TAKE 15 for October!!

With Our take 15 campaign running for the whole month of October we wanted to continue to talk about all things mental wellbeing in this blog.

 

This week we’re talking about how eating regularly is key to your mental wellbeing.

 

THE IMPORTANCEOF REGULAR MEALS

Eating regularly throughout the day is important for a number of reasons.

Regular meals provide an even source of energy, in contrast to the dips and spikes created when meals are missed.

You also need to feed your brain regularly with the right mix of nutrients for it to work properly. Unlike other organs, your brain relies on a steady supply of glucose (ideally coming from starchy carbohydrates) as its primary fuel. When blood glucose levels rise in a moderate manner and are sustained for longer, there is greater ability to concentrate & think clearly which supports stress management (both low & high blood glucose is a physical ‘stress’ to the body and can contribute to overall stress).

 

WHAT IS REGULAR EATING?

Regular eating involves eating something roughly every 3 hours. Regular eating usually takes the form of three meals and 2 or 3 snacks a day. Ideally, you want to try to eat breakfast within an hour of waking following

with lunch and dinner being 5-6 hours apart after that - not forgetting a healthy snack in between.

 

EATING THE RIGHT TYPE OF CARBOHYDRATE

There is a direct link between mood and blood sugar balance. All carbohydrate foods are broken down into glucose and your brain runs on glucose.

For example, refined carbohydrates such as sweets, cakes, biscuits, white bread etc. rapidly raise our blood sugar levels causing a sugar high which cannot be sustained and results in a dip/sugar crash which can set off a series of mood swings (fatigue, irritability and headaches). The best way to keep your blood sugar level even is to eat what is called a low Glycemic Load (GL) diet and avoid, as much as you can, refined sugar and

refined foods, eating whole foods instead (brown rice, granary/wholegrain bread, potatoes, wholemeal pasta, lentils), fruits, vegetables, and regular meals.

 

WHAT SHOULD I SNACK ON BETWEEN MEALS?

Here are just two of many food groups to consider.

Eat plenty of colourful fruits and vegetables: Fruits and vegetables are low in calories and nutrient dense, which means they are packed with vitamins, minerals,

antioxidants, and fibre.

Focus on eating the recommended daily minimum of five to seven servings of fruit and vegetables and it will naturally fill you up and help you cut back on

unhealthy foods.

 

NUTS AND SEEDS

A quick easy snack to take on the road but also a nice addition to any salad, cereal, stir-fry. Nuts provide a range of nutrients, including large quantities of healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (49–74% total fat), and moderate amounts of protein (9–20%).

Nuts are also a good source of dietary fibre and provide a wide range of essential nutrients, including several B group vitamins (including folate), vitamin E, minerals such as calcium, iron, zinc, potassium and magnesium, antioxidant minerals (selenium, manganese and copper).

 

From a mental health

perspective these nutrients have the following effects:

• Magnesium, may help improve memory and protect against age-related memory loss, according to a study in the journal Neuron.

• Vitamin B6, can lift your mood.

• Vitamin E, may prevent cataracts and macular degeneration, maintain healthy skin, and reduce risk of dementia.

• Brazil nuts are one of the best sources of the mineral selenium, and studies have shown that people who are low in it have increased rates of depression, irritability, anxiety and tiredness.

 

As all nuts have different nutrition credentials and offer various health benefits keep mixing them up but remember they are an energy dense snack so be careful of portion size, a handful a day is a good guide