Research finds that people who often eat "technology and hard work" tend to be emo

Recently, the news that a certain actor is suspected of suffering from depression has continued to rise. "Many people think that celebrities are more likely to suffer from depression. In fact, not only celebrities, but also many celebrities and technology giants will suffer from depression." Lan Ao, a national second-level psychological counselor, said that depression is equivalent to a mental cold, which will break out at certain stages. If treated in time, it may be well controlled; but if it continues to be hurt, the symptoms may worsen.

In this fast-paced, high-pressure social environment, depression has become a mental health issue that cannot be ignored. In order to raise public awareness of this issue, the editor dug deep into relevant information and found an interesting study: excessive intake of processed foods can have an adverse effect on our mental health and even increase the risk of depression.

Before we dive into the research, let’s first understand what processed foods are.

Processed food, as the name implies, is food that has gone through a series of processing steps. According to the NOVA food classification system, processed food can be divided into four categories: unprocessed or minimally processed food, processed food, ultra-processed food and beverages. Among them, ultra-processed food refers to food that contains a lot of additives, preservatives and flavorings, such as instant noodles, potato chips, candy, biscuits, etc. In addition to losing weight, there is another reason for everyone to control snacking: preventing depression!

The researchers of the project conducted a 15-year follow-up survey of 23,000 participants and analyzed the relationship between ultra-processed food intake and psychological distress. The results showed that the risk of higher psychological distress among participants who consumed the most ultra-processed food increased by 23% compared with those who consumed the least.

So why does eating too much processed food make us feel bad? It may be related to the following reasons:

1. Imbalanced nutrition: Processed foods often contain high levels of sugar, salt and fat, but are relatively deficient in nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Long-term consumption of such foods may lead to nutritional imbalance in the body, which in turn affects mental health.

2. Digestive system burden: Additives, preservatives and other ingredients in processed foods may irritate the digestive system, leading to indigestion, constipation and other problems. These problems can affect people's emotions and psychological state.

3. Damage to the nervous system: Studies have shown that a high-sugar, high-salt diet may damage brain neurons, affect the secretion of neurotransmitters, and thus cause psychological problems.

To avoid the negative effects of processed foods on mental health, we should do the following:

1. Increase the intake of fresh food: Eat more unprocessed or minimally processed foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, etc. to ensure the body's nutritional needs.

2. Learn to read food labels: When buying food, pay attention to the nutritional information table and try to choose products with low sugar, low salt and low fat.

3. Develop healthy eating habits: reduce the number of times you eat out, cook by yourself, and control the intake of food additives.

4. Maintain a good work and rest schedule: A regular work and rest schedule and adequate sleep can help relieve psychological stress.

5. Appropriate exercise: Strengthening exercise and improving physical fitness will help improve your mental state.

In general, excessive intake of processed foods does have an adverse effect on our mental health. In order to have a sunny mood, let us start from now on, pay attention to healthy eating and stay away from "technology and hard work". After all, food is the first necessity of people, and only by eating healthily can we live happily!

Finally, I would like to remind everyone that maintaining mental health also requires attention to the cultivation of psychological quality. In daily work, it is also very important to learn to adjust your mentality, face pressure positively, and maintain good communication with family and friends!