Healthy eating is not about strict dietary limitations, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, it’s about feeling great, having more energy, improving your outlook, and stabilizing your mood. If you feel overwhelmed by all the conflicting nutrition and diet advice out there, you’re not alone.
It seems that for every expert who tells you a certain food is good for you; you’ll find another saying exactly the opposite. You can cut through the confusion and learn how to create a tasty, and healthy diet that is as good for your mind as it is for your body.
We all know that eating right can help you maintain a healthy weight and avoid certain health problems, but your diet can also have a profound effect on your mood and sense of well being. Studies have linked eating a typical diet filled with processed meats, packaged meals, takeout food, and sugary snacks with higher rates of mental health disorders, as well as, depression, stress, and anxiety.
Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables, cooking meals at home, and reducing your intake of sugar and carbohydrates, on the other hand, may help to improve mood and lower your risk for mental health problems. If you have been diagnosed with a mental health problem, eating well can even help to manage your symptoms and regain control of your life.
While some specific foods or nutrients have been shown to have a beneficial effect on mood, it’s your overall dietary pattern that is most important. That means switching to a healthy diet doesn’t have to be an all or nothing kind of thing. You don’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to completely eliminate foods you enjoy to have a healthy diet and make a difference to the way you think and feel.
According to the American Heart Association, a healthy diet and clean eating is the key to a healthy heart, and the best to beat cardiovascular disease. Here are the AHA’s tips to maintain a good quality of life:
- Eat a variety of fruit and vegetable servings every day. Dark green, deep orange, or yellow fruits and veggies are especially nutritious. Examples include spinach, carrots, peaches, and berries.
- ·Eat a variety of grain products every day. Include whole-grain foods that have lots of fiber and nutrients. Examples of whole grains include oats, whole wheat bread, and brown rice.
- Eat fish at least two times each week. Oily types of fish, which contain omega-3 fatty acids, are the best thing for your heart. These fish include tuna, salmon, mackerel, lake trout, herring, and sardines.
- Stay at a healthy weight by balancing the amount of calories you eat with the activity you do every day. If you want to lose weight, increase your activity level to burn more calories than you eat.
- Eat foods low in saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol.
- Read food labels and limit the amount of trans fat you eat. Trans fat raises the levels of bad cholesterol in the blood. Trans fat is found in many processed foods made with shortening or with partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated vegetable oils. These foods include cookies, crackers, chips, and many snack foods.
- Limit sodium. Most people get far more sodium than they need. Try to limit how much sodium (salt) you eat.
- Limit alcohol intake to 2 drinks a day for men and 1 drink a day for women.
- Limit drinks and foods with added sugar.
When you are eating away from home, try to follow these heart-healthy guidelines. Call 1-(800) 242-8721 or go to https://www.heart.org for more information.
Intercoastal Medical Group is a multispecialty practice specializing in primary care, and much more. With more than 85 doctors in eight locations across Sarasota and Manatee County, Florida, we make it easy to find a qualified doctor at a location that’s convenient for you. For more information about our services or to schedule an appointment with one of our doctors, please call Intercoastal Medical Group or request an appointment online.
