You probably imagined 2020 panning out very differently to how it has. And as the world has changed drastically, it may well be your diet has too. But does the food you eat help or hinder you emotionally as well as physically? We asked the experts.
Does when you eat affect your mental wellbeing?
Nutritionist explains, "If you get hungry often in the day and this affects your mood, concentration and energy levels, then eating at regular intervals is important. Eating every three to four hours is fine to prevent one's energy levels dropping as a result of blood-sugar levels dipping". But the Nutritionist Resource member warns this doesn't mean you should eat all the time: "It's not ideal to continuously snack on foods throughout the day, as this grazing doesn't allow the appetite and insulin hormones to regulate optimally".
How important is a balanced diet for mental wellbeing?
Extensive and consistent research tells us that healthier diets protect against depression. Given that depression is the leading cause of global disability, this is critical to understand.
"Indeed, these links are seen after taking into account important factors that can affect both diet and mental health, such as education and income, other health behaviours and body weight. More recently, evidence from randomised controlled trials tells us that helping people with depression to improve the quality of their diets can have a substantial benefit to their mental health and functioning. In these trials, the diet that had the major benefit was one designed to mimic a traditional Mediterranean diet, high in wholegrains, vegetables, fruits, fish and olive oil."
