This is big…
This week I spent time at Nanga Bush Camp talking with the young leaders of @zero2hero Camp Hero program. We talked about the influence their food choices can have on how they think and how they can make them feel. Their enthusiasm for change always leaves me inspired and I’m grateful for their huge energy. It might sound surprising to some, but young people are really keen to alter their diet if they believe it will improve their mood.
This is important because the World Health Organisation estimates that 1 in 5 kids will grow up to live with some kind of mental health problem. This by itself can seem ominous, but what’s interesting about this statistic is that over half of all adult mental health problems begin in adolescence, as a teenager. Maybe instead, we should see this as an opportunity to affect big change while kids are still young just by getting the diet right.
We should be very proud as Australians; @foodandmoodcentre at Deakin University actually leads the world in research looking at how what we eat influences our brain, mood and mental health. It’s a massive area of research because we know so many kids are ending up on antidepressants and it’s not really curing the problem... we know it’s just a band aid. We need to look at why more and more kids are suffering from anxiety and depression. We are thankful for the research being done at Deakin. They are a wonderful resource for parents and professionals.
Studies have found that young people with the healthiest diets are about HALF as likely to have depression. Versus those with a diet highest in junk food and processed foods are 80% MORE LIKELY to have depression. One study found that 1/3 of participants with depression experienced full relief of their symptoms after improving their diet. The more people improved their diet, the more their depression improved.
This is BIG guys!
Something as simple as eating a diet with more fruits and vegetables, wholegrains, legumes, fish, olive oil and other healthy foods while eating less junk and processed foods can be an effective treatment strategy for depression.
If you are a young adult or the parent of a child struggling with a mood issue and you are keen to make a change but you’re not sure where to begin, have a read of last week’s blog – What a student (should) eat in a day. It’s a good place to start.
But if you are taking steps to live a healthier lifestyle but still feel like you are struggling with your mental health then get in touch there’s so much we can do to help.
Bobbie X