Effect of Dietary Habits on Mental and Physical Health: A Systemic Review

Abstract

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Mental and physical health issues have increased over the past few decades. Individual’s lifestyle, environment, dietary habits, physical and mental fitness are associated with each other. Generally, youngsters adopt unhealthy dietary habits, such as poor diet, little or no milk intake, meal skipping, preference for energy dense over nutrient dense diet, and inadequate intake of vegetables and fruits. During their university life, students face many changes including poor dietary choices, study stress, anxiety, depression, food insecurity, skipping meals, poor fruit and milk consumption. All of this may lead to many chronic diseases later in life. Processed food causes a lot of health issues. Individuals are more susceptible to irritable bowel syndrome, liver disorders, and amenorrhea due to unhealthy dietary consumption. For this reason, moderation in diet is necessary. A well-balanced nutritious diet consists of five food groups including whole-grains, milk, fruits and vegetables, meat and nuts, and oil which lower disease risk and increase the lifespan. Body size idealism is also the lead cause of eating disorder, especially among teenage girls. The objective of this study was to overview the association of dietary habits with the physical and mental health of people by analyzing the findings of previously published literature. Poor dietary choices and habits lead to poor physical health, classroom performance, and memory retention. It also leads to psychological issues, such as anxiety and depression.