So last week (14th – 20th May) was Mental Health Awareness Week and National Vegetarian Week in the UK! It was a very busy week with some really insightful talks and the opportunity to meet and reconnect with some lovely people! Following on from those events, I thought I’d write a short post on 5 simple but powerful ways to help reduce stress and anxiety and improve our emotional health and well-being. Turning thoughts into action, I was equally empowered to renew my commitment to:
- Getting good sleep more regularly
- Practising simple relaxation techniques – for example, deep breathing exercises – (inhaling and exhaling for a couple of minutes each day) – or walking outside, noticing the birds in the sky and the leaves on the trees – plus being outdoors is great for making vitamin D!
- Including simple low impact exercises regularly, such as walking or swimming
- Doing some gentle stretches more regularly
- Following a healthier balanced diet – with a good fluid intake!
- Continuing to work on positive thinking – which I believe can positively impact on our emotional and physical health and well-being
Vitamin D & Mental Health: Vitamin D is extremely important for mental health and well-being – as well as for strong bones and teeth. Vitamin D can be made by the body, through the direct action of sunlight (UV) on the skin. However, a large percentage of the UK population do not make enough vitamin D from sunlight – this is particularly the case for those of us who have darker skin due to higher levels of melanin and in the older population. If you are concerned about your vitamin D levels, you may want to discuss this with your GP.
If a blood test confirms low levels of vitamin D, your GP may want to investigate this further. Important note – although vitamin D is extremely important for health and well-being – and low vitamin D levels at population level is a real concern – excessive doses of supplemental vitamin D for a prolonged period of time can sometimes lead to calcium deposits in soft tissues. Everyone’s individual circumstances differ, so it’s always worth speaking to your GP in the first instance. I will be uploading a more detailed and informative post on vitamin D and health soon.
Iron Levels & Mental Health: Iron is important for carrying oxygen around the body and low levels of iron can lead to feelings of tiredness and lethargy – which can contribute significantly to low mood. If you are concerned about your iron levels, consider speaking to your GP. If you would like to read more about the iron content of foods in relation to health, I have written a much more detailed post here.
Tannins and Iron Absorption: In the UK we tend to drink a lot of tea! I started the day with a lovely cup of tea as you can see from the picture above – but I’ve actually cut down on the number of cups I have each day. Tea and coffee contain tannins which can reduce iron absorption from foods – not helpful if you suffer from chronic low iron levels. If you want to maximise your iron intake from foods, you could try to avoid drinking tea or coffee with meals. Our fluid intake and sources of fluid is just as important to our health as our food choices.
It has been great experience supporting Mental Health Awareness Week. I hope you all have a lovely day x x x
Further reading and health related posts:
http://www.demeraradelight.com/women-and-iron-rich-foods/
http://www.demeraradelight.com/which-fruits-are-highest-in-vitamin-c/
http://www.demeraradelight.com/overcoming-emotional-eating-the-first-step/