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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We all know that regular exercise helps you burn fat and lower heart disease risks, but there are other more subtle ways you might not expect that exercise helps us.

While exercise helps clear our minds, it also helps with memory – enhanced synaptic activity was discovered in a new study, which means you might learn and retain important information more right after you workout.

Studies also show a healthier lifestyle can offset genetic predisposition to developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, as some exercise induces a hormone that protects against the disorders, and limits the risk developing those who may be vulnerable to them.

Researchers also found evidence that exercise also helps fight vision loss, slowing or even preventing macular degeneration; there’s even some evidence of exercise causing muscles to release certain metabolites into the bloodstream, that enhances cancer-killing properties of immune cells.

So beyond looking and feeling better, regular exercise may be helping you out behind the scenes in ways you never expected!

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You already know fiber is a necessary part of every diet. It aids in digestion, helps keep cholesterol down, and helps reduce the risk of chronic diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes.

You should be getting 25-35 grams every day – but how do you know if you’re getting enough every day? There are a few signs to look for:

Being hungry all the time despite having regular meals. Fiber helps you feel full longer and our bodies don’t break it down the same way as other foods. It’s a good sign to look for.

If you feel more tired, or have low energy and feel sluggish, and coffee doesn’t cut it, you might not be getting enough fiber that works with the carbohydrates in your diet that you need to help with your blood sugar levels to avoid those spikes and crashes.

If your doctor says your cholesterol needs to get in check or your blood pressure is too high, in addition to cutting salt, increasing fiber may help.

And you won’t just get it from whole grain breads – you can find it in foods you already like – avocados are loaded with fiber, as are fresh fruits like strawberries and pears, plus beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

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If you feel stressed, the best thing you can do is eat something. But not just anything you find in the fridge – dieticians have a list of the best foods that help alleviate anxiety.

And topping the list is something you’ll probably have a bunch of very soon – pumpkin seed. They’re high in magnesium, which helps to calm down the brain.

Fish like tuna is high in vitamins that help to regulate moods, and salmon has those omega-3 fatty acids which reduces inflammation and increases serotonin.

Orange juice isn’t just for breakfast – the vitamin C also helps with inflammation, just make sure you find 100% fruit juice.

And what do you want to avoid when you feel stressed? Cookies, cakes, ice cream and caffeine can all increase stress and anxiety levels.

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If just the thought of working out sounds exhausting, you might be excited to hear about a new way to work out – just 10 seconds at a time!

A new study shows taking breaks and doing 10 second bursts of cardiovascular exercise actually burns more calories than going non-stop. And not just a little amount – 60% more! They found our bodies burn more calories as you gear up to exercise, once you are underway, things level off.

However, the trick is to still do the same distance as you would normally, so the drawback is that it will take you a lot longer to accomplish the task.

So, while it’s a bit impractical, if you do need to take an extra break while working out, feel free to do so, since you’ll still be burning those calories!

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