The Truth About NUTRITION And Mental Health | Part 3

So now you know that:

SLEEP IS THE FIRST LIFESTYLE FACTOR TO ADDRESS WHEN TRYING TO IMPROVE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH...

What's the second? (Drum roll please)...

Yep, you guessed it...Nutrition and mental health!

But before you get the wrong idea, this isn't going to be yet another lecture on calorie deficits!..

And that's because you need to:

FOCUS ON WHAT YOUR DIET NEEDS TO ADD IN (AS OPPOSED TO REMOVE) WHEN IT COMES TO IMPROVING YOUR MENTAL HEALTH!

Here's the thing;

THERE ARE CERTAIN NUTRIENTS THAT OUR BODIES NEED WHICH DIRECTLY IMPACT OUR EMOTIONAL WELLBEING.

So, if we employ a diet that's lacking in these nutrients (and for a long enough period of time), we're going to end up in a funk.

So, here's what we need to do;

EMPLOY A VARIED DIET, FULL OF FOOD SOURCES THAT ARE PACKED WITH AN ARRAY OF NUTRIENTS THAT SUPPORT OUR MENTAL (AND PHYSICAL) HEALTH.

Now I'm not going to get into the weeds on exactly what you should be eating, but I'll give you one important clue...

YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO GET IT FROM YOUR UBER EATS!

If you think you're ready to look at nutritional intervention as an adjunct to other lifestyle modifications, then you have to consider something...

YOU'RE NUTRIENT STATUS DOESN'T 'RE-FILL' AFTER ONE DAY OF 'GOOD EATING'...IT TAKES TIME!..

And especially if you've been stressed out and making 'poor food choices' for a while.

Not to mention that;

Mean that some of us 'burn through' certain nutrients (amino acids, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids) at a higher rate...

Leaving us predisposed to nutritional deficiencies, even if we were 'doing everything right'...

And just in case you were thinking that medication maybe the answer...

SOME MEDICATIONS FOR MENTAL HEALTH, ACTUALLY DEPLETE NUTRIENTS THAT WE NEED TO SUPPORT OUR MENTAL HEALTH...

WHICH MAYBE WHY SO MANY PEOPLE STRUGGLE TO 'GET OFF THE MEDS' ONCE THEY'RE ON THEM!

You may also want to consider (temporarily) supplementing your diet, to help you 'get back to baseline' faster, than with a nutrient-dense diet alone.

Potential candidates could include:

Which all contain nutrients that have shown to be connected to mental health status.

Also; supplements like REBALANCE+ (which help to balance neuro-chemicals in the brain) can help us feel calmer and more relaxed, instead of wired, tired and unable to sleep. 

But, before you run off and buy them all!..

YOU SHOULD START WITH A THOROUGH ASSESSMENT FROM COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL (ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE ALREADY TAKING MEDICATION!)

So in a nutshell; if you're struggling with your mental health and you know your diet needs work...

Then you might want to start by finding ways improve your nutrient status through better dietary habits...

As there's plenty of evidence to show that consuming the right nutrients play an important roll in improving/maintaining our emotional wellbeing.

So, there you have it! You now have a better understanding of the synergistic relationship between nutrition and mental health, I hope you've found it useful.

If you'd like to access Part 4 in this series about the benefits of exercise on mental health, then you can do so by clicking this link.

Thanks for reading!

BTW; if you're trying to overhaul your health but don't know where to start, then feel free to schedule a lifestyle consultation with me by clicking this link

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