Certain foods can be detrimental to your mental health with certain foods linked to a weakened sense of focus and memory. According to a nutritional scientist and faculty member of Harvard Medical School, Dr. UmaNaidoo, shows the results of a study linking gut bacteria triggering a metabolic process and brain inflammation that can lead to impacted memory.
Along with Dr. Naidoo’s study, other existing studies have shown that people can reduce possibly developing mental problems by avoiding food that compromises gut bacteria while weakening focus and memory. These are some foods that should be avoided to prevent impacting mental health and brain health.
The brain uses energy in the form of sugar (glucose) that fuels cellular activity, but a high-sugar diet can result in excess glucose in the brain that is linked to memory impairment and the part of the brain controlling memory in the hippocampus. Consuming unprocessed foods like soda and baked goods are filled with added/refined sugars that flood the brain with too much glucose.
Consumers are recommended to check the “added sugars” section in the Nutrition Facts panel on food products. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends men consume less than 36 grams of added sugar and women should limit to 25 grams of added sugar per day.
Fried foods might be delicious to eat but aren’t the healthiest brain food with one study of 18,080 participants found that having a diet high in fried foods was linked to lower scores in memory and learning tests. The results deemed that fried foods could damage blood vessels supplying the brain with blood.
Another study consisted of 715 people measuring levels of mental resilience and depression while documenting their consumption of fried foods. Researchers concluded people who consumed more fried foods were more likely to develop depression in their lifetime. It’s recommended to cut down the consumption of fried foods by taking steps to reduce eating fried foods down starting by making it a weekly habit, then a monthly habit, and hopefully cutting out fried foods entirely.
Eating high-carbohydrate food that is made using refined flour might not taste sweet, but your body processes refined flour similar to sugar. This process can also raise risks for depression, and it’s recommended to consider the quality of carbs.
Researchers evaluated which particular carbs were associated with depression with the results relating to the glycemic index (GI) that measures how quickly foods convert to glucose during the digestion period. The study indicated “better-quality” carbs were defined as foods high in fiber and whole grains that rank lower on the GI with a higher ranking based on how fast food turns into glucose in the body. People eating better-quality carbs were deemed 30% less likely to develop depression than people eating high-GI carbs.
Another major factor in mental health through the diet is the consumption of nitrates that is a preservative used to enhance deli slices and cured meats (sausage, bacon, or salami) can be connected with depression. Nitrates can alter gut bacteria and it’s recommended for people to try finding these meats containing buckwheat flour as a filler that contains antioxidants to counter some of the negative health effects of these meats. The research for this article was sourced from CNBC.