Physical health has a direct effect on mental health. Food provides nutrients, vitamins, minerals and other components necessary for the proper functioning of the body, which has a direct effect on mood. However, achieving it depends on each person and their habits.
In a recent study funded by Harvard The behaviors of two groups of women were analyzed, the first only ate during the daytime while the second ate both during the day and at night. Those women who adopted the night shift had an increase in symptoms of depression by 26% and anxiety by 16%.
This conclusion opens a new path on nutrition, which is normally understood as an approach merely to the relationship between food and physical health, since it shows that the circadian cycle and feeding schedules directly affect mental health.
It should be noted that it has long been known that eating at night has negative effects on physical health. For example, the magazine International Journal of Obesity explain what The body’s ability to regulate blood sugar is slower at night, which can increase the risk of diabetes and weight gain.
The first food that enters the body defines how the day begins. According to the Laboratory of Biological and Metabolic Rhythms of the National University of Mexico, the best time to eat breakfast is between 6 am and 10 am or just an hour following waking up (and being physically active). This aims to take advantage of the active phase of the body to digest, metabolize and absorb nutrients properly.
The best foods to include for breakfast are: protein, whole grains, fresh fruit, and healthy fats. For example, this breakfast that includes oatmeal as cereal and nuts: (see video)
Four to five hours later you should have lunch, that is, approximately between 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. The maximum schedule, according to the portal BodyMindfor lunch it is until 3 in the followingnoon, following this time the functioning of the metabolism is difficult, but if you wait until this time it is recommended to have a snack between breakfast and lunch.
Although there are different approaches to the amount of food that should include lunch (less or more than breakfast and dinner), what is ideal is that it includes vegetables, proteins, healthy fats, vegetables and carbohydrates. A dish that includes all these ingredients is this toast (see video):
To end the day, dinner should be eaten four or five hours following eating lunch. It should be noted that, to avoid changing the sleep cycle, the maximum time to eat is between 6 pm and 6:30 pm or two hours before bedtime. At this time, fasting is entered, a time in which the body regenerates and makes use of the nutrients that are consumed throughout the day.
According to a study published by the National Library of Medicine, the best foods for dinner are fish, fruits, nuts, and turkey meat. Here is a recipe that includes these ingredients (see video):