You’ve like heard that “you are what you eat” – and that may be truer than ever before. There’s always been a link between diet and mood, but a new study shows specifically the foods that affect our mental health:
• Too much fast food is already bad for our physical health, and your mental health naturally follows suit.
• The study looked at caffeine – it gives a jolt of energy, but anxiety has been found to be a common side effect of being over-caffeinated.
• Your mood also gets affected by high-glycemic foods, because they’ll give you both blood sugar spikes, as well as inevitable crashes.
• The study also showed that while these four factors affect both men and women, the level of mental stress was found to be higher for women.
But it’s not only bad news – regular exercise can also reduce and counteract the negative consequences, and specific foods like fruits and vegetables had positive effects on mental health.
Whenever making a diet change, it’s wise to consult a professional first, but taking the right steps towards a better diet and more regular movement might give you the mood boost you’ve been looking for!
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