Benefits of Well Balanced, Healthy Diets
When it comes to your health, one of the most important factors is your diet. What you consume has a major impact on your mind and body; it will change the way your body runs and will affect your mood and emotions. We all know that what you put in your body will affect your body, but less of you probably know why or how it affects the mind, so that’s where we’re going to start. If a person is constantly eating a diet that is high in sugars and processed foods, damage to the brain can be done. Depriving the brain of good nutrition, and filling it with inflamed cells, which is what sugars do, will damage brain tissues. This will lead to brain damage, but will also lead to more severe mood disorders, and can also make existing mood disorders more severe. In addition to this, diets that are high in sugar can lead to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is a type of stress in which there is a disproportionate amount of free radicals and other antioxidants in the body. This type of stress can lead to damage in cells, DNA, and proteins. The damage that is caused by this can lead to the development of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and more.
Your diet also affects gut microbiota, which affects a person’s mental health. Furthermore, skipping meals and eating less can lead to fatigue, eating a less varied amount of foods can also lead to a decrease in energy, and eating too many refined foods can lead to irritability. On the other hand, this means that having a healthier diet, one with lower amounts of refined sugars and other less healthier foods, can lead to better mental health. This can be done by drinking a good amount of fluids, consuming a healthy amount of omega-3, and having a healthy intake of protein and vegetables/fruits. Before I move on to the physical effects of a person’s diet, it’s important to mention that although a healthy diet can help your mood and mental health, it is not going to fix all of your issues. For that reason, if you are struggling with mental health, it is important to get the help that you need.
Having a healthy diet also has many benefits for your body. The first, and one of the biggest reasons to have a healthy diet, is weight loss and weight control. A person’s weight has a significant impact on their health, both in the present and in the future. A healthy diet can also help to prevent, or manage, diabetes. Diabetes is a disease that results in a high level of sugar in the blood and can lead to a multitude of health complications if not treated or managed. In addition to this, a healthy diet can lower the chances of heart diseases and lead to better cardiovascular health. According to research, a healthy diet among other measures could have prevented heart conditions in a large number of patients. Furthermore, having a healthy diet can lead to better bone, teeth, muscle, and immune system health. Lastly, eating healthy will lead to better sleep at night and reduced chances of developing a breathing issue. Eating healthy and putting lower amounts of bad food into your body will lead to better overall health, both physically and mentally.
References
Dix, M. (2013, May 16). Oxidative Stress: Definition, Effects on the Body, and Prevention. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.healthline.com/health/oxidative-stress
MD, E. (2020, March 31). Nutritional psychiatry: Your brain on food. Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/nutritional-psychiatry-your-brain-on-food-201511168626
What is the Relationship Between Food and Mood? (2018, March 13). Retrieved June 24, 2020, from https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/external/2018/03/relationship-food-mood/
