BBS Opinion: You Are What You Eat

In the spirit of providing a platform for students to voice their ideas and showcase their writing skills, we present to you BBS Opinion. 

Written by: Ivan & Christopher (4 Pascal)

“Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.”   ― Mark Twain

Did you know that food affects our thinking? Many recent studies have shown that based on what we eat, our food can affect us. It can be shown in changes of moods or if you feel a certain emotion, you would lean to certain foods.

Many people have exhibited certain behavioral patterns just based on what they eat, for example: increase in energy level and alertness, improved health, a more positive relationship with food, easier movement and improved body image.

Many factors have influenced our eating behaviors, from culture to psychology to even evolution! Many people also use food as a coping mechanism to deal with feelings like stress, boredom and anxiety. People also tend to use food as to prolong feelings of happiness such as joy or euphoria. However this can lead to trouble, people may also end up affecting their self-image as they gain weight by eating, which could lead to depression.

Depression and anxiety has a role in declining physical health. Even though researchers are trying hard to figure out how food is related to depression, they know for a fact, that the two are connected. When thinking about how you eat correlates with overall wellness, you shouldn’t separate physical health from mental health.

In the case of stress, did you notice that you eat differently based on your level of stress? When you are calm, you can think clearly about your diet choices, however if stress is an everyday occurrence in life, you may constantly have poor dietary decisions. 

Foods can even play a role in fighting depression! Recent studies have shown that oysters, mussels, other seafood, Lean organ meats, leafy greens, lettuce and peppers have shown the high antidepressant benefits!

Leading research based on food and diet mainly focuses on the inflammation of the brain based on diet, anxiety, depression and stress. They also research on the role of the immune system in developing stress. They found out that abnormal levels of specific chemicals flowing in the blood called cytokines indicates high level of inflammation. Researchers have also found the connection that people who suffer from major depressive disorders, consistently showing high cytokine levels in their blood.

Although researchers have shone much light on this topic, many pressing questions still remain. Such as “is a healthy diet enough to prevent inflammation of the brain” or “if an anti-inflammatory diet is enough to cancel out severe stress or a major depressive disorder”.

In the end, food can play a role in dealing with emotions, however, further research is still needed to make any conclusions.

Note:

* The opinion expressed here are solely exclusive of the authors and due care has been exercised to avoid any form of plagiarism. 

* If you have an original write up that you would like to share, why not be part of BBS Opinion? Send us your docx file via email to ganeswaran.kjs@binabangsaschool.com 

* Your writing must be engaging, sensitive, informative, and roughly 300 words or more.