2024-01-10 11:40:42
It is known that nutritional psychiatry, which has begun to gain popularity recently, focuses on how eating certain foods improves human mental health. In this regard, research has revealed that a variety of foods can help improve mood and cognition and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. According to the newspaper “Washington Post“American.
“The anti-anxiety diet can be a very powerful tool in improving our mental health,” said Uma Naidu, director of nutritional psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital in the United States.
“It’s one of the many ways we can help calm the mind,” she continued. Naidu emphasized that scientists have long known about the strong relationship between the gut and the brain, and some even refer to the gut as the “second brain.”
She noted that the vagus nerve, which begins in the brain and extends through the abdomen and intestines, helps explain why people often feel the feelings of anxiety that result in disturbances and problems in their stomach.
She also pointed out another link between the intestine and the brain, which is serotonin, which is an important neurotransmitter that affects mood and is produced mostly in the intestine.
More recently, the gut-brain axis, the communication network between the central nervous system and the gut microbiome, has become a focal point for researchers studying the relationship between mental health and the microbiome.
The microbiome is a group of microbes, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses and their genes, that live naturally on our bodies and inside us, some of which are beneficial and some are pathogenic.
An imbalance in the gut microbiome has been linked to anxiety and depression, as the foods we eat can have a profound impact on our microbiome.
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Naidu believes that by making the right food choices and reducing harmful foods we can improve our mental health, so she recommends eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes and unprocessed grains.
She advises people to avoid refined carbohydrates, such as refined wheat flour; foods high in added sugars and those made with artificial sweeteners; In addition to avoiding unhealthy fats commonly found in packaged snacks and fried foods.
She also recommends following an anti-anxiety diet, by eating certain foods to enhance mental health and calm the mind, pointing to 7 foodstuffs that contain great benefits in this regard, which are:
1- Dark chocolate
Naidoo recommends eating two small squares of dark chocolate every two days, accompanied by slices of orange or tangerine.
Dark chocolate is rich in iron and polyphenols, compounds linked to many health benefits.
Studies have found a relationship between iron deficiency and anxiety, so cocoa enhances mood, while citrus fruits, rich in vitamin C, help absorb iron.
The doctor stressed the necessity of eating chocolate that contains 75 percent cocoa or more, and without added sugar, to preserve its benefits.
2- Leafy vegetables
These leafy plants are full of fiber, folate, iron and other micronutrients, as well as lutein, an antioxidant, which research has shown can reduce depression in mice.
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Naidoo recommends adding different types of colorful leafy vegetables to salads, in addition to steaming spinach.
3- Broccoli
It is one of the types of cruciferous vegetables, including cauliflower, cabbage, and cabbage, which are an essential part of the anti-anxiety diet because they are rich in sulforaphane, a powerful chemical that “helps treat the inflammation that we are trying to fend off in the intestines,” according to Naidu.
The specialist explained that cutting broccoli before cooking helps maintain sulforaphane levels in it, adding: “It should be left for 30 to 60 minutes after cutting and before putting it in the refrigerator.
She added: “If you are preparing broccoli for dinner, cut it and clean it in the morning and leave it in a clean bag in the refrigerator until you use it later.”
4- Avocado
This fruit is rich in fiber, potassium, vitamin E and magnesium, a deficiency of which has been linked to depression.
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Health studies confirm that the state of the “gut microbiome,” which helps digest the foods that people eat to provide energy to the body and absorb nutrients, is linked to the development of chronic and serious diseases, and therefore it is necessary to obtain healthy and balanced food, according to a report by the “Health Central” medical website.
There is some research suggesting that magnesium can improve treatment of anxiety symptoms, although scientific evidence is not strong on this.
“Although the results are somewhat mixed, given the importance of magnesium in many anxiety-related conditions, I highly recommend ensuring you eat enough magnesium-rich foods,” Naidu said.
She recommends eating a quarter or half of a small avocado several times a week. “It’s a power food because it gives you a lot for the small amount you need to eat,” she says.
5- Green tea
Naidoo finds that drinking green tea during the day can provide a calming effect, helping to get instant relaxation.
The doctor said: “Green tea contains two types of very powerful antioxidants: EGCG [epigallocatechin Gallate] وL-theanine”.
“In a randomized, placebo-controlled trial, researchers in Japan found that L-theanine supplements reduced stress-related symptoms such as depression and anxiety,” she continued.
Since green tea also contains caffeine, which can increase anxiety when consumed in large quantities, Naidoo explained that keeping caffeine consumption to less than 400 milligrams per day is acceptable for people with anxiety.
One 8-ounce cup of green tea contains about 30 to 50 mg, so one is unlikely to exceed this limit unless one drinks other caffeinated beverages.
Naidu advised: “Do not drink it at late times, because if it starts to affect sleep, that is also a problem.”
6- Chia seeds or flax seeds
Fatty fish, chia seeds, flaxseeds and walnuts are great sources of omega-3, (unbranched fatty acids), which are essential for brain health and development.
Although omega-3 supplements are popular, recent research suggests that marketers have overstated their benefits.
Naidu said that many studies have proven that natural food sources of omega-3 give better results. For those who eat fish, Naidoo recommends incorporating salmon into their diet.
As for those who follow a vegetarian diet, she suggests eating a quarter cup of seeds daily, by adding them to salads and smoothies or stirring them with oatmeal.
7- Beans and lentils
It is a type of legume, and is considered a great source of fiber, and very important for intestinal health, as a cross-sectional study conducted in 2021 indicates that diets rich in fiber are associated with lower levels of anxiety.
“Fiber is your friend because these foods are more complex carbohydrates, break down very slowly in your body and do not raise your blood sugar,” Naidu said.
She also explained that the nutritional differences between canned beans and dried beans are slight, adding: “Buy what works best for your cost and then add it to stews, soups and salads.”
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