How Can Your Diet Boost Your Mental Health & Movember Men's Health Update/Testimonial!

As it's still Movember and one of the topics this month looks at raisin awareness of is men's mental health today's topic will be looking how your diet can help boost your mental health!

This time of year can also bring about many cases of S.A.D (seasonal affective disorder) a mood disorder where people can experience depressive symptoms and poor mental health due to the change in season.

Your diet can dramatically affect your mental health, what we put in our bodies can affect our energy levels, how we feel and our thinking patterns.

Eating Breakfast Is Key!- eating a healthy, filling and balanced breakfast to start off the day will keep your energy levels high and stop you from becoming irritable and tired.

Eat Slow Release Foods!-  foods high in protein such as nuts, seeds, oats and whole grains as opposed to sugary snacks and drinks means you won't fall victim to the "sugar crash". This is when certain foods give us a sudden rush of energy. but then quickly fades making our blood sugar levels low which in turn can affect your mental health. Eating slow release foods which will give you energy longer over the course of the day will help avoid this.

Stay Hydrated!- It is important to drink plenty of water throughout the day or you could become dehydrated. Dehydration can often make it difficult for you to think or concentrate clearly, therefore could negatively impact your mental health. To make staying hydrated a bit more exciting why not try flavored water, green/herbal teas or diluted fruit juice?

Cut The Caffeine!- Too much caffeine can cause anxious or depressive thoughts as well as affect your sleep so be sure to cut back on the teas and coffees if you are experiencing any of these symptoms.

Eat Good Fats!- Many shudder at the thought of fatty foods but foods rich in good fats such as omega 3 and 6 is essential for your brain to function properly. Foods such as oily fish, nuts, sunflower/olive oil, milk, eggs, cheese, yogurt's and avocados are a great source of healthy fats.

We are also very excited to say that our catering and accommodation manager- Ian Webster is taking part in Movember in hopes to raise awareness of men's mental health! Below you can view his testimonial, link to his fundraising page and a picture update of his mustache!

Hi, my name is Ian Webster, I’m the Accommodation & Catering Manager at RGU. This is my 2^nd year of doing Movember.  The 1^st year I did, we didn’t have an RGU team and I really pleased that this year we have one with 67 members all actively trying to raise money for the campaign!  I think this is mainly due to the enthusiasm and drive of Marty McGouran, the RGU: RAG chair, and I am very grateful for his support!

My passion is men’s mental health and about getting men to speak more about their feelings. Too many men bottle things up and don’t speak to anyone about how they feel.  I was particularly moved by an email I got in September from the Movember movement about the World Suicide Prevention day and the suicide note that was printed in there (see attached). If we can prevent one man from committing suicide by getting them to talk then we will have achieved a lot.  I know that some of the money we raise will go towards this. 

I also think that in our everyday lives we need more men to talk about how they feel for their own mental well being and we can encourage other men to do this and feel comfortable doing this by creating an environment in which they feel they can talk about their feelings.

I like the Movember campaign as it is very visual and people ask what you are doing when they see your mustache and you can explain the campaign to them, especially as the month goes on. I am doing a scary trucker mustache this year. I am going to grow a beard into December and keep the Mo – member going!

Ian Webster

Link to my Movember campaign:

http://mobro.co/ianwebster1963

Remember if you are feeling depressed, anxious or feel your mental health has changed and become low it is essential you visit your GP and let them know. Having a strong support system whether that be family, friends or maybe the counselling services at the university are also very important to your mental heath. Bottling up your feelings is never the answer and can make things worse in the long run.

We hope this was helpful and informative for all of our readers and that you have a happy week!