Your brain is a supercomputer that never sleeps. While your body shuts down for the night, your brain is still processing information, storing memories, and hits the reset button for tomorrow. Your brain is in charge of your movements and thoughts, it reminds you to breathe and tells your heart to beat. It’s working hard constantly. Therefore, it makes sense that you need to fuel your brain. How do you fuel yours? Is it with a strong cup of coffee and a croissant or two? The food that you eat is fuel for your body and brain. It impacts how the brain functions and influences your mood.
The fuel that you choose to supply your brain will determine how it functions. Let’s talk about the psychological benefits of eating whole foods and meal prepping.
Benefits of Whole Foods
I want you to think of your brain as a supercar. It’s the highest class of automobile. To ensure it performs at a high level, you provide it with premium fuel. When we talk about fuel for your brain, we mean foods that are packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Foods that will nourish your body and brain and protect you against oxidative stress, which is free radical waste that causes damage to your cells.
If you fuel your body and brain with low-premium you will experience brain fog, mood swings, and sleep issues. Refined sugars don’t just impact your body’s ability to regulate insulin, they also cause inflammation in the body, as well as oxidative stress. Moreover, studies show refined sugars can worsen symptoms of depression.
The Psychology
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that influences mood, appetite, sleep, and can relieve pain. Recent research suggest that around 90% of serotonin may be created in the gastrointestinal tract. Your GI tract is awash with neurons that help guide your emotions. You can influence this by fueling your body with healthy, whole foods. Diets like traditional Mediterranean and Japanese ones are thought to be better for you than the western diet. This is simply because these are high in fruits, seafood, vegetables, and unprocessed grains.
Importance of Meal Prepping
It isn’t easy to eat well when you’re bogged down by chores, work, and other activities. The last thing you want to deal with in the morning and after arriving home from a long day is making a healthy meal. This is where meal prepping comes into play!
When you meal prep the hardest work is taken care of in just a few hours, and a routine is created around healthy eating. Routines such as meal prepping will also help decrease yo-yo-dieting and increase your chances of beginning a healthy lifestyle. Routines are needed to create new habits, so why not start with this? Healthy items can be prepared that will be easy for you to grab on your way out the door or prepare when you arrive home. Meal prep helps prevent emotional eating and is also cost-effective. You have what you need when you need it – no more, no less. This reduces your trips to the store and prevents you from purchasing tempting junk foods. It is much easier to stick to eating whole foods when you are prepared. Eating whole foods and meal prepping benefits your wallet and your psychological wellness.