How does eating healthy affect your wellbeing?
Can what you eat affect your mental health and wellbeing? Absolutely!
When you’re consuming a varied mix of vitamins and nutrients and keeping sugar, salt, alcohol and heavily processed foods to a minimum, it’s not just your body that can experience the benefits of healthy eating, but your mental, social and intellectual health, too.
What does healthy eating mean?
The NHS recommends eating five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated and ensuring your diet is filled with fibre and protein.
It’s clear that healthy eating and wellbeing are intrinsically linked, but how? Find out more with our blog on how healthy eating affects your body and overall well-being.
How does nutrition affect mental health?
If you’re wondering how healthy eating improves mental health, Harvard Health explains that “traditional” diets, like the Mediterranean diet and the traditional Japanese diet, have a 25% – 35% lower risk of depression when compared to a typical “Western” diet.
This is because traditional diets tend to be rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, seafood and feature only small amounts of lean meats, dairy, processed foods and sugars.
Early research is also emerging linking Vitamin B-12, along with other essential B vitamins, with chemicals in the brain that affect mood. Interestingly, today more research is being conducted into the treatment of depression with vitamin B-12 and folate.
How healthy eating affects your body
Eating a well-balanced diet gives your body the energy it needs to function. Filling your plate with colourful, nutritionally-rich food can help reduce the risk of health problems, like diabetes, heart disease and cancer, while ensuring the body’s natural processes run smoothly.
In fact, up to 80% of strokes and premature heart disease can be prevented by eating a healthy diet and being physically active. Healthy eating can also help you maintain a healthy weight and give you more energy, improving your overall wellbeing.
Eating healthy food is more than just a necessity, it can be a joy. Food can bring us together, helps foster relationships and strengthen connections with friends and family. Whether it’s a mid-week dinner after work or a celebratory meal, eating healthy, hearty food with the ones we love are just some of the social benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
Eating well can also boost your self-confidence, making you more open to social interactions. By taking care of yourself and nourishing your body with healthy foods, you will start to build your self-esteem, which has a positive knock-on effect on the rest of your life; socially, at work and at home.
How healthy eating affects your brain
Now we know how healthy eating improves mental health, it’s time to look at its effects on cognitive function. The brain uses around 20% of the body’s calories, making it even more important that the fuel you’re feeding it is packed full of nutrients and vitamins. But can ‘brain food’ really improve your concentration, focus and memory?
Research shows that eating foods rich in omega-3s, such as oily fish, may boost brain function, leading to better cognition and thinking abilities. Antioxidants are also important for brain health, helping fend off oxidative stress that can lead to mental decline and brain disease.
Ever noticed how you can feel sluggish, distracted and lack concentration in the afternoon when you haven’t eaten a healthy lunch? A diet filled with nuts, fish, berries, leafy greens and healthy fats can not only help fight stress, depression and improve neuroplasticity, but is a great source of energy for the brain, helping you stay alert for longer.
Now we’ve explained how healthy eating affects your body, mind and brain, you may be wanting to introduce more healthy foods into your lifestyle. Explore our Pikt Fresh boxes, filled with organic fruit, vegetables and salad.
The social benefits of a healthy lifestyle
Eating healthy food is more than just a necessity, it can be a joy. Food can bring us together, helps foster relationships and strengthen connections with friends and family. Whether it’s a mid-week dinner after work or a celebratory meal, eating healthy, hearty food with the ones we love are just some of the social benefits of a healthy lifestyle.
Eating well can also boost your self-confidence, making you more open to social interactions. By taking care of yourself and nourishing your body with healthy foods, you will start to build your self-esteem, which has a positive knock-on effect on the rest of your life; socially, at work and at home.
How healthy eating affects your brain
Now we know how healthy eating improves mental health, it’s time to look at its effects on cognitive function. The brain uses around 20% of the body’s calories, making it even more important that the fuel you’re feeding it is packed full of nutrients and vitamins. But can ‘brain food’ really improve your concentration, focus and memory?
Research shows that eating foods rich in omega-3s, such as oily fish, may boost brain function, leading to better cognition and thinking abilities. Antioxidants are also important for brain health, helping fend off oxidative stress that can lead to mental decline and brain disease.
Ever noticed how you can feel sluggish, distracted and lack concentration in the afternoon when you haven’t eaten a healthy lunch? A diet filled with nuts, fish, berries, leafy greens and healthy fats can not only help fight stress, depression and improve neuroplasticity, but is a great source of energy for the brain, helping you stay alert for longer.
Now we’ve explained how healthy eating affects your body, mind and brain, you may be wanting to introduce more healthy foods into your lifestyle. Explore our Pikt Fresh boxes, filled with organic fruit, vegetables and salad.