Generally speaking, people can understand that a healthy diet is good for health. Healthy food will reduce the risk of diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes.
Roger Walsh published an article in American Psychologist1October 20 1 1, saying that there is considerable evidence that nutrition is very important for mental health. Review 160 Many studies have found that diet and nutrition will affect people's mental health. (Gó mez-Pi? era, 2008)
In recent articles, we discussed that unhealthy lifestyle and lack of exercise will lead to a series of physical health problems, but they also play an equally important role in mental health and happiness.
Principles of Nutrition: Improving Happiness
There are many complicated information about nutrition in many literatures. To support his view, Walsh formulated three key dietary principles to improve mental health and happiness.
1. The diet should include the main colorful fruits and vegetables.
2. Some fish should be included in the diet, especially fish oil rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as salmon.
3. Avoid too many calories in your diet.
There are two recipes that have been confirmed by a lot of research on mental health.
This vegetarian diet, named pesco-, includes fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, beans, eggs, dairy products and fish (but not other meats), and has been used to prevent some psychopathology, improve academic performance and reduce age-related cognitive decline.
In some studies, the Mediterranean diet-generally regarded as a diet that emphasizes rich plant foods, beans, refined grains and fish, eating fruit desserts and cooking with olive oil, including moderate amounts of dairy products, wine and some other meats-has been found to reduce the incidence of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.
The similarity between the above two recipes is that they both emphasize fish, vegetables and fruits, and a small amount of meat. Although these diet recipes have been confirmed by some studies, they may not be the only ones that can improve mental health.
Nutritional supplements and mental health
More and more studies show that the lack of some supplements can lead to mental health problems. Fish and fish oil can provide polyunsaturated fatty acids which are essential for nerve function. Polyunsaturated fatty acids also have anti-inflammatory and protective functions. Some studies have also confirmed that reducing the use of polyunsaturated fatty acids will lead to serious schizophrenia and emotional disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder.
The research on the relationship between nutritional supplements and improving mental health is very complicated, which is also very helpful to the development of medical care. However, the more important reason is the consideration of treatment.
Information about nutrition and diet is very valuable, because it involves people's physical and mental health. So, on the whole, based on the low side effects and important positive significance, if you want to improve mental health, supplementing nutrition is a good choice.