Body Positivity: Embracing Your Body and Inner Self

As Liv Tyler once said, “beauty comes from the happiness within”. Whether or not happiness can make us feel beautiful is open to your own interpretation but feeling good and not being deficient in the nutrients that support optimal mood sounds like a great place to start when it comes to feeling good from the inside out. When it comes to the link between nutrient deficiencies and low mood the evidence is clear - deficiencies in the following nutrients are linked to not just low mood but a range of mood and mind symptoms:

• Vitamin B12 - deficiency puts you at risk for developing depression and anxiety.
• Folate - depression has been linked to low levels of folic acid.
• Vitamin D - there is a strong link between vitamin D deficiency and anxiety as well as depression.
• Zinc - low levels of zinc intake contributes to the symptoms of depression and patients suffering from depression have a lower serum zinc level.
• Iodine and Selenium – both can contribute to depression irrespective of their effect on thyroid function, however low levels also contribute to poor thyroid function which in turn can affect mood.
• Omega 3 – the mechanisms at play where omega 3 fats have been linked to reduced depression and improved mood are two-fold - omega-3s can easily travel through the brain cell membrane and interact with mood-related molecules inside the brain. They also have anti-inflammatory actions that may help relieve depression.
• Iron – deficiency is linked to both depression and anxiety.
• Probiotics - may help boost mood and cognitive function and lower stress and anxiety.
• Magnesium - a calming mineral that nourishes the nervous system and helps prevent anxiety, fear, nervousness, restlessness, and irritability. 

There are many foods and food sources that can help make up for these deficiencies and food should always be our first port of call.

However, you may also want to support your intake of these nutrients with some supplementation. When you are feeling blue it’s difficult to think about taking bland-tasting supplements regularly. However, it’s easy to remember to take delicious, juicy, and fruity supplement gummies.

Nutriburst has a range of plant-based, sugar-free, vitamin gummies. Within the range, there is both a ‘Health and Vitality’ multivitamin and also a vitamin D and calcium combination. These two gummies combined can help support your nutrient needs where vitamins C, D, B12, and B9 (also known as Folic Acid), zinc, and iodine are concerned. It is also recommended that you support your mood and mental well-being with sufficient omega 3’s by supplementing fish oil or algal oil, as well as iron, probiotic, and magnesium needs through dietary choices.

Some meal suggestions:

 Breakfasts

• Porridge with Seeds and Raspberries
• Eggs, Mushrooms & Spinach on Sourdough
• Low Sugar Granola and Greek Yogurt

Lunches

• Red Pepper Hummus, Oatcakes, Salad
• Avocado, tomato, and rocket with olive oil on Sourdough
• Vegetable Frittata

Evening Meals

• Vegetable Dahl and Chickpea Pancakes
• Tofu, Brown Rice & Veg Soup
• Wholegrain Spelt Pasta, Pesto,  Sun-dried tomatoes, baby spinach, and artichokes

By Jenny Tschiesche for Nutriburst