Food and emotions: the impact of diet on physical and mental health during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic

In difficult times and stressful environments, it is easy for people to rely on food for emotional comfort; however, eating unsatisfactory food can also change a person’s mental health. Here, Dr. Uma Naidoo, director of the Department of Nutrition and Lifestyle Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, makes recommendations to help everyone maintain physical and mental health during the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

What is nutritional psychiatry and how does it link mental health and nutrition?

People often say: "You are made of what you eat." Nutritional Theology studies the effects of food and nutrition on mental health. Scientifically speaking, because certain chemical substances move back and forth between the human intestine and brain regions, there is a physical connection between them, so food can affect our mental health. For example, there are research handle that show that after the Mediterranean eating regimen can forestall the improvement of gloom. 

What kind of mental health problems can be alleviated by good nutrition?

Anxiety disorder is the most common mental illness in the United States, followed by depression. There is no doubt that these mental health problems will worsen during the new coronavirus pandemic. We recommend eating more fruits and vegetables, lean meats, whole grains, and healthy fats (such as olive oil and avocado), while reducing added sugars. This can keep the intestinal bacteria in a healthier balance. It has been proven that this can indeed relieve anxiety, stress and depression.

What should individuals focus on when purchasing food?

When shopping, it is recommended that you first put some healthy food in the shopping cart. Here are a few proposals for nourishments that can improve psychological well-being:

1. First look at the periphery of the store, usually where fruits, vegetables, dairy products, meat, and poultry are located.
2. Consider using sweet potatoes instead of potatoes. Sweet potato is a more complex carbohydrate and takes longer to digest. You can even use the oven to replace French fries.
3. Try using melon spaghetti instead of pasta.
4. You can buy organic canned beans (black beans, red kidney beans, cannellini, butter beans, navy beans) or dried beans if you know how to cook dried beans in a pressure cooker
5. Frozen vegetables without salt or sugar are super simple to make, healthy and fast.
6. Choose chicken or turkey instead of beef.
7. On the off chance that you have a huge enough cooler, frozen natural product without syrup is another acceptable decision.

What snacks do you recommend eating at home can help relieve gluttons?

Here are some suggestions for managing sweet and salty cravings:

• Combine antioxidant-rich dark natural chocolate with fresh oranges or tangerines. Eating natural chocolate without alkalizing agents has positive benefits for the brain. In addition, all citrus is rich in vitamin C, which is a powerful immune booster.
• Make air popcorn and add appetite-stimulating seasonings (such as taco spices) to make delicious crunchy snacks with less oil.
• Try oven-baked kale slices instead of less healthy potato slices.
• Try a mixed berry salad and Greek yogurt with a little honey.

Should I avoid food that may be harmful to health/mental health?

I call these "suspect foods" because even if we knew they were not healthy, we didn't realize that they would worsen our mental health. Although we do need some pleasant enjoyment at this time, the key is to be restrained. When you eat foods that you love but are not so healthy, you can share them with your family, and you can also control the amount of food you eat. 

The prompt is as follows:

• Avoid fruit juice with added sugar, because sugar will increase calories. For example, it is recommended to eat oranges and avoid drinking orange juice.
• Keep away from packaged biscuits and baked goods; these snacks have undergone extensive preservative treatment, which may worsen one's mood.
• In addition to candy, a great way to get texture and sweetness is to consider mixing raw almonds with dark chocolate chips and coconut chips.
• Avoid fried foods (consider using oven bake or air fryer) and fast food.