negatively affecting your life. We mentioned it above but ensuring you are sleeping enough hours as well as drinking the recommended 2-3 liters of water a day will make a big difference. We can’t stress how important exercising is on a weekly basis, whether that be going for long walks, taking up a sport or doing something on your own like cycling or running - you’ll also benefit from physical logical changes like your muscles growing. A good way to motivate yourself to exercise is to convince a friend to join you, this way they can motivate you when you aren’t in the mood and you can do the same. Accountability can make a huge difference.
What changes have you made to your diet recently that you think have benefited your mental health? Which of the above foods do you most enjoy and cook with at home? Are there any foods that you think we should be adding to our article? If there is anything else you want to share that will benefit our readers, please drop us a comment in the message box below.
Talking about adding nuts to your yogurt, yogurt is another food item that you can eat that is healthy and easy to consume. Just pop down to your local supermarket and you’ll see a whole plethora of yogurts that you can enjoy, all coming in a range of flavors and flooding with health benefits - including helping your mental health. You will have heard it a lot from your parents growing up, but yogurts are very good for your teeth. They also contain plenty of calcium, vitamins, and protein. We would recommend enjoying one or two a day as part of a healthy lifestyle. They make great snacks and if you want to treat yourself you can get the chocolate or sweet ones every once in a while - just not every day as these are unhealthy. If you enjoy healthy ones, these are a great way to help lose weight as part of a weight loss plan.
When changing up your diet and improving what you are eating, it’s important to remember that the changes won’t happen instantly. It can take a few days for the nutrients from the foods you are eating to help you feel better. When making changes to your diet, it’s also important to consider other lifestyle factors which may be negatively affecting your life. We mentioned it above but ensuring you are sleeping enough hours as well as drinking the recommended 2-3 liters of water a day will make a big difference. We can’t stress how important exercising is on a weekly basis, whether that be going for long walks, taking up a sport or doing something on your own like cycling or running - you’ll also benefit from physical logical changes like your muscles growing. A good way to motivate yourself to exercise is to convince a friend to join you, this way they can motivate you when you aren’t in the mood and you can do the same. Accountability can make a huge difference.
What changes have you made to your diet recently that you think have benefited your mental health? Which of the above foods do you most enjoy and cook with at home? Are there any foods that you think we should be adding to our article? If there is anything else you want to share that will benefit our readers, please drop us a comment in the message box below.
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