Diet
Many of us do not have a particularly healthy diet at the best of times. We often fail to have enough fruit and vegetables in our diets, and ‘food on the go’ often means that we are not getting the vitamins and minerals our body needs.
This situation is often made even worse during mental illness, as research suggests diets become characterised during crises by high fat content, low fibre and too much processed foods and soft drinks, alcohol and caffeine.
In some extreme cases of illness, people may become unable to plan and organise healthy meals and so stop cooking and rely on snacks like crisps and chocolate, or because of delusions radically modify their diet to only eat certain foods. Foods like these give us a boost initially but soon make you feel more lethargic and lead to poor concentration and mood swings. Too much sugar can also increase risk of diabetes.
Our diet is important as what we eat does have the potential to affect our mental wellbeing; deficiencies in zinc and vitamin B6 amongst others have the ability to cause neurological symptoms like those experienced in mental illness and so may be contributing to symptoms.
It is also the case that some people with certain types of conditions have a genetic predisposition to be lacking certain substances within the body that are needed for good mental and physical health;
a high percentage of people with schizophrenia and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) show reduced levels of omega-3, a type of fatty acid, in their blood.
Eating the right foods and perhaps taking the right supplements can therefore be useful for people experiencing mental illnesses. You can ask your GP about what supplements you may benefit from.
In some extreme cases of illness, people may become unable to plan and organise healthy meals and so stop cooking and rely on snacks like crisps and chocolate, or because of delusions radically modify their diet to only eat certain foods. Foods like these give us a boost initially but soon make you feel more lethargic and lead to poor concentration and mood swings. Too much sugar can also increase risk of diabetes.
Our diet is important as what we eat does have the potential to affect our mental wellbeing; deficiencies in zinc and vitamin B6 amongst others have the ability to cause neurological symptoms like those experienced in mental illness and so may be contributing to symptoms.
It is also the case that some people with certain types of conditions have a genetic predisposition to be lacking certain substances within the body that are needed for good mental and physical health;
a high percentage of people with schizophrenia and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) show reduced levels of omega-3, a type of fatty acid, in their blood.
Eating the right foods and perhaps taking the right supplements can therefore be useful for people experiencing mental illnesses. You can ask your GP about what supplements you may benefit from.
What should you eat?
Some foods are said to be linked to mental wellbeing, including illness like schizophrenia. Food can make you less stressed and irritable, which might help with managing living with mental illness. In terms of keeping your weight down, cutting down on the the amount of fat and sugar you eat will reduce your energy intake leading less weight gain. Here are some tips:
Reduce the amount of fat you eat
- Cut back on cheese, butter and margarine, or switch to a lower fat spread. Use skimmed milk instead of the full fat kind, and avoid cream.
- Choose lean meat and remove the skin and excess fat before cooking. Fish and poulty contain less fat than red meat.
- Grilling, baking or steamng your food keeps the fat content down. Frying food increases the fat content, but letting the food drain will remove some fat.
- Avoid sausages, burgers, processed meat, chips and crisps, fish in batter or breadcrumbs, peanuts and pastry. Choose lower fat varities of prepared foods.
Increase the amount of fibre, fruit and vegetables you eat
- Try to eat wholemeal bread, which is more filling and easier to digest (less fattening) than white bread. Stoke up on baked potatoes, rice and pasta (especially brown rice and wholemeal pasta).
- Have equal amount of meat, vegetables and potatoes, pasta or rice.
- Remember that alcohol and chocolate are fattening but allow yourself a treat occasionally - remember beer and lager have more calories than wine!
What else can you do?
Daily exercise can help and many people find that this makes them feel good. Some doctors will provide an exercise prescription, see the section on Exercise on prescription for more information.
Cheap and cheerful meals
Low cost, low effort and low calorie meals - helpful if you are on benefit
- Baked beans on wholemeal toast, without butter
- Pasta with sauce made from tinned tomatoes, tinned tuna, onions, garlic and herbs
- Chicken and chips - bake the chicken (take the skin off) with oven chips. Eat with salad.
- Baked potatoes - cooked for 5 minutes each side in microwave and crisped up in oven if you like - with beans, or tuna and sweetcorn (without mayonnaise).
Tips
- Cook enough for two or three days and reheat portions as required
- Good buys: baked beans, tinned tomatoes, fruit and vegetables in season from market stalls (cheaper, but check quality)
- Supermarket special offers - two for the price of one
- Tinned and frozen vegetables are just as good for you as fresh, especially as frozen foods are frozen straight away and fresh are often transported a long way.
