Mental illness and nutrition are all closely related. They are also all issues in many people who are experiencing homelessness. Whether or not you experience mental illness or addiction, nutrition is still important. Our brains are constantly on, even when we are sleeping. Our brains monitor our heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen content, and more. Whatever we eat matters for our health, but especially for our mental health. Around 25% of American's who experience homelessness have some type of serious mental illness and 45% have some type of mental illness. Although nutrition is not going to necessarily cure mental illness, nutrition can provide a degree of clarity and reduce symptoms.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps mediate moods and inhibit pain. 95% of this serotonin is produced by your gastrointestinal tract. Since the majority of serotonin of produced by your gastrointestinal tract, your gastrointestinal tract has a major influence on your emotions. Not only does the serotonin affect this but also the billions of bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract. These bacteria provide a strong barrier against toxins and bad bacteria, improve how well you absorb nutrients from your food, and they limit inflammation. Inflammation affects your mood and energy level, so it must be avoided when possible.
Another aspect of mental illness is being deficient in many nutrients. Not only is fuel being put in the body not efficient, but it is lacking. Many people who experience mental illness are deficient in essential vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids. Eating foods rich in these vitamins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids is shown to reduce the severity of mental illness.
In order to properly feed the homeless population, we must give food to fuel their body instead of deteriorating it. As the statistics above state, slightly less than the majority of people experiencing homelessness have some type of mental illness. With the proper nutrition, their serotonin levels could increase, they could get the necessary minerals and nutrients they need therefore helping the severity of their mental illness. For more information on the effects of nutrition on mental health, check out the link below.
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