Did you know at least three quarters of your body’s Serotonin is produced in the gut? Good Food for a Good Mood explores the science around the gut-brain axis and how nutrition is explicitly linked.
Mental illnesses are the biggest cause of disability and illness worldwide. We’re aware the quality of the food we consume impacts our physical wellbeing, but we are discovering more and more evidence of the grand scale impact diet and nutrition have on our mental hygiene. Eating a diet full of nutritious foods can go along way to decreasing stress, improving brain function, reducing impacts of mental conditions such as depression and anxiety, and improving our overall mental hygiene, so lets make every bite count!
Depression is one of the leading causes of disability across the world. A 2012 study The SMILEs Trial (Supporting the Modification of lifestyle in Lowered Emotional States) showed that participants following a Modified Mediterranean diet had a much greater reduction in their depressive symptoms compared to those in a social support group.
For the science heads reading this, here’s the full scientific details of The SMILEs Trial.
But what good is the research and education if we don’t actually possess the capabilities to make such changes. Good Food for a Good Mood looks at the whole picture, improving relationships around food, whilst remembering it’s not only about decreasing stress or improving mental hygiene and energy levels through nutrition; it’s also about feeling good right now and enjoying the next meal in front of us. Eating this way ensure consistency of a nutritionally balanced diet whilst increasing variety and keeping things in moderation.
In the end Food is so much more that just nutrition. It’s Culture, Social Gatherings, Traditions, Nostalgia, Love, Celebration, Pleasure, Individual Expression, Special Occasions, Emotion, Memories and ENJOYMENT!
And here at Good Food for a Good Mood we want you to experience and enjoy all of that. With no room for guilt, shame or pressures to eat ‘the right thing’ all the time. It is far more beneficial to improve peoples relationships with food for overall health, well-being and of course a Good Mood!
“The more variety of plants we eat (fruits, vege, whole-grains), the greater the diversity of our gut microbiome”