Here's How Healthy Munching Is Good For Mental Health While Working

A healthy diet and nutritious food gives vitality to your physical health by boosting your immune system. But the research now has proven that our mental health also gets affected by your food intake. Scientific studies show how food can help people with depression and anxiety to improve their mental condition. In fact munching can also work wonders for mental health while working. Let's find out how.

1. Boosts energy and breaks the cycle of laziness

Drowsiness is the after effect of eating heavy meals. On the contrary incorporating munching can help to keep your energy levels up without making you lethargic. Small intake keeps one light and active which positively affects the productivity at workplace. The secret lies in picking the right kind of food for munching, replace that bag of chips with a platter of salad or fruits and choose protein-rich snacks if you have a sedentary lifestyle.

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2. Improves concentration and attention span

Fasting or gorging on junk food or taking heavy meals slows down the digestion process which leads to fatigue and impaired decision making. It also slows down the reaction time. Munching the right kind of food not only nourishes your body, but also improves alertness. This in turn improves concentration and attention span which is a win- win situation at workplace.

Choose healthy snacks to to beat hunger pangs between meals
Photo Credit: iStock

3. Relieves stress and uplifts mood

Munching on healthy snacks promotes mental health as most of the nutrients improve mental functioning. There is a food-mood connection and food choices play a pivotal role in making one feel calmer and stress free. Integrating foods like fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, low fat food, nuts and whole grains with limited amounts of sodium, saturated fat and added sugar in your diet helps your body to produce serotonin which is known as happy hormone. It helps the brain to manage mood, fight depression and helps maintain strong memory.

Disseminating heavy meals into small five to six meals can go a long way to improve mental health and improving productivity at workplace by leaps and bounds. It's a sure shot way to keep you light, calm with a lot of energy to be a hard as well as a smart worker. Choose munching over gorging any day for a healthy and happy life.

(Garima Juneja is a Psychologist and founder of Lightroom Therapy and Counseling)

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