i need to find information that supports my theory that mental health and physical health are connected...?

Question

i'm preparing for my final paper in my Mental Health & Well-Being class (yeah...i know, it's only October - hey! i like to stay ahead of the curve) & we all have to choose a topic. my final paper will focus on the corelation between diet and anxiety disorders and cognitive abilities in children & adolescents.

i need web sites, books, journal articles...ANYTHING that supports my theory that poor diet not only leads to poor cognitive function, but exacerbates any mental health issues.

this is difficult, you all have wonderful answers!

Answer 1

I could only give you personal experience. I will check up on your other answers for I would like to find more out myself.

Answer 2

Poor diet link to rising cases of depression

Increasing rates of anxiety, depression and irritability could be due to a poor diet that lacks the essential chemicals to keep the brain healthy, according to a leading mental health charity.
A report out tomorrow describes the links between the less severe forms of mental disorder, such as anxiety, and the nation's increasing reliance on ready meals and processed food, which are heavy in pesticides, additives and harmful trans fats. Eating a diet without fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, pulses or nuts deprives the brain of the essential vitamins and nutrients needed to regulate it.

Over the past 60 years, there has been a significant decline in the consumption of fruit and vegetables, with only 13 per cent of men and 15 per cent of women now eating at least five portions each day. The number of pesticides and additives in food has risen sharply over the same period.

The brain relies on a mixture of complex carbohydrates, essential fatty acids (EFAs) - particularly Omega 3 and Omega 6 - vitamins and water to work properly. Highly processed food contains high levels of trans fats - unsaturated oils that have been refined - which can assume the same position in the brain as the EFAs, without delivering the proper nutrients.

Nutritional deficiency could seriously hamper the body's production of amino acids, which are vital to good psychological health. Neurotransmitters, made from amino acids, are chemicals which transmit nerve impulses between the brain cells.

Serotonin, a key neurotransmitter made by the amino acid tryptophan, helps to regulate feelings of contentment and anxiety, as well as playing a role in regulating depression. Many adults do not have sufficient levels of tryptophan because their intake of nuts, seeds and wholegrains is too low.

Answer 3

look up Royal College of Psychiatry in London also: Journal of Psychology and look at CBT and DBT alongside known dietary variations. There is a journal for Dietitians but I don't have that off the top of my head. Hey, good luck but there is stacks of stuff out there that supports you, even to some stuff on dietary control of Bi-Polar. Take it on, do something with it, it needs doing

Answer 4

Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine (murray & pizzorno) has good chapters linking the two concepts. See sections one and two. Good luck!