Did you know? Almost 82 per cent of India’s population
suffers from stress with major causes being work, health or finance-related
issues. While many factors contribute to ones’ psychological and emotional
strain, often people fail to realise the role of ‘Nutrition’ and ‘Diet’ in
building a sound mind.
Certain foods can be provided as nutritional supplements to
deal with specific mental health issues under certain circumstances. For
example, Omega 3 fatty acids, found in fish, appear to be helpful for people
suffering from quite serious depression.
Similarly, studies suggest that vitamin B supplementation may
be helpful for some. An amino acid called N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) has shown to
be particularly effective in people with depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar
disorders.
Likewise, there is a lot of animal research that points to
zinc as an important nutrient in mental health. Zinc supplementation appears to
be helpful for depression in conjunction with other treatments, while dietary
zinc intake is also protective for depression. Zinc is a powerful antioxidant
and seems to exert beneficial effects on the gut.
Hence understanding what supplements are useful for
individuals under specific circumstances is as important as other treatment
modules. Consulting an expert for a piece of professional advice is highly
recommended.
Eating right and how you eat matters
•
A
nutritional diet will do a world of good for people of all ages, especially in
warding off diseases. Here are a few general tips on how to eat healthy, especially
for kids:-
•
Focus
on making healthy food and beverage choices from all five food groups including
fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods, and dairy to get the nutrients you
need. A variety of foods is important.
•
Building
a healthier eating habit can help you avoid overweight and obesity and reduce
your risk of low construction, anti-social habits, anxiety, etc
•
Choose
an eating style low in saturated fat, sodium, and added sugars.
•
Try
to have drinks high in nutrients such as Coconut Water, Juices, Butter milk,
etc
•
Avoid
added sugar drinks like cola and soda is highly recommended for healthy living.
•
Make
half your plate fruits and vegetables.
•
Focus
on whole fruits.
•
Vary
your veggies.
•
Make
half your grains whole grains.
•
Move
to low-fat or fat-free milk or yogurt.
•
Vary
your protein routine.
•
Reduce
Technology time TV, Laptop, Phone.
•
Increase
outdoor activity time to burn calories.
(The author, renowned Dietitian Srishti Arora, can be reached
at diet.srishti@gmail.com)
