Link Between Traditions’ Menus & Mental Health

Diet has a large part to play in mental health!

Quick Tips

• Make meals and snacks nutrient dense.
• Use fresh herbs and spices when cooking. This is standard on all Traditions’ recipes.
• Make meals colorful and appealing.
• Serve several small meals and snacks. Traditions’ offers an ‘All Day Café Menu.’
• Do not fill up on non-nutritious Items.
• Make mealtime enjoyable and social.

Eat the Rainbow

Colorful fruits and vegetables such as apples, tomatoes, red peppers, blueberries etc. have higher antioxidant content, which in turn has been found to lower the rates of depression. The antioxidants also combat inflammation, which is linked to mental health. All with the added bonus these foods also provide a variety of vitamins, minerals, and fiber - important for overall health including mental health.

Importance of Protein

Adequate protein consumption with every meal (from sources such as meat, eggs, fish, beans, & tofu) have also been linked to adequate Tryptophan production, which in turn helps produce Serotonin, the ‘happiness hormone.’ Our entrées at Traditions have at least 14G of protein per meal.

Indulge in Healthy Fats

The healthy fats listed below have all been linked to better cell wall and brain health, which in turn may lower depression. Furthermore, these healthy fats, which are often rich in Omega 3, have also been found to lower overall inflammation. At Traditions, we regularly utilize Extra Virgin Olive Oil in our recipes. Salmon is also on our standing menu.

• Olive/walnut/avocado oil
• Fatty fish - mackerel, sardines, and salmon
• Nuts and seeds

Link Between Key Vitamins & Folate to Mental Wellbeing

B vitamins, and especially Folate and B12 have also been found to relate to the state of mental health too. The best food sources of B vitamins are wholegrains (brown rice, barley), meat, seeds, nuts, eggs, legumes (such as lentils), dark leafy green vegetables and citrus fruit.

Cannot Go Wrong with Classic Balanced Diet

Make sure that each of your meals is balanced and it contains goods fats, protein and fiber from fruits and vegetables (frozen are fine).

And Avoid…

There are a number of foods which have been found to negatively affect mental health too. These include excess sugar containing foods and drinks, refined carbohydrates (bread, pasta, biscuits, cakes etc.) and excess alcohol. Try to reduce consumption of refined carbohydrates and sugars as well as alcohol. At Traditions, we use honey in place of refined sugars whenever possible.