Food for thought

Why do we eat the way we eat? The relationship between food and your mental health is a sacred one, and here’s what you need to know about it

- Vidhi Tamboli

All my fitness enthusiasts, here’s a thought. Have you ever wondered if the brain burns any calories? Did you know that it does? A whopping 20 to 25 per cent calories, mainly in the form of glucose. This calorie-guzzling function makes the brain the most energy-expensive organ in our body. And as the brain never really switches off, it facilitates your thoughts, movements, respiration, and pulse rate, your senses — even while you are sleeping. So it’s only obvious that the brain needs food to fuel this function 24x7.

Let’s first look at the science of nutrition and food. While nutritional psychiatry has significantly evolved, we are also at the forefront of a digital transformation that influences our diet and mental health. Everyone has felt the WFH environment change the way we treat food, and that, coupled with online food delivery platforms servicing every urge and craving across diverse cuisines at any time of the day, is a recipe for irregular food habits, a blur of fixed eating timings, and unhealthy comfort food available with just a few clicks. You may not entirely understand it when it happens, but these habits can lead to the ubiquitous yet unaddressed concept known as Disordered Eating. Don’t confuse it with eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia as seen in some popular TV shows (The Crown, Gossip Girl, etc.) While eating disorders are diagnosed by conducting psychological assessments, disordered eating is left undiagnosed despite a significant population, especially the younger generation, experiencing it.