You must be aware that healthy eating habits can improve your physical well-being. But do you know the importance of healthy eating on your mind? Research has been reporting that eating unprocessed and nutrient-rich foods will boost your mood and help address several mental health concerns.

How are food and your mental health related?

Let’s try to understand it. Serotonin is an important chemical that has a direct effect on your brain. It regulates your mood and makes you feel happy. A low serotonin level causes several mental health concerns, such as mood swings, depression, anxiety, and even suicidal behavior.

You would want to raise your serotonin levels to avoid these issues, right? Interestingly, your food choices can help you do that. This is because approximately 95% of your body's serotonin is produced in your digestive tract, mainly the intestine.

Healthy eating tips

While you should eat regularly and adequately, the most important healthy eating tips for you would be to make the right food choices. Here are 5 food items to add to your diet:

1.     Whole foods instead of processed

Try to minimize your daily consumption of processed and packaged food items. Instead of that, eat whole foods. Whole foods are food items in their natural state. They include fruits, vegetables, dairy, and grains. It is essential to know that they do not contain preservatives, artificial colors, or flavors. So avoid these artificial additives at all costs.

Tip: try fresh fruits and vegetables instead of store-bought canned items.

2.     Healthy carbohydrates

You must have heard that sweets can help you feel good by raising happiness hormones. But those sweets contain the wrong carbohydrates as they cause sudden spikes and crashes. This can cause mood disorders. Instead of choosing simple carbohydrates of sweet and sugary foods, prefer complex carbohydrates, which will break and absorb slowly, maintaining steady levels.

Tip:  Seasonal fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain food items are excellent sources of healthy carbohydrates.

3.     Add more antioxidants

Antioxidants are crucial for fighting inflammation and improving gut health. In addition, this will alleviate depression and anxiety. Food items such as berries, salmon, vegetable oils such as olive oil, nuts, spices like turmeric, etc., are loaded with antioxidants.

4.     Nutrient-rich diet

When eating healthily, instead of focusing on macros only, like proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, concentrate more on micronutrients. This is because a diet low in micronutrients can cause deficiencies in the body which are reported to be significant causes of depression and poor mental health. A nutrient-rich diet containing all the beneficial vitamins and minerals will make a considerable change in improving your gut and mental health.

5.     Be sure to check probiotics.

The latest research shows that probiotics positively affect gut health and, ultimately, your mood. They directly influence the healthy bacteria in our gut, which improves digestion. You can opt for dairy, such as yogurt, cheese, and other fermented foods, as they are rich in probiotics.

Conclusion

It is safe to say that the famous saying "you are what you eat" is true. So instead of eating for the sake of eating, eat for your well-being. Make the right food choices and conscious efforts to improve your mental and physical health. The tips mentioned above can definitely help you achieve desired outcomes.