Did you know that the majority (almost 90%!) of your serotonin is produced in your gut from the food you eat!
Remember that Serotonin is a major player in regulating our mood, happiness, and anxiety, it also helps us regulate sleep (refer to my June post for more information).
So stable Serotonin levels help us feel emotionally stable, happier, and calmer.
Do you see why WHAT you eat is SO important.
Can you see why having a balanced diet and eating healthy can greatly improve your mental health?
Yes?
Awesome.
Here are 4 nutrition tips for better mental and physical health:
1. QUANTITY!
Portion sizes go a VERY long way in being healthy.
Food should be a pleasure and it should be something you are excited for.
That is why our taste buds are so powerful!
So, you should never think you CANNOT have that food.
The key here is moderation, choosing the right (and often smaller) portion sizes for each meal as well as controlling (but not necessarily limiting) the amount of food you eat in a day.
Many of my clients are shocked when they learn they can still eat lots of food and feel full AND still lose weight and feel energized.
Most meals you buy out are way too big for a single portion, so packing up that extra food is a great way to enjoy it again and have another meal too!
So the next time you eat, be mindful of the quantity you are consuming.
2. QUALITY!
Focus on what’s IN it.
Not all food is created equal.
If you’ve watched my Healthy Habits video on Nutrition you might remember there are different kinds of Carbohydrates, different kinds of Fats, different kinds of Proteins (these 3 make up Macronutrients), and there are many kinds of Vitamins, Minerals (Micronutrients) and other beneficial chemicals.
For the most part, when reading nutrition labels, one with less ingredients and less ingredients you cannot pronounce, the better.
Complex Carbohydrates (usually dark carbs like whole grain rice, brown pasta, and whole oats) give a steady release of energy (mostly because they’re digested slower).
Adding more colours to each meal is a helpful guide (it may not seem like much, but those colours are packed full of important vitamins, minerals and antioxidants we need), cutting back on trans fats, processed sugars, and added salt (sodium) will help you get more nutrients which in turn helps your mood and energy!
Did you know? The less you eat heavily sweet, fatty, or salty foods, the less your body craves them.
Learning about the Quality of food is one of the BEST ways you can help healthy eating.
3. LISTEN TO HOW YOUR BODY FEELS.
After eating,
Do you get a spike in mood?
A spike in energy?
Do you feel fatigued and lethargic after a little while?
Do your cravings for certain things increase?
These are all signs from your body showing you what it thinks of the food you’re eating.
Ideally you want to feel a little boost in mood and energy that stays there for several hours.
Remember, slow releasing complex carbs and veggies, and healthy fats and proteins help with that sustained energetic and good feeling.
Next time you eat pay attention to how you feel after.
4. TIMING IS IMPORTANT!
We all know how important having energy throughout the day is.
A regular eating schedule can help that by having consistent meals throughout each day.
We also know how important SLEEP is for mental and physical health.
So, avoiding eating close to bedtime and avoiding heavy fats and sugars before bed can also help us sleep better.
Bonus: WATER!
Water greatly helps with digestion and helps prevent tiredness, headaches, and multiple negative affects of dehydration (which is just a 2% drop in body water!)
And remember, that boost in mood from unhealthy foods is most often following by a drop in mood, drop in blood sugar, and increase in cravings. Which might not be worth it…
Above all else, please remember:
Eating should be enjoyable.
You should feel good, full, and satisfied after eating.
Healthy eating can help you lose/maintain weight or gain muscle (whatever your goal is) without excessively restricting calories.
For more information please check out the HelpGuides.Org article on Healthy Eating: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/healthy-eating.htm#
At Elate Fitness, our goal and mission are to make obtaining a Healthy Body and Happy Mind easy.
To do so, I want to make sure that every aspect of healthy living is accessible for you.
As much as nutrition helps, it doesn’t mean much if you don’t know what to make.
So, I have been putting together a NEW HEALTHY RECIPE COOKBOOK!!!
Are you on our mailing list? We are giving away FREE parts of the Cookbook if you are, as well as loads of information and ways to win free stuff in the future.
As always, remember every one of us has mental health and you are NEVER alone.
Take care,
Corbin
P.S. I’ve changed a few things in the Elate Fitness app to make it easier, including making it easier to sign up! Everything is now found in one place to it’s even easier to get started.
