2023-07-06 16:06:00
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The food we eat allows the cells of our body to carry out all vital functions through nutrition.
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Each food group provides us with different nutrients, and we all need them to a greater or lesser extent to have a healthy and balanced diet. However, each of our organs has its own needs in order to function optimally.
Uma Naidoo, expert in nutritional psychiatry at Harvard University and passionate about the world of gastronomy, affirms that this is especially true for the brain and that “what we eat can have the same impact on our mental health as drugs prescribed by the doctor.”
In his book, What food does to your brainindica how we can achieve a healthier brain and enjoy better mental health through nutrition.
the gut-brain connection
Since the discovery of the microbiota hundreds of years ago, the way of understanding how it affects our body has evolved, but it is in the last decade that experts have been able to confirm that it is the key to the relationship between two of our vital organs: the intestine and the brain.
Bacteria, the protectors of the human body
In fact, these two organs are physically connected by the vagus nervein charge of transporting information and chemical substances between the two thanks to the enteric nervous system, a group of neurons located in our digestive tract.
This connection explains phenomena such as the feeling of having butterflies in the stomach, increased intestinal transit when we are nervous, or the development of some neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
HOW DOES DIET AFFECT MENTAL HEALTH?
Nutritional Psychiatry is the discipline in charge of study the impact of the food we eat on our emotional well-being and the development of mental health disorders. Naidoo specializes in research in this field, which, according to herself, is still expanding.
This knowledge allows you to explain that some neurotransmitters that regulate emotions -like serotonin- travel between the brain and the intestine, and therefore a diet that favors its production will help stabilize the mood. This particular hormone is often present in deficiency in the body of people who suffer from anxiety or depression.
Uma Naidoo emphasizes the importance of accompanying traditional medical treatments with the power of food suitable for our mental health, betting on a more holistic vision of well-being. In his book, he explains how to take care of your brain through food, what to eat and how, to create healthy habits with nutrition.
the foods recommended by the harvard expert
Eating the right foods to improve health goes hand in hand with consuming them in the right amounts. That is why Naidoo points out the importance of constantly eating varied dishes -containing foods of all colors, but where green predominates- to maintain a balanced and rich diet for our brain.
Why eating a more vegetable diet is better for our body
He also advises avoiding refined and ultra-processed sugars, and instead consuming more of the following types of foods:
1. Foods rich in vitamin A, C, B12, B9, B1 and B6 Legumes Banana Whole grains Carrot Avocado2. Foods rich in Omega-3SalmonEdamameChia seedsEggNuts3. Probiotics and prebioticsNatural yogurtKefirOatsGarlicAsparagus4. MineralsSpinachPumpkin seedsSeafoodLentilsChocolate with a high percentage of cocoa5. Spices and aromatic herbsSaffronOreganoTurmericChamomilePassionflower
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