Hi everyone,
Here’s an interesting article in Science Daily about research at East Anglia Uni that children who eat a diet with lots of fruit and veg have better mental health because of this. So this a great incentive to encourage us all to eat more fruit and veg for our health and to encourage the younger generation who I think a lot of parents worry about how much time they spend on line and in virtual reality and don’t have enough fresh air or activity.
Here’s the article:
Impossible to eliminate healthy user bias, I'm afraid.
Every one is told that kids need to eat plenty of fresh fruits and veggies. Parents who have the time, resources and will to do the best for their kids will give them plenty of fresh fruits and veggies. The ones who aren't getting it are more likely being neglected or ill-treated in other ways too.
(I am pretty sure processed foods and sugars are bad for mental health, I just don't think a study like this can prove that)
Hi Subtle_badger this is something that I would really like to see an in depth study on fast food and our health as its obvious to healthy eaters the advantages of eating healthily for us, whereas consuming too many fast foods leaves people over weight and undernourished.
All we can do is encourage healthy eating.
I think it’s rather a sweeping statement to say that children are automatically being ‘neglected’ or ‘ill treated in other ways’ if they don’t get access to fresh fruit and veg as I’m sure some parents would agree.Having worked in areas of deprivation, it sometimes simply comes down lack of awareness. This is where health education and promotion plays a vital role.
I would add though that, as a mum who has carefully prepared and packed many a healthy school lunch more times than I care to remember, it was always the apple that came back home uneaten😂Grapes and raisins however were great hits😊
Hi Alb2 I agree we have to be very careful with sweeping generalisations about others life styles.
I read 2 other articles relating to this and one claims that we the consumer have driven the food industry in the fast food direction for the last 4 decades.
And the other research by Cambridge Uni that targeted children in under privileged families where they found giving fruit and veg to children in these circumstances actually made no difference. So you were right find what works for your children and grapes are a favourite of mine instead of sweets. 🍇
I smiled at your comment about the uneaten apple as I was a single working dad who experienced exactly the same. But we still gave our children a stable loving background and this is what children who live in a chaotic family situations sadly lack. And these children deserve our support.
I think you are misunderstanding what I am saying. The kids who are being driven to many extra-curricular activities, having play dates, sitting down to a family meal each night, talking to parents etc etc are much more likely to get their 5-a-day than those living with parents who don't have similar resources (time, money or knowledge). The kids who come home to an empty house, eat in front of the TV, spend long hours with unsupervised screen time, have parents who smoke, drink heavily or use drugs in front of them etc are less likely to be getting their 5-a-day.
It's impossible to tease out these difference with the sort of survey they described.
And there is other things. I ate tons of veggies and my brother ate as little as he could, fighting a battle off wills with dad each night over a tablespoon of beans, or whatever. But we both had the same domestic environment. I now realise my brother had mental health issues, but they were the cause of him refusing to eat vegetables, not the other way around.
Add a "more" above, because that was my meaning.
Glad to see you added the word more to clarify what you meant. Personally I would not agree that refusal to eat vegetables results in mental health issues. I am sure there are many people with these issues who follow a plant based diet😊
Probably
Hmm 🤔 maybe i need to eat a healthier diet to help with my anxiety?
Hi Hiba a healthy diet with lots of fresh fruit and veg with plenty of exercise and fresh air is a magic stress buster.
When I was your age we had a telephone land line with no mobile phones or tablets so we didn’t have the stress or tension of social media. And I grew up by the sea side so could go swimming or paddling in a canoe and this coupled with fresh air is healthy natural stress buster.
So I hope that you find some answers to your anxiety. 🙏
Something is going very wrong in western societies. Obesity, type II diabetes are on the increase, along with mental issues in the youth. I am not suggesting one causes the other - I don't think that is true (though having either would not help your mental health), but I think it's likely they have the same cause - and diet is the thing that has changed the most in the last 50 years.
The internet and social media might have added to the problems, but they had already started before they were part of most people's lives.
Yeah, I think looking at your diet could easily make your anxiety lessen.
(not medical advice) You could try eliminating sugar and processed foods from your diet entirely for a month, and see if your anxiety gets better.
Note: I eat what I would regard as a pretty clean diet, but I am suffering from some panic attacks from mild PTSD, so I know it's not a panacea, but it might help.
Hi Subtle_badger this reply ties in nicely with my latest post about our failed healthy eating habits over the last 4 decades.
I'm really sorry that you are suffering from PTSD you're doing really well eating a clean diet.
5 a day challenge to members 🥦🍉🍎🥑🍇
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