Did you know that mental health conditions burden the Canadian economy every year at a cost of over $51 billion?
That’s one of the key findings in a paper published by Dietitians of Canada. “Promoting Mental Health through Healthy Eating and Nutritional Care” discusses the connection between nutrition and mental health and the role of dieticians in promoting that connection.
Another key finding in the paper is that nutritional interventions positively contribute to mental health outcomes without being a financial burden:
Nutritional interventions, as part of collaborative and integrative programs aimed at mental health promotion, contribute to positive health outcomes and are cost-effective. Comprehensive mental health promotion interventions that include nutrition education and food skills training . . . can positively affect cognitive development, behaviour, and academic performance.
Here are a few other findings outlining the importance of nutrition in promoting mental health:
- Through many of their initiatives, nutritional dieticians support mental health through “enhancing social inclusion, self-reliance, self-determination, food security, healthy body image, and reducing health and social inequities.”
- Some interventions “lead to reduced nutrition-related side effects of psychiatric medications, improved cognition, better self-management of concurrent and comorbid conditions, and improved overall occupational, social, and psychological functioning.”
- Therapeutic approaches used by dietitians in mental health practice “show evidence that food intakes and eating behaviours can be positively modified and lead to enhanced well-being.”
We have been promoting the connection between nutrition and mental health for nearly 20 years, and it’s wonderful to see notable organizations promoting healthy lifestyles to address mental health challenges.