Our gut microbiome is an incredibly complex system that is intrinsically linked to the rest of our body in more ways than we realise. Not only does it provide the energy we need to get around, but it’s also the production factory of many of the chemicals that control and regulate our overall mental health.
This means that a person that might have pre-existing mental health conditions, such as depression, might find that their symptoms are made worse when they follow a bad diet.
Not all foods are in the same league, however, and there are some that are worth avoiding whenever possible. While the following foods are okay to have as an occasional treat, for the most part they should be avoided.
French Fries
Everyone loves French fries, and they’re among one of the world’s most popular foods. But they’ve also linked to a wide host of various health issues, namely because of how they are prepared. There is a certain type of chemical known as an acrylamide, and it’s highly concentrated in starchy foods that are exposed to extreme heat, such as deep frying.
When potatoes, some of the starchiest foods around, are deep fried in oil, acrylamide production is off the charts. Acrylamide have been linked to various problems, but there’s also reason to believe that the amount of inflammation they cause can severely worsens a person depression of anxiety.
KFC
KFC is the world’s biggest fast-food franchise and having a bit of KFC every now and again when you enjoy online gambling casino games shouldn’t pose too much of an issue. Eating it regularly, however, may ultimately lead to a person dealing with declining mental health. For much the same reason as French fries, the process of cooking can cause incredible amounts of inflammation in the body.
But it doesn’t end there; the quality of the chicken, the various chemicals used in the cleaning process, and the lack of whole foods in the meals means that KFC is devoid of nutrients. In fact, the body may deplete its antioxidant stores in order to deal with the inflammation and other problems that arise from eating fast-foods like KFC.
Excessive Salt
Salt is a common seasoning that magnifies the flavours of the foods that we eat, and it can truly transform a fish. The issue is, however, that most people are eating far too much salt on a daily basis. The human body is only able to process small amounts of sodium at a time, and when we consume salt, we’re overloading it with sodium that it doesn’t know what to do with.
When salt hits the blood stream, it starts to release around one million free radicals per second, which the body then counters by using up its store of antioxidant. Without antioxidants, the body is not able to regulate its chemicals, which can lead to an increase in the severity of mental health problems. Limiting salt to half a teaspoon per day can help mitigate this problem.