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Eat Your Veggies: Nutrition and Mental Health

November 18, 2016  |  Anxiety, Coping, Eating right, Emotional wellbeing, Exercise, Mental health, Nutrition

I'll go out on a limb here. I'll bet that more than a thousand times growing up, your parents told you at dinner, "Eat your veggies. They're GOOD for you!"

We've certainly learned through our doctors and research that eating right is good for your physical health. Vegetables have nutrients that build muscle, help your body process and use nutrients better, and many more good effects. Parents swear by it, too, spending time in the grocery store to pick just the right fruits and vegetables to put on the dinner table (and share as snacks, too!).

Now a recent issue of the journal Clinical Psychological Science has a section dedicated to diet and its effect on mental health. According to a post on PsychCentral, the section "highlights new studies and explains the different approaches that psychology researchers are taking to understand the many ways in which nutrition and mental health intersect."

It not exactly a new thought. Some have speculated that diet and nutrition have played a role in mental health for years. The new information, though, builds on earlier research showing good eating habits and nutrition and their effects on alleviating stress. Stress is closely linked to mental health, too.

You can read more about the studies - while you eat your veggies! Have a good week!