TL; DR – Healthier eating can help you better manage your mood (or anger)!
Brain Hunger
Do you find yourself losing it at work or at home? Maybe being short-tempered, impatient, or irrational isn’t entirely your fault. Researchers in the field of nutrition and mental health, and authors of The Better Brain claim that you could blame it on your unhealthy diet.
They recognize that many in our society experience what they call “brain hunger” which impairs their cognitive function and control over emotions.
While we immerse ourselves in work, we sometimes leave our meals to the last minute and rampantly check out the nearest convenience store packed with ultra-processed products that include things like soft drinks, packaged snacks, sugary breakfast cereals and chicken nuggets. Or we simply choose fast food. Obviously, these are bad choices, and they usually contain trivial amounts of micronutrients that our body actually needs but we still succumb to them for convenience or work priorities.
Micronutrients: What’s that?
Many of us are well informed of the detrimental effects of enjoying processed products like obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. But are you aware of the impact on our brain health when we are deprived of micronutrients?
Micronutrient intake influences our mental health and deprivation of it could lead to explosive rage, mood swings and irritability. Some studies from countries like Canada, Spain, Japan and Australia have proven that people who stick to a whole foods diet have a lower risk of depression and anxiety.
Not to scare you further, but micronutrient deprivation could also be a result of dry skin, hair loss, fatigue, and slower wound healing just to name a few.
Eat healthier to be more resilient!
The ideal meal with high levels of micronutrients should include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, seafood, and unsaturated fats.
Let me stop you before you turn to dietary supplements for a quick fix. Nutrition scientists confirmed that gaining nutrients from a healthy balanced meal supersedes the consumption of supplements because they will not provide the same synergistic effect.
It is evident that a well-nourished workforce is better to withstand stress and would be more tolerant of annoyances. Let’s eat healthier to be kinder to one another.