As the saying goes, “You are what you eat,” – and it happens to be true as our food consumption does not just impact our physical body but our mental health too, such as heightening anxiety and stress.
In order to function healthily every day, our body requires whole-natural food that can fuel it for proper functioning. However, indulging in our favorite fast food and sweets, including burgers and fries, can eventually adversely impact our health and mood.
A diet can either trigger or calm inflammation, ultimately impacting mental health. Animal proteins have played a crucial role in our evolution and cognitive development. Our ancestors’ diet consisted mainly of animal proteins, which helped them develop larger brains and stronger bodies. Protein is essential for supporting cell reparation, tissue growth, and muscle building. It is also necessary for maintaining a healthy immune system, as it helps fight infections and diseases. So, if you’re looking to maintain a healthy and balanced diet, it’s important to include a variety of animal proteins in your meals.
As Kaleigh McMordie asserts, “Mood is regulated by the brain, and to work properly, the brain needs optimal fuel from nutrients in food.” Similarly, our mood is driven by the functioning of the brain, and in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle, the brain demands optimal fuel from the consumption of nutrients in food.
Consuming a diet that contains caffeine, sugar, seed oils, or processed carbohydrates can lead to various health problems. These foods can cause a spike in blood sugar levels, which can lead to insulin resistance and diabetes. Additionally, they can cause inflammation in the body, which can contribute to chronic diseases such as heart disease and cancer. Caffeine can also disrupt sleep patterns and cause anxiety and jitters. Prioritizing a balanced diet with plenty of whole foods is important.
Eating a paleo diet that includes fruits, vegetables, meats, organs, fish, eggs, nuts, and seeds can positively impact our physical health by nourishing our bodies and allowing them to perform optimally. But did you know that this type of diet can also connect to our mental health? Studies have shown that a healthy diet can improve mood, reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, and even improve cognitive function. So not only can eating a paleo diet make you feel better physically, but it can also improve your overall well-being. Hence, a study found that the paleo diet provides the basis for anti-inflammatory foods, eventually calming inflammatory tendencies.
Correspondingly, Niklas Gustafson, the author of the book Hungry for Change: Beyond the Paleo Diet and Change What You Eat, and You Will Change the World, motivates people through his content regarding maintaining the lifestyle, not merely adhering to the confined boundaries of the paleo diet but incorporating other factors, like rest, exercising and feeling the nature.
In his content, he emphasizes the fact of adopting a healthy diet, which impacts individuals’ lifestyle positively, while an unhealthy diet aggravates illness. Hence, food is one of the strongest levers to optimize human health together with environmental sustainability.
He believes that we must listen to our bodies’ needs and understand what would make us feel good without imposing any rules of restricting the food portion until one is eating healthy. Whilst adopting a healthy lifestyle, in the second part of the book, he has written various recipes that are simple yet delicious.
What compelled Gustafson to walk on the transitioning journey and center his life around the orbit of a healthy lifestyle was his father’s death and his own illness. At the age of thirteen, he was diagnosed with coeliac disease, which had severe implications for both his physical and mental health.
Eventually, he realized the incorporation of pasta, cookies, flour, and bread was adversely impacting his health, and as a result, he eliminated the subsequent ingredients from his diet. Whereas with the excessive intake of sugar, his father’s cancer heightened.
Nonetheless, the past experiences and events compelled him to transition his focus from computer products to discovering a company that offers healthy snacks. In 2016, he conducted extensive research on the paleo diet and established Natruly in 2017.
Gustafson cofounded Natruly with a Spanish businessman, Octavio Laguía, with a mission to change the world through food that contains high nutrients and proteins, produced with natural and whole ingredients. The company offers a broad range of products, including bars, granola, chocolates, cookies, soluble cocoa, organic nut butter, and more.
In addition to his entrepreneurial journey, Gustafson is determined to contribute to society through his non-profit organization, Gustafson Health Foundation. He aims to promote activities, workshops, and other events that encourage both children and young people to adopt healthy habits in order to live the healthy lifestyle that they deserve – physically and mentally.
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