How social connection can support following transition
Transitioning from the Defence Force to civilian life can have a significant impact on a veteran’s mental health and wellbeing.
Nutritional Psychology
18 May 2020
Current social restrictions have created a number of changes in the way that we are living our lives, one of those being that we may be spending more time at home. Increased levels of boredom and inactivity may lead to challenges in areas of our life including our diet, as unhealthy food choices may be easier to access and physical activity may be reduced
Simple lifestyle changes may help you to optimise your physical and psychological health as well as establish good ongoing habits.
Research demonstrates that changing some of our eating habits to more nutritionally balanced choices can have a huge impact on our health, with a better self-perceived mental and physical quality of life. Putting value on high quality food and good food choices has been shown to improve life expectancy, healthier weight ranges and lower incidents of chronic health diseases.
This makes sense when you consider that the food you eat forms a part of your bodies building blocks, so if you are putting high quality materials in then you can expect a better product which will be stronger and longer lasting. Think of a strong house which can withstand more extreme conditions than one built with cheap materials which requires constant repair. Or similarly think about the quality of the fuel you put in your car. The fuel quality will affect energy, efficiency and general wear and tear of the mechanical parts.
Below is the Healthy Eating Wheel which shows the daily proportion of various food groups which is a good starting point in making healthy food choices.
For those thinking ‘what’s one thing I can do today?!’
A quick and easy change you can make today to lower you overall energy intake is choosing water and decreasing alcohol and sugary drinks. This simple switch to water can easily reduce your calorie intake.
Other examples you might want to try are more:
- Vegetables and fruit
- Grain (cereal) foods, which are high in fibre
- Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds and legumes
- Decreasing your total red meat intake (males)
If you’re ready to make changes and would like more support or advice around your health needs make an appointment to see a psychologist or exercise physiologist via telehealth.
