Depression is one of the most common mental health complaints Americans have next to anxiety. In fact, people are reporting experiencing depression at least once in their lifetime at much higher rates in recent years. Poor mental health can have detrimental effects on someone’s life and their ability to function normally. People who experience depression might feel brain fog, insomnia, changes in appetite, irritability or emptiness, or loss of interest in doing things they enjoy. Depression also manifests as an ocean wave, for most people, they have days or even months that feel better than others.
The link between diet and mental health has been a big topic of discussion in recent years based on new research showing how the food we eat affects our bodies. We’re going to go over some of that research and how it impacts someone’s ability to function at work. We’ll also help you learn more about healthy foods you can provide to your staff to help them feel better while working.
Healthy Body, Healthy Mind: Food and Mental Health
While diet can’t cure depression, anxiety, or other serious mental health problems, it can help with some of the symptoms. Brain fog, mood changes, and appetite can be remedied with nutritious meals. Even people who have very mild depression or anxiety can benefit from a healthy diet. In a study done by Harvard, it was found that 95% of your serotonin is produced in your gastrointestinal tract, meaning the foods you eat can affect the serotonin levels in your body. It also goes on to talk about how gut health affects the serotonin produced by your brain.
When you have a less healthy diet, it can make symptoms worse. Sometimes fast food is the only option when you’re on the run to work, and skipping meals can have detrimental effects on how your brain functions. Skipping meals specifically is a common issue in the workplace and can lead to drops in blood sugar that lower mood and energy as an immediate side effect. Long-term problems from not eating can include vitamin deficiencies, metabolic problems, chronic anxiety, and digestive issues.
Since it’s commonplace to skip meals in corporate culture, making an effort to have office lunches on the regular through catering can help encourage your staff to eat and have healthier meals. You have the power to help your employees improve their mental health. If not, your productivity might suffer. Decreased cognitive function and energy, and increased depression and anxiety mean you’ll be slowing down quite a bit.
What Foods Help Mood and Brain Function?
In a study done by the American Society for Nutrition, 99% of every test subject overestimated the healthfulness of their diet. This means most Americans don’t get their daily amount of nutrients. We’ve got some examples of healthy foods with an explanation of why each is important. The best part is, you can incorporate a lot of these things into menus that taste good. If things taste good, people are more likely to eat it and function better, which is the goal.
Leafy Greens
Leafy greens such as broccoli, spinach, and bok choy are rich in vitamins that help with cognitive function. You’ll have an easier time solving complex problems and retaining information when you have a diet rich in greens. In a study, it was even observed that leafy greens can help prevent memory diseases as you get older.
Fatty Acids
Fatty acids are found in nuts, seeds, and fish most commonly. Omega-3s can help prevent heart disease through blood clot prevention and increase brain function. The increase in brain function can help you stay focused and reduce brain fog.
Lean Proteins
Lean proteins like chicken, eggs, fish, lentils, and Greek yogurt have specifically been cited as foods that’ll improve your mental health. Protein can also help regulate your blood sugar levels, help you retain muscle mass, and give you stronger bones. The blood sugar regulation can help you maintain a better mood throughout the day and prevent sugar cravings.
Complex Carbs
Complex carbs come from fruits and vegetables, whole grains, potatoes, quinoa, and brown rice. Complex carbs take a lot longer to digest, giving you sustained energy for longer periods. Simple carbs would be the opposite of this, referring to sugary foods that digest quickly and spike your blood sugar for a much shorter period of time.
What Foods Negatively Affect the Body and Mind?
There’s no such thing as “bad food”. As we mentioned before, the worst thing you can do for your body is not eat anything at all. However, these are foods you can try to limit, especially if you’re going to be feeding your staff.
Highly Processed Foods
This is a bit of a buzzword, but in this case, we’re mainly talking about greasy snack foods and pre-packaged meals with a lot of preservatives. The reason these foods feel bad is because they lack vital nutrients. Mass-produced snacks and meals try to go for taste and calories, which is fine sometimes, but if eaten regularly it can cause cognitive decline.
Sugary Foods
Cookies, cakes, ice creams, and sodas are all very delicious. The sugar crash that comes after isn’t so great, however. If you’ve ever had one of those big sugary coffees or eaten a bunch of sweets at once and felt like you needed to lie down afterward, it might’ve been a sugar crash. Eating sugar and having the crash can cause anxiety, confusion, and irritability which isn’t good when you’re at work and it’s definitely not good if you’re already having mental health problems.
Saturated Fats
Butter, red meat, cheese, all the good stuff. If you eat too much of this, it’s yet another group of foods that negatively affects your cognitive function. In fact, the article linked goes on to say too many saturated fats can lead to brain inflammation.
Maximize the Health and Mental Wellbeing of Your Staff
You can take all the information you learned here and implement it into a powerful catering menu that’ll help nourish your employees. Even if you provide one healthy meal per week to your staff, that can make all the difference. Providing nuts, seeds, jerkys, protein bars, and other things as snacks can be a huge help as well.
The main thing to remember is how things like depression and anxiety can be improved through food. When you lift up your staff, they’ll rise to the occasion. It’s a simple and easy way to boost productivity and morale through investing in your employees and showing you care about their mental health.
Start Your Mental Health Improvement Journey
If you’re ready to implement healthier foods into your catering options, we’ve got you covered. Zerocater is an app just for businesses that need catering, whether it’s a large event or an office lunch. We have options that allow you to filter out dietary choices, making it easy to choose healthier options for your staff. Regardless of your company size or budget, we can work with you. Just click “Get Pricing” and tell us about yourself, and we’ll help you get started on improving your staff’s mental health with delicious food!
