Indulging in very restrictive or supposedly purifying diets can have consequences for our health, not only physical, but also mental.
Nutrition is in fashion. And this is not bad because learning habits of feeding healthy is always positive.
The problem is that there is currently a lack of information about food that does not always have a scientific or medical foundation behind it.
A diet balanced and varied is essential to provide the body with the necessary nutrients.
That’s why, indulging in very restrictive diets or supposedly purifying can have consequences for our healthnot only physical, but also mental.
Such is the magnitude of the phenomenon of restrictive diets that in 2016 the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) included the “detox diets & rdquor; between emerging nutritional risks due to its high oxalate content, which can reduce the amount of calcium, iron or potassium available to the body and lead to much more serious pathologies.
This is in regard to physical health, but if we focus on Mental healththe different “fitness” and “healthy” seem to have aggravated a very serious problem such as the Eating disorder (ACT).
- At present, only in Spainthese types of disorders affect 4.1% – 6.4% of 12-21 year olds according to data from the Spanish Society of General and Family Physicians (SEMG).
And in summer, the concern to follow a healthy diet can become an obsession, because another factor is added, the aesthetic one.
Maria SanchezCigna Healthcare e-Health Manager, explains that:
“Although summer as such is not a trigger, it is a time when our body is more exposed and we tend to go out and socialize more frequently.
On a mental level, peer pressureself-demand and low self-esteem can trigger unhealthy eating behaviors related, for example, to caloric restriction or the systematic rejection of certain food groups & rdquor ;.
Until recently, eating disorders they were something associated with girls and young women. But specialists warn about the generalization of this problem regardless of gender and age group.
- “These disorders are complex to treat. and, therefore, receiving nutritional education from different areas (at school, at home, in hospitals…) is of vital importance.& rdquor;
Recommendations to enjoy a healthy diet without compromising mental health
In order to food does not become an obsession, the experts of Cigna Healthcareexplain how to enjoy a varied, healthy and refreshing diet without compromising mental health:
A life without diet
The desire to achieve an “ideal & rdquor; to show off the swimsuit on the beach or in the pool cannot guide our diet.
Therefore, we must put aside any restrictive diet that promises rapid weight loss and opt for improve our relationship with food.
As? learning to eatr according to our needs and not only for the summer, but for the rest of the year.
A flexible routine
During the summer holidays, it is common to go out more eat outsocial gatherings are more frequent and outdoor meals are the stars.
“This increased exposure to food and the consumption of different foods can generate anxiety and trigger restrictive or compulsive behaviors related to food & rdquor ;, explain nutrition specialists.
In those patients with eating disordersthe main work consists of keep the routines that have been carried out during the year, trying to be constant in self-care.
Also, it is possible to adapt the circumstances, such as making a healthy barbecue that controls the amount of portions, and, on the other hand, that incorporates vegetables and alternatives to meat. Of course, the fruit for dessert is essential.
Bring prepared food from home
If we want to spend a good day at the beach It is not necessary that we eat at the beach bar. A good option is to take the prepared food to the beach.
Pasta, rice or legume salads are easy to prepare, and if we combine them with vegetables we obtain a very healthy meal.
In the case of patients with an eating disorder, it is best not to make changes to the usual meals prescribed by specialists.
You don’t always have to opt for cold meals
Copious meals, high in fat and protein cause longer and heavier digestions, not at all appetizing in the summer months when the heat is severe, and what is usually desired are fresh and light dishes.
However, one must take special caution with excessively cold food since these can feel bad by drastically reducing stomach temperature and interfering with digestion, slowing it down and causing gastric discomfort, nausea and even vomiting.