In the time that I was searching for some articles to
develop my question, I came across an article about sugar and its effects on
mental health. This was mainly due to me feeling hungry, thirsty, drained, and
craving something sweet to offset the Hot Cheetos I had eaten earlier. I know.
I’m a very healthy role model.
I found an article called 5 Ways Sugar Affects Your Mental Performance by Nagina Abdullah.
This article really stood out to me because it talks about how mental
performance can have a negative effect from sugar. It states that it affects
focus, mood, memory, emotional and mental balance, and stress. It also mentions
foods that can help alleviate the damage.
When I think of “comfort food,” the first thing that comes
to my mind is anything sweet, sugary, and generally unhealthy. Lemon cake,
chocolate ice cream, raspberry cheesecake gelato, and Starbucks are all
examples of foods I’ve resorted to when I was particularly moody and stressed.
When I read that sugar has a detrimental impact on mood, it felt strangely relatable.
It stated that there are “links to sugar starting cycles of binge eating,
dopamine spikes, a physical and emotional and then more craving and withdrawal.”
Shorter tempers, less patience, and depressed emotions are common after
consuming sugar. This felt very personal and it talked about a few things that
I experience after falling back on sugar, candy, and anything sweet. I feel
okay after eating sweet things, but then something shifts and I feel awful. I’ve
had bouts of anger and irritability, but I only really notice them when someone
tells me or when it’s so prominent that I finally focus on it. It got me to
start thinking, This can’t be helping me.
Is this normal for everyone?
That’s when I got my question: What if we cut sugar from our
food habits?
http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/5-ways-sugar-affects-your-mental-performance.html
This is such an interesting topic that I beleive many can find relatable ! Either we have experienced irritability, moodiness, and depression first hand or from someone we know, I think we can all agree that the unhealthy, sugary food we eat has been a factor on our mood. Unfortunately, we have become adapted to rely on these sweet diets because that is what we have been lured into. Hopefully soon we can develop a healthier outlook on our diets.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh. That would be so hard to do but in the long run it would beneficial for not only how our body would look but our attitudes and mental health. Thanks for sharing this article it was very interestig to read.
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