Plant-Based Diet Boosts Mental Health
It has become commonly accepted in recent years that a plant-based diet promotes health. Plant-based practitioners do not necessarily exclude meat and dairy but certainly reduces (or eliminates) them. Newer to the scene, however, is that a plant-based diet boosts mental health. In a modern world riddled with stress and a sagging state of mental health, this is wonderful news.
What you eat influences every area of your body, including your brain. It is important to consider what you put into your body, because that food will become the fuel for your mind. When you feed yourself nutritious, plant-based foods filled with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, you are protecting your brain from oxidative stress and free radicals. If you deny your body and mind healthy foods, free radicals could wreak havoc and negatively impair cognition and mentality.
Another link to nutrition and mental well-being begins within the gastrointestinal tract. Because 95% of serotonin is produced in the gastrointestinal tract, it seems that the digestive system not only breaks down food but also may trigger your emotions. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that plays many different roles, including stabilizing your mood, aiding with sleep, helping your body digest food, and impacting your motor skills. If you have low levels of serotonin in the body, you are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, or have trouble sleeping.
Certain foods trigger the synthesis of serotonin because they contain an amino acid found in proteins called tryptophan. In order to maintain normal serotonin levels, it is important to consume foods containing tryptophan. While some animal products contain this amino acid, recent studies have shown that it may not be the best source.
Dr. Michael Greger explains that amino acids compete with one another for access to the blood-brain barrier. Because tryptophan is found in low doses in animal products compared to other amino acids, it gets pushed out of the way causing tryptophan levels in the brain to decline. However, when you consume plant-based foods, insulin is released due to the carbohydrate intake. This causes other amino acids to be taken in as fuel so that tryptophan can be the first one to access the brain.
This is why it consuming vegan sources of tryptophan with high levels of other beneficial nutrients is optimal so that this amino acid can successfully access the brain and synthesize serotonin.
For more information please see the original article: Why Eating Plant-Based Can Boost Your Mental Health – One Green Planet
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