As a mental health counselor I have always discussed the role nutrition and physical activity plays on a persons' mental and physical health (Sleep is an important factor too). I became a personal trainer and fitness nutrition specialist so I could further help people incorporate these "therapies" into their treatment planning. So many of my clients are reluctant to use anti-depressants and they are finding success in recovery through the use of counseling, exercise and changing to whole food and mindful eating.
I'm relieved to finally find more research being conducted to explore further the role nutrition has on not just physical health but also mental health. Hopefully we will start seeing medical schools teaching more about the role of nutrition on patients' overall health. I also hope this will lead to policy changes that will ensure nutrition counseling and personal training are covered by health insurance.
The following is an excerpt from an article titled: International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research consensus position statement: nutritional medicine in modern psychiatry.
Robust associations have been established between nutritional quality and mental health, with the bulk of this evidence indicating a protective effect of healthy diets on depressed mood, and the newest research supporting a detrimental impact of unhealthy diets on the mental health of young people and adults.
Diet and nutrition offer key modifiable targets for the prevention of mental disorders and have a fundamental role in the promotion of mental health.....we advocate that evidence-based nutritional change should be regarded as an efficacious and cost-effective means to improve mental health.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/wps.20223/full
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