In America, one in six citizens are prescribed psychiatric drugs such as antidepressants, suggesting that such pills are shockingly common in our society. While mental illness is a genuine and serious concern, the answer shouldn’t always be chemical drugs. There are more natural, organic ways to achieve wellness. If you’ve tried spiritual practices and found no benefits, then it may be that your diet is holding you back. So before choosing medication over meditation, try increasing your intake of essential nutrients for increased happiness and mental clarity.
Mood Boosting Benefits of Healthy Food
Food is a basic survival need, so your brain will reward you with a dopamine hit every time you eat. This is why people who live in places where food is no longer scarce may become addicted and overeat. However eating certain foods, such as sugar, may be rewarded instantly, but lead to a crash which causes irritability and depression.
Instead, you should seek out food which provides long term happiness benefits. According to a study in the British Journal of Psychiatry, those who ate a whole food diet had the lowest levels of depression. Fruit and grain based carbohydrates, as well as dark green leafy greens were considered the most effective superfoods for increasing physical health and lowering levels of depression.
This will put you in the right frame of mind to explore spirituality in your quest for wellness. If you are consuming high amounts of processed food, then your meditation will be less effective, since your neurotransmitters for happiness won’t be working as efficiently. When you eat poorly, you will feel stressed and anxious and will struggle to find that inner calmness needed for spiritual practices. Eating healthy, organic whole foods, conversely, will quieten your thoughts, allowing you to reach a meditative state and keep the chakras balanced, particularly the solar plexus chakra, the chakra corresponding to digestion.
Achieving Mental Clarity
Food also plays a role in how clearly you can think. The brain is the most complex thing in the universe and, in order to function properly, it needs a serious amount of nutrients. If you are eating food which has very few vitamins and minerals, then your brain simply won’t be able to work as well. Your awareness will likely be foggy and you will find concentration difficult.
Focus on omega-3 foods for optimal brain function. This can be found in oily and fatty fish, such as sardines, trout or salmon. The omega-3 will allow you to have greater control over your thoughts and help you gain some clarity and wisdom. You will view life more positively and accurately by being able to maintain concentration on the present moment. If your mindfulness practice has thus far proven of little benefit, consider altering your diet to complement your meditation.
Achieving wellness is within the reach of all people, but it requires a holistic approach. Medical prescriptions may be right for those who genuinely need it, but even this must be coupled with smart lifestyle choices to maintain mental clarity. Before agreeing to take any psychiatric drug, consider whether your spiritual routines may be enhanced with healthier eating. Check out my Essential Wellness Wheel and let me know if I can help you along your path to wholeness. Read my own personal journey that includes major food and nutritional supplement decisions.
