Photo by Ola Mishchenko on Unsplash
There’s an emerging field in the treatment of mental health: Nutritional psychology. Mental health professionals are increasingly viewing mental illness from a holistic perspective, and nutrition is one of the factors that come into play.
In 2015 a group of researchers pulled together all available research on nutrition and depression and came up with the following recommendations:
- Follow ‘traditional’ dietary patterns, such as the Mediterranean, Norwegian, or Japanese diet;
- Increase consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, wholegrain cereals, nuts, and seeds;
- Include a high consumption of foods rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids;
- Replace unhealthy foods with wholesome nutritious foods; and
- Limit your intake of processed-foods, ‘fast’ foods, commercial bakery goods, and sweets.
These are all great suggestions for a healthy lifestyle in general, but the effects on mental health could be significant. Depression comes with physical symptoms, including fatigue and pains, and proper nutrition can go a long way in helping you feel better.
Go here to learn more about the research.
Author
Satu H. Woodland, PMHCNS-BC, APRN
Satu Woodland is owner and clinician of Hope Mental Health, an integrative mental health practice located at Bown Crossing in Boise, Idaho. She sees children, adolescents, and adults.
Ms. Woodland with her background in nursing, prefers a holistic and integrative approach to mental health care that addresses the mind and body together. While Ms. Woodland provides medication management services in all her patients, she believes in long-lasting solutions that include a number of psychotherapies, namely cognitive behavioral therapy, exposure and response prevention therapy, attention to lifestyle, evidenced based alternative psychiatric care and spirituality.
If you’d like to gain control over your mental health issues, call Hope Mental Health at 208-918-0958, or use the online scheduling tool to set up an initial consultation.
