Introduction
It is known that our diet directly affects our health, and of course, that includes our mental health as well. Mental health is a state of well-being where an individual realizes their own potential, and can cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively, and is able to make a contribution to their community. Statistics show that, “by 2030, mental health issues are expected to be the leading cause of disability in Canada” (Amanda Schwartz, 2012). So, can our diet be a leading factor to this rising statistic? The answer is yes, the food we eat is associated with our mood, behaviour, and cognition - with more than ten interrelated links that explain how the food we consume can have a detrimental effect on the brain (Dietitians
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Alongside the increase of proclaimed health foods, processed foods filled with added sugars, fats and preservatives have taken up the food scene in North America. Food production and manufacturing techniques, combined with busy lifestyles and the convenience of processed foods are leading to the decrease of diets consisting of fresh, nutritious, local produce (The Mental Health Foundation, 2006). Food additives have been an area of concern for some Canadians, as there is relation between the 850 regulated manufactured chemicals in Canada, and hyperactivity disorders in children (Government of Canada, 2007). Although not completely proven yet, there are studies indicating increased hyperactive behaviour and ADHD in some children. In the European Union, certain food colour additives require a statement on the label stating that the additive “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children” (John E. Huxsahl MD, 2014). Yet, this subtopic of nutrition and mental health has been quite controversial, nothing has been proven to date. Besides the processing and refining of foods, the changing methods of farming have also introduced higher levels and different types of fat into our diet. The increasing demands for specific sectors of the food industry, such as poultry farming, have resulted in the drastic change in the nutritional profile of meat. Chickens not only …show more content…
Increasing lifestyle demands “to compete and thrive for superiority” have made the human population more prone for stress disorders (Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 2012). Specifically, oxidative stress, an imbalance between the production of free radicals and the ability to counteract the toxic effects by neutralization (Journal of Physiological Anthropology, 2014). Oxidative stress is implicated in several mental disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorders (Current Neuropharmacology, 2014). These free radicals have a place in cellular signalling, physiological immunological responses and mitosis; however, their instability can potentially damage cellular proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and nucleic acids (Filomeni & Cirolo, 2006). The lack of antioxidants in a person’s diet places them at a higher risk of losing their balance of free radicals and antioxidants; especially if the person has an increased amount of stress, placing additional demand on the body. When a person is stressed, there is an increase in adrenal production and mobilization, and use of vitamins and minerals, resulting in the accelerated metabolisms of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates to overcome the stress. The pathways of these imbalances suggest a contribution to the
Adrenaline and glucocorticoids are critical to survival. Animals’ stress responses turn off after escaping from life-threatening situations. However, humans’ stress response come from a psychological state of fear or threat. We are often stressed out due to traffic, increasing taxes, instead of actual life-or-death situations. What’s worse, we are stressed constantly. Since we cannot
I will first show the lack of validity and soundness to Howard’s claim that A) a vegan lifestyle is a healthier choice and B) his claim that one must switch to that lifestyle to enjoy these said benefits. To the claim made in A, Howard uses his own health problems he endured on his meat diet, and uses it as a constant variable comparing it to his now relative healthy lifestyle as a vegan. On first glance anyone who eats a calorie-laden, unbalanced diet and ends up weighing 300 pounds, as Lyman himself admitted, will have health problems regardless of his orientation to meat or vegetables. With this said his comparing analogy is inertly flawed and must be disregarded from the argument he presents. On march 8 before the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, Mary K Young, MS.,R.D,NCBA Director of Nutrition Research and Information, presented the benefits of eating meat. Using Data from the 1995 USDA Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSI) she confirms that red meat enhances one overall diet quality. Young goes on to point out that red meat is the number one source for protein, B12, and zinc, number 2 source for B6 and third greatest source for iron, niacin and potassium. She also pointed out that red meat alone has the greatest concentrates of iron and zinc together. Also included cited in Young’s report was the research recently published in the Journal of the American...
Today, Canadians are concerned with many issues involving health care. It is the responsibility of the provincial party to come up with a fair, yet reasonable solution to this issue. This solution must support Canadians for the best; it involves people and how they are treated when in need for health care. The Liberal party feels that they have the best solution that will provide Canadians with the best results. It states that people will have the protection of medicare and will help with concerns like: injury prevention, nutrition, physical activity, mental health, etc. The Canadian Alliance Party’s plan is to make several policy-developments to benefit Canada’s health care. They believe it will serve the security and well-being best for all Canadians. The last party involved in this issue is the NDP Party; who indicate that they are fighting hard for a better Health Care system in our economy. The NDP Party states that the income of a family should not dictate the quality of health care.
Within social assistance programs in Canada, there is a general split between social security programs and social and welfare services. Social security programs, which are the responsibility of all levels of government, deliver direct economic support in one way or another to individuals or families. Included in this category are programs such as family allowances, old age pensions and provincial and municipal social-assistance programs. Whereas Social and Welfare service programs, have been established in an attempt to address personal, social and emotional needs. These services are now often referred to as the
Primary health care is the essential step to the Canadian health system. It is often associated with other specialized health care sectors, and community services. Many patients visit various services under primary health care such as family doctors' offices, mental health facilities, nurse practitioners' offices; they make phone calls to health information lines, for example, Tele-health; and receive suggestions from physicians and pharmacists (First Ministers; meeting on healthcare, n.d.). This service can prevent patients from visiting the emergency department, when all that is required is some guidance and advice. Having primary care services can reduce the consumption of acute beds, where only seriously ill patients can use the acute beds when it is available. Primary care not only deals with sickness care, but it helps patients receive preventable measures; it promotes healthy choices (Primary health care, n.d.). The focus on appropriate health care services, when and where they are needed, enhanced the ability of individuals to access primary care in various settings: at home, in a hospital or any number of family health care venues, such as Family Health Teams (FHTs), Community Health Centres (CHCs), or Nurse Practitioner- led clinics. This paper will look at the litigious heated argument in the Romanow Report concerning primary care. It will begin with a discussion of the outcome of the Accord on Health Care Renewal (2003) and The First Ministers' Meeting on the Future of Health in Canada (2004), both referring to primary care, which will then be followed with an assessment and analysis of the different ways in which the accords have been addressed in support of primary care. Followed by a discussion about the changes on ...
The Western Diet mainly consists of fried foods, refined grains, sugar, high carbohydrate and fats, and meats (3). It has been hypothesized that having a Western Diet increases one’s chances for developing depression. There has been a great deal of research into why the western diet increase’s one chance of having depression. A common sense reason maybe that the Western Diet consisted of large amounts carbohydrates, fats and sugars which promotes obesity and then causes depression (1). More scientific evidence suggest that having a improper diet like the Western Diet negatively affects peripheral and central dopamine, which are neurotransmitters (chemical which transmit signals across the synapse from the nerve cell to the target cell) directly linked to the mental health of the brain and are negatively affected by high fat diets (4). Research has also suggested that having a poor nutrition status such as lacking folate (a natural water form of vitamin bg which is crucial for many of the bodies processes) and key vitamins like vitamin b12 significantly increases the risk of depression in elderly people (5). Research into the topic of dietary habits and mental health is very crucial with the growing rates of obesity and depression in the United States compared to the rest of the world. Thus, does having poor dietary habits increase the likelihood of having depression? The likelihood of developing depression has been linked to the type of diet one consumes such as the Western Diet, Diets Low in Fat and Carbohydrates and weight control diets like binge eating.
Today’s research shows us that a gluten free diet can improve the behavior and disposition of a hyperactive child. Food dyes have also been suspect in causing hyperactivity in children. It is a proven fact that food is capable of negatively affecting our arteries, hearts, lungs, muscles, bones and all internal organs. Why not our brains? Medical research has shown us that our brain function is affected by different types of food.
Close to six million Canadians live with mental illness; let alone the thousands that are undiagnosed. Mental illness has made big headlines in the news in the recent years. The people suffering from mental illness have been faced with discrimination a caused by a stigma towards them. Mental illness can be caused by many different factors whether they are psychological or environmental. Although only twenty percent of Canadians personally experience mental illness in their lifetime, it affects everyone in their lives. Many of the people suffering from mental illness live their lives in silence because of the stigma attached to the illness. They would rather nobody know about their condition than face the stigma and discrimination of the public. Society has come a long way from a hundred years ago when they would use trepanation. Trepanation is a primitive method used to heal head injuries; they truly believed that carving a hole in ones skull would release any mental injuries the patient had. A decade ago people suffering from mental illness were treated as if they were less than others. Now a days, people suffering from mental illness are not treated as poorly as before, they have larger support group than before, and society is more understanding of mental illness now. However, there is still much room for improvement.
After this response is made, a cascade of behavioral and physiological processes is activated. Behavioral factors such as increased alcohol use, reduced exercise, changes in sleep quantity/quality, and changes in diet, have shown to be related to stress. In turn, stress-related changes are associated with many hormonal fluctuations known to influence susceptibility to disease (Schedlowski and Tewes, 1999). There is overwhelming evidence that daily stress may be harmful to the overall health of humans (Cohen, Tyrrell, and Smith, 1991; Glaser, Rice, and Sheridan, 1987; and Schleifer, and Keller, 1991). The mechanism by which stress influences health outcomes is thought to involve the immune system.
Mental stability is one of the imperative aspects of human health and well-being. It not only affects the individual’s personal life but has an evident impact on the individual’s work, social, and family life. Nearly 4,000 Canadians die by suicide each year, reported in Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (2015). Unfortunately, the government health policies as well as the masses have not been very supportive towards creating a health system that sufficiently caters to the needs of people suffering from mental instability and mental disorders. Hence it becomes important to bring this issue into limelight as it has been adversely affecting our society.
Dunne, A. (2012). Food and mood: evidence for diet-related changes in mental health. British Journal of Community Nursing, S20-S24.
Kumar, Anil, Puneet Rinwa, Gurleen Kaur, and Lalit Machawal. "Stress: Neurobiology, consequences, and management." Journal of Pharmacy and Bioallied Sciences, 2013: 1-7.
As health experts fight obesity, processed food retailers initially keep the public from escaping their dystopian realm. Because of disingenuous branding combined with consumer competency, countless consumers fall prey to diets high in sugar, fat and salt. A diet high in processed foods can lead to memory loss due of a lack of minerals, vitamins, healthy fats, oils and proteins as well as whole foods and fiber. These eating habits have a serious shortfall of nutrients essential for the brain, as a corollary, people lack memory, focus and mental sharpness. An adjustment in diet away from processed food is a prudent step toward improving memory and restoring brain health.
Scientists have recently discovered that there are many effects that food has on the brain.
Emotional eating is known as a silent killer because it’s nothing a person notices, it just happens and its uncontrollable depending on the state of mind a person has. Many people live to eat in this day in time and many realize later after sickness and disease that food is given for the consumption of live. Consuming animal products can be a source of nutrients for humans however, not only is it a secondary source of nutrition, it comes at a price. How the animal was killed and the feelings of either peace, calmness, stress or anxiety plays a crucial role in how the meat effects the