Going veggie can do wonders for mental health

| 10 August 2008
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Mental Health

WHAT you eat can really help you look after your mental health. This is the message from leading health charity the Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation (VVF) for World Mental Health Day this Friday (October 10).

The VVF has produced a great new FREE information sheet Simple Tips to Sharpen Your Wits, which suggests ten clever reasons to go veggie.

VVF senior nutritionist Amanda Woodvine says: “Not many people realise how what you eat can affect your physical and mental health; changing your diet can bring about significant benefits.”

Learn about how folic acid, abundant in veggie diets through high-intakes of pulses, cereals and green vegetables for example, can boost brain power. Opting for a veggie diet filled with healthy carbohydrates such as wholegrains, brown rice, wholemeal pasta and fruit and does wonders to bolster your mood, by increasing your natural serotonin levels. Research has also shown veggies and vegans have a lower risk of being obese, which can increase the risk of developing dementia in later life.

Want to find out more about how going veggie can help your mental health? Email the VVF at info@vegetarian.org.uk or call 0117 970 5190 to request a FREE copy of Simple Tips to Sharpen Your Wits.

For everything you need to know about cutting down the amount of meat you eat, going veggie or vegan, visit www.vegetarian.org.uk.

For more information about this media release, contact press officer Helen Rossiter by emailing press@vvf.org.uk or calling 0117 970 5190 or senior nutritionist, Amanda Woodvine by calling 0117 970 5190.

About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
I joined Viva! as a health campaigner in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. My scientific training helped me research and write numerous reports, guides and fact sheets for Viva! including Meat the Truth, Fish-Free for Life, One in Nine (breast cancer and diet) and the substantial report on the detrimental health effects of consuming dairy; White Lies. This accompanied Viva!’s report The Dark Side of Dairy which spelt out the inherent cruelty of dairy farming. We were the first UK group to take on the dairy industry in this way, and many of our supporters go vegan after reading these reports.

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