Link between diet and mental health in the workplace?

Have you ever wondered if there is a relationship between your diet and mental health in the workplace? Well, the truth is that it absolutely does. To function efficiently both physically and mentally, our bodies need essential nutrients from our diet. No single food group contains all these essential nutrients, and so we need to have a healthy diet which includes a variety of foods from each of the main food groups.

Understanding which foods to choose for a healthy, balanced diet can sometimes be confusing, especially when there is a wide variety of advice and guidance that can be found online.

Research shows that there is a strong link between our diet and mental health, so it is important that we bear this in mind when deciding what food we are consuming.

Improving your diet can help:

• Improve your mood and frame of mind
• Make you feel more energetic and positive
• Provide clarity in your thoughts
• Make you feel better about yourself

Here are some great foods you can eat for your good mental wellbeing:

Vegetables

Eat more vegetables such as carrots, spinach, cucumber, lettuce, and broccoli

Fruit

Eat more fruit such as apples, bananas, grapefruit, other citrus fruits, and fresh berries

Omega-3 fatty acids

Eat more foods rich in omega-3 acids, such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, brussels sprouts and walnuts

Complex carbohydrates

Eat more foods such as brown rice and sweet potatoes

So, now that we know what we should be eating, let’s look at how we put healthy eating into practice:

Plan what and when you are going to eat

Plan what you are going to eat and stick to it. Planning your meals, the day before or even a week in advance can help you to stay on track and keep your energy levels up. As well as planning what you are going to eat, you should also plan when you are going to eat. This will mean you have something to look forward to and will help to keep your hunger at bay if you are tempted to snack on unhealthy foods throughout the day.

Include healthy snacks

Include some healthy snacks in your plan. If you are working, it is common to want to eat out of boredom, so having healthy snacks to hand that have been planned can help to get you through the day without snacking on unhealthy foods that have not been included in your plan. Fruit and some vegetables make a great healthy snack.

Include as many food groups as possible

Try to include all food groups in your meal plan. It’s great to include some carbohydrates but make sure that you include fruit, vegetables, healthy fats, and protein. Click here to see the NHS Eatwell guide.

Drink water

Drinking enough water each day is a very important part of a healthy, balanced diet. You should aim to drink around 2 litres of water each day. Set yourself reminders throughout the day to drink a glass of water, or you can buy yourself a water bottle that you can take to work with you and drink throughout the day.

We understand the importance of supporting your employees to make healthier lifestyle choices that lead to better health, and we understand that there is a strong link between diet and mental health. That’s why we have designed FUSE, a health and wellbeing platform and application that allows you to put your employees in the driving seat of their own wellbeing and improve their physical and mental health.

The FUSE platform has a variety of nutritional support alongside mental health support that is available 24/7 365.