Nutrition and Mental Health Part 8 - Nutrient-rich foods and its exposure to environmental toxins

There was a theory that chronic diseases may be influenced by exposure to environmental pollutants, a sedentary lifestyle, and poor dietary habits. Nutrition can modulate the toxicity of environmental toxins, serving either as an agonist or as an antagonist in relation to the health impacts associated with exposure to environmental toxins.

Diet-related chronic diseases are the single largest cause of illness and death, and obesity-related issues are continuously growing, indirectly responsible for up to 57M deaths annually. The introduction of fast food, processed foods, and the sedentary nature of modern life (we have fast transportation, but some blame even the discovery of the tv remote for the start of the obesity epidemic). The idea is that most chronic diseases, including diabetes, can be avoided with the right diet (and this diet is looking quite similar to the Mediterranean diet, from Greece to Italy, with a high ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6, lots of fruits, veggies, legumes, and wholegrains - meals rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients). Most persistent pollutants - PCBs, brominated flame retardants, and organometallic compounds, all can accumulate in the human body, generating free radicals, and triggering associated inflammatory diseases (diabetes, hypertension, atherosclerosis). Antioxidants such as vitamin E and some flavonoids, as well as a high ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6, can protect against cell damage, while some dietary fats found in processed foods can add to cell oxidation and inflammation response. It was strongly suggested that healthy nutrition can protect against pro-inflammatory environmental toxins. A high fructose diet and obesity will induce the opposite response.

In conclusion, nutrition can both exacerbate or attenuate many symptoms induced by repeated exposure to environmental toxins. Positive dietary behaviors can reduce the health risks associated with environmental pollutants exposure on daily basis. Eat well and live longer, this is basically the short version of this story.

A diet rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory nutrients allows us to eliminate toxins and make our bodies and our brains work optimally. What should I be eating to get all of these most needed nutrients? Let's see which types of foods are the best source of micronutrients and why:

• the ideal nutrient-rich food will contain folate, thiamine, vitamins A, B6, B12, and C, minerals like iron, magnesium, potassium, selenium, zinc, and Omega 3 fatty acids.

• the ones going into this category are oysters, mussels, seafood, leafy greens, lettuces, peppers, and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, kale, and cauliflower. You can find all of the in a Mediterranean diet.

• there is more, all the 15 minerals are found in the solid, all the 15 vitamins can be produced by crops growing in the solid, and even the essential fatty acids like Omega 3 can be found in there too. Plants together can contain more than 10.000 phytonutrients, so this is the reason why we should eat more whole foods. Even proteins and all the 22 essential amino acids can be found in healthy crops.

• in terms of efficiency, a kiwi fruit, a cup of kale, a half fillet of salmon, a cup of lentils, a banana, a hundred grams of steak, an egg, and 6 brazil nuts can cover our whole day's needs, but in terms of calories alone, a donut, a hot dog, 100 grams spam, a small serve of chips, a slice of white bread and a tablespoon of margarine, a glass of soft drink and 5 crackers can provide the same amount of calories, but only 20% of the recommended dose of daily vitamins and minerals.

Next time we will start to investigate different types of specialized restriction diets and their impact on mental health.

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Have a perfect day, build a perfect life,

George

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