Here's Your Gold Watch - MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATE-FOOD & MOOD

Here's Your Gold Watch - Rheutired: Getting Older With RA. Where's the Research?: When I was first diagnosed with  rheumatoid arthritis  I almost never saw anyone with RA. The few I met were elderly ladies who were probab... https://yourgoldwatch.blogspot.com/search/label/advocacy?fbclid=IwAR0Urt2ODYtrTOw3GkhzlD-NXxZBp1Yw8BzSKCYAz1wEcaqEow_ixw-ayiQ FRIDAY LINKEDIN NEWS ADVOCATE FOR BETTER MENTAL HEALTH Have you ever felt hangry (hungry + angry)? Food and mood have an effect on one another. Understand how they interact so you can make good diet choices and avoid emotional or impulse eating. Maybe it’s no coincidence that food and mood are just a letter apart; the two are peas in a pod. Think about it: you stick to a giant dinner salad on a “winning it” kind of day, and reach for a tub of ice cream after a bad date or a frustrating day at work. It’s a delicate relationship, and it can spin out of control if you’re not careful. Let’s look at the food-mood relationship, and how to set it right again when it goes wrong.The First Craving Even if you maintain a healthy diet, it’s normal to desire high calorie, unhealthy treats when stressed or depressed. 1 This makes sense: your body wants to fuel up for fight-or-flight mode when times get tough, but it can mistake the stress of fighting traffic on the freeway for fighting predators on the savanna. It’s no wonder a whole pizza, a plate piled with fried chicken, or a chocolate milkshake can seem like a cure for a downer of a day--there’s a reason it’s called “comfort food.”Vicious Cycle A cheat meal every now and then can be okay, but if you use food to battle the blues, you’re going to lose the war. Research shows that foods full of fat and sugar only increase the likelihood of depression and anxiety, and that means you’ll only want more sugary junk to fight the new bad mood. 2 This cycle is a feedback loop.The Downward Spiral If the consumption of fats and sugar goes on too long, your body will adapt to it, and think it’s normal. Then, when you try to start eating right, you could throw off your system and further increase anxiety and depression, trapping you in a cycle of bad eating to try to maintain happiness. It’s a terrible place to be.Breaking the Cycle There’s a way avoid the downward spiral; you’re not trapped. In the same way that unhealthy comfort food can keep you feeling low, healthy food can boost you up. In one study, the happiness that came from eating eight portions of fruits and vegetables a day was equal to the joy experienced by an unemployed person finding a job. 3 That’s a huge lift in attitude!Things Keep Looking Up When you’re happier, your more likely to crave healthy foods. In one study, participants watching a happy movie opted for grapes, while those watching a sad movie reached for the popcorn. 4 It’s easier to stay healthy when you stay happy. And don’t forget, eating healthier helps you stay happier.Up, Up, and Away! The best part? There are long term mental health effects to eating well. Research has shown that healthy choices, like the Mediterranean diet, full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, can help keep depression at bay, 5 stabilizing mood and keeping you out of the danger zone where it feels like only a cupcake will save the day. Good Mood Foods There are some specific foods to keep an eye on to boost your mood:Fruits and Vegetables -- An apple a day keeps the doctor away--and maybe the psychiatrist, too. As noted, fruits and veg have been linked to higher levels of happiness.3 Omega-3 Fatty Acids – This is the good stuff, found in foods like fish and nut oils. Low Omega-3 fatty acids have been correlated to depression and impulsivity. Getting plenty of this in your diet keeps your levels high, that’s a good thing.2 Chocolate – As a special treat, chocolate may have properties that improve mood and even reduce tension. But remember, the key is to choose real chocolate (dark is best), and in moderation.2 Start Now: Break the Bad Mood/ Bad Food Cycle Stock up on convenient and healthy snacks, like bananas or individual bags of nuts or carrots. Keep them within easy reach at home, work and in the car. Now, the next time a craving or bad mood hits, you can reach for some mood-boosting goodness.Now eat right, so you’ll be in the mood to be healthy for good! Mental Health Treatment is not just from the neck up People living with Severe Mental Illness (SMI) have 10 – 20 years shorter average life expectancy than the general population, with physical health issues being the most significant contributing factor to the shortened life expectancy. Importantly, many of these physical health concerns such as malnutrition, cardiometabolic syndrome, diabetes and cardiovascular disease are preventable. The risk factors are multifactorial: Psychotropic Medications can cause lethargy and increased appetite, leading to weight gain. Then the associated risk factors of obesity: 15 – 72% people with SMI taking antipsychotics experience iatrogenic weight gain Disparity in healthcare access Lifestyle choices Obesogenic environments Poor oral health The role of the mental health dietitian is varied and the impact that they can have is significant. From working with individuals at the start of their mental health journey, working on health promotion and disease prevention, to diabetes and cardiovascular disease management. They also work with the challenges faced by the person living with mental illness and their friends, family and carers. One of the key skills of a mental health dietitian is working in a behaviour change model, supporting people to understand why they make the choices they make and work with them on lifestyle changes that will support them to reach their goals. Dietitians work in many areas in mental health settings: Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) Adult Mental Health – early intervention to severe mental illness (SMI) Forensics Older Adults – functional and organic Learning Disabilities Eating Disorders Drug and Alcohol Services Perinatal A Mental Health Dietitian can work in many areas from health promotion, disease management, Specialised Services such as CAMHS and Eating Disorders, to research. The work is varied involving patients, carers, healthcare professionals, catering services, national policy makers, and is the ideal job for a dietitian that wants to work across all services from primary to tertiary care. Food and Mood This is a popular phrase that is often bandied about, but what does it mean. What we do know is that a Mediterranean Diet has been shown to have a positive impact with depression. Those following a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and pulses, unsaturated fats, oily fish and lean meats have significant improvement with depressive symptoms compared to those following a standard Western diet. That being said, diet cannot replace treatment from a multidisciplinary team, but it can play a vital role in the overall management. The gut-brain axis: New area of research – Nutritional Psychiatry Recent studies support the connection between the quality of diet, gut microbiota and mental health through regulation of metabolic functions, anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic properties and the support of neurogenesis. Information type: Article Food and mood: Food Fact Sheet We all have good days and bad days; we all have foods we like more, or like less. But is there a connection between feeling fine and the foods we have eaten? Do some foods make us feel grumpy? Is it possible to plan a diet for a good mood? Vitamins and minerals When you don’t eat enough nutrient-rich foods, your body may lack vital vitamins and minerals, which may affect your energy, mood and brain function. The table below shows how not getting enough of some vitamins/minerals can affect your mood, and what you can eat to replenish your body. You should aim to get your vitamins and minerals from eating a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables. In certain circumstances or for certain people, supplements may be beneficial e.g. folic acid for all women planning pregnancy; iron supplements for people diagnosed with anaemia; vitamin B12 for vegans and older adults, and vitamin D for everyone in winter months, and all pregnant and breastfeeding women, older adults, and people with dark skin. Carbohydrate = Glucose = Brain Power To be able to concentrate and focus your brain needs enough energy, which comes from blood glucose. In fact, the brain uses 20 per cent of all the energy your body needs. Glucose is also vital to fuel muscles and maintain body temperature. The glucose in our blood comes from the carbohydrates we eat – including fruit, vegetables, cereals, bread, rice, potatoes, sugars and lactose in milk. Eating breakfast and regular meals containing some carbohydrate helps you have enough glucose in your blood. Healthier sources of carbohydrates include wholegrains, vegetables, fruits, legumes and lower fat dairy foods. These are important sources of other nutrients as well, such as calcium and B vitamins. Not having enough glucose in your blood (hypoglycaemia) can make you feel weak, tired and ‘fuzzy minded’. This may happen when you don’t eat enough carbohydrate-containing food, and is a particular risk if you have diabetes or do extreme exercise or manual labour. It can also happen if you follow a very restrictive diet or have irregular eating patterns. Although glucose ensures good concentration and focus, once your blood glucose is within the normal range, you cannot further boost your brain power or concentration by increasing your glucose levels. If you are eating some carbohydrate foods, additional sugary ‘energy’ drinks are not needed and not helpful. Comfort eating There is a messenger chemical in the brain called serotonin, which improves mood and how we feel. Serotonin is made with a part of protein from the diet (tryptophan), and eating carbohydrate-rich foods may help more of this get into your brain. This suggestion has been used to explain ‘carbohydrate craving’ – eating sweet, comfort foods to boost mood. There is not enough research to show that eating lots of protein foods containing tryptophan or eating a lot of carbohydrates can really support mood improvement in humans. But it may be that not eating enough carbohydrate (for example through a high protein/high fat diet) leads to low moods. You also may have heard the idea that eating chocolate can make you feel happier, and there are observations that people feeling down are more likely to eat chocolate. This is probably because chocolate is a well-known reward and comfort food, rather than due to any potent physiological effects particular to cocoa. Caffeine and the ‘drug-effect’ Caffeine, found in coffee, cola and energy drinks, is often called a drug: it acts as a stimulant and can increase feelings of alertness, and counter the effects of fatigue. However it may be that some of the effects of caffeine actually ‘normalise’ the lower levels of alertness felt by regular users who have not consumed enough caffeine that day. Too much caffeine, particularly in people who are not used to it, may cause the adverse effects of irritability and headache. Such symptoms also occur with caffeine withdrawal in people used to lots of caffeine on a regular basis. AmericanListed provides millions of safe and local classifieds for jobs, rentals, pets, for sale, housing, real estate, cars, boats, services, events, clothing, furniture and motorcycles. ⦁ Link to 3k Per Month Order Page ⦁ Affiliate Link https://www.realppvtraffic.com/a/aff/go/amps70?i=1 Food and Mood gray-haired woman eating apple with heart shape bite Have you ever felt hangry (hungry + angry)? Food and mood have an effect on one another. Understand how they interact so you can make good diet choices and avoid emotional or impulse eating. Maybe it’s no coincidence that food and mood are just a letter apart; the two are peas in a pod. Think about it: you stick to a giant dinner salad on a “winning it” kind of day, and reach for a tub of ice cream after a bad date or a frustrating day at work. It’s a delicate relationship, and it can spin out of control if you’re not careful. Let’s look at the food-mood relationship, and how to set it right again when it goes wrong. The First Craving Even if you maintain a healthy diet, it’s normal to desire high calorie, unhealthy treats when stressed or depressed.1 This makes sense: your body wants to fuel up for fight-or-flight mode when times get tough, but it can mistake the stress of fighting traffic on the freeway for fighting predators on the savanna. It’s no wonder a whole pizza, a plate piled with fried chicken, or a chocolate milkshake can seem like a cure for a downer of a day--there’s a reason it’s called “comfort food.” Vicious Cycle A cheat meal every now and then can be okay, but if you use food to battle the blues, you’re going to lose the war. Research shows that foods full of fat and sugar only increase the likelihood of depression and anxiety, and that means you’ll only want more sugary junk to fight the new bad mood.2 This cycle is a feedback loop. The Downward Spiral If the consumption of fats and sugar goes on too long, your body will adapt to it, and think it’s normal. Then, when you try to start eating right, you could throw off your system and further increase anxiety and depression, trapping you in a cycle of bad eating to try to maintain happiness.2 It’s a terrible place to be. Breaking the Cycle There’s a way avoid the downward spiral; you’re not trapped. In the same way that unhealthy comfort food can keep you feeling low, healthy food can boost you up. In one study, the happiness that came from eating eight portions of fruits and vegetables a day was equal to the joy experienced by an unemployed person finding a job.3 That’s a huge lift in attitude! Things Keep Looking Up When you’re happier, your more likely to crave healthy foods. In one study, participants watching a happy movie opted for grapes, while those watching a sad movie reached for the popcorn.4 It’s easier to stay healthy when you stay happy. And don’t forget, eating healthier helps you stay happier. Up, Up, and Away! The best part? There are long term mental health effects to eating well. Research has shown that healthy choices, like the Mediterranean diet, full of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, can help keep depression at bay,5 stabilizing mood and keeping you out of the danger zone where it feels like only a cupcake will save the day. Good Mood Foods There are some specific foods to keep an eye on to boost your mood: Fruits and Vegetables -- An apple a day keeps the doctor away--and maybe the psychiatrist, too. As noted, fruits and veg have been linked to higher levels of happiness.3 Omega-3 Fatty Acids – This is the good stuff, found in foods like fish and nut oils. Low Omega-3 fatty acids have been correlated to depression and impulsivity. Getting plenty of this in your diet keeps your levels high, that’s a good thing.2 Chocolate – As a special treat, chocolate may have properties that improve mood and even reduce tension. But remember, the key is to choose real chocolate (dark is best), and in moderation.2 Start Now: Break the Bad Mood/ Bad Food Cycle Stock up on convenient and healthy snacks, like bananas or individual bags of nuts or carrots. Keep them within easy reach at home, work and in the car. Now, the next time a craving or bad mood hits, you can reach for some mood-boosting goodness. Now eat right, so you’ll be in the mood to be healthy for good! Sources: 1Yau YHC, Potenza MN. Stress and Eating Behaviors. Minerva endocrinologica. 2013;38(3):255-267. 2Singh M. Mood, food, and obesity. Frontiers in Psychology. 2014;5:925. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00925. 3Mujcic R, J Oswald A. Evolution of Well-Being and Happiness After Increases in Consumption of Fruit and Vegetables. Am J Public Health. 2016 Aug;106(8):1504-10. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2016.303260. 4You Are What You Eat: How Food Affects Your Mood. Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science. February 3, 2011. Accessed May 10, 2018. 5Jun S Lai, Sarah Hiles, Alessandra Bisquera, Alexis J Hure, Mark McEvoy, John Attia; A systematic review and meta-analysis of dietary patterns and depression in community-dwelling adults, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2014;99(1):181–197