Eat your way to a healthier headspace

You are what you eat, so the saying goes, and there is no doubt having healthy eating habits can help to keep you feeling well and better able to cope with life’s challenges.

Research has shown strong links between what we eat and how we feel, with an unbalanced diet inevitably leaving us feeling sluggish and flat.

But, according to headspace, the latest studies also show that eating a balanced diet – which incorporates a variety of fruit, vegetables, nuts and wholegrains – might actually result in improved mental health.

This includes helping us to get a better night’s sleep, giving us more energy, and improving concentration for things such as work and study.

It also makes us less likely to crave foods that are high in sugar, salt or fat.

Director of the Food and Mood Centre, Felice Jacka, shared the following tips with headspace to encourage a well-balanced, nutritional diet that is good for our mental health.

• Often we turn to snacks that aren’t nutritious when we are stressed. So it’s good to develop coping strategies that are not related to food – like exercise or mindfulness
• We know that some foods are very good for a healthy mind. Make sure your diet includes things like fruits and vegetables, foods high in fibre (wholegrain cereals and bread, beans, chickpeas, lentils and nuts), fermented foods like unsweetened yogurt, olive oil, and fish (tinned is fine)
• Make small changes that are easy to stick to. Start by swapping processed afternoon snacks for nutritious ones, like fruit
• You don’t have to be perfect, and don’t be too hard on yourself. A burger or a chocolate bar are fine every now and then (say, once on the weekend). But it’s important to make sure your diet includes a variety of nutritious foods, most of the time!
• Try to avoid too much red meat – a little bit is fine but keep it to three to four times per week.

Eating well is one important way to prioritise your mental health, along with getting enough exercise, sleeping well and staying connected with loved ones.

With that in mind, it pays to take a holistic approach to wellness.

But turning to delicious and nutritious food options is certainly a great place to start for maintaining good mental health and doing what we can to feel at our best.

Thankfully there are a wealth of healthy recipes freely available online that can help to ensure your switch to a healthier diet is a positive – and tasty – experience.