Can diet help?
Food can influence your mood and have a significant effect on your health. Here are a few helpful tips to help you get started
- Make changes to your diet at a pace that suits you, avoid trying an all at once or crash aproach.
- Keep a food diary so you can see how the changes make you feel and work out a plan best for you.
- Get advice from your GP before cutting out any major food groups such as wheat or dairy.
- Try to have at least 5 servings of fresh fruit or vegetables every day.
- Try eating 2 portions a week of oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel or sardines.
- Try reducing the amount of 'trans' fat in your diet. This is found in pies and factory made pastry, cakes & biscuits.
- Try eating more beans and pulses, such as lentils and chickpeas.
- Try to eat foods rich in starch, fibre and wholegrains. This might mean switching from more processed foods to foods in their whole state such as wholegrain rice, pasta and bread.
- Try drinking up to two litres (3.5 pints or 6-8 glasses) of fluids a day. Everything counts - water, milk, and hot drinks - but alcohol doesn't.
- Try to cut down on caffeine, found in tea and coffee.
- Try to cut down on sugar and foods rich in processed sugars such as sweets and confectionary.
- Try to eat a variety of different foods.
Click here for a few tips on helping you feel less hungry.
Updated 11.11
Resources
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Alternative therapies leaflet
Royal College of Psychiatrists leaflet on alternative therapies.
Credit: Royal College of Psychiatrists
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Food and mental health
Information about Food and mental health from the Mental Health Foundation.
Credit: Mental Health Foundation
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Schizophrenia and depression are affected by diet
Interesting article from the Royal College of Psychiatrists about a study which found that a higher national dietary intake of refined sugar and dairy products predicted a worse two-year outcome of schizophrenia. A high national prevalence of depression was predicted by a low dietary intake of fish and seafood.
It is known that dietary variations predict the prevalence of physical illnesses, such as diabetes and heart disease. However, the possible influence of diet on mental health has so far been neglected.
Published in the May 2004 issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry, this study was an ecological analysis of international variations in food supply in relation to epidemiological data on the outcome of schizophrenia and on the prevalence of depression.
Credit: Royal College of Psychiatrists
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Free fruit and veg improves diet of people with schizophrenia
Interesting article from the Royal College of Psychiatrists about a study which found that a diet of people with schizophrenia can improve when they are given free fruit and vegetables.
The diet of patients with schizophrenia is poor compared with that of the general population, and they have a higher risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke. A pilot study in Nithsdale in Scotland showed that patients were making poor dietary choices, and that assertive programmes to improve eating habits were necessary.
In this study 101 patients with schizophrenia from Nithsdale, southwest Scotland and West Glasgow were randomly assigned to receive free fruit and vegetables for six months, with dietary education; free fruit and vegetables alone; or to receive treatment as usual with no dietary intervention.
Credit: Royal College of Psychiatrists