Effects of stress and emotions on human nutrition.

Mental health.

If we talk about the definition of mental health, it is very difficult to formulate it in a universal and unambiguous way. It is most often understood in negative terms (the absence of disease symptoms) or in positive terms (the ability to adapt to the constantly changing conditions of life), the ability to develop, as well as positive changes in oneself and a positive impact on the external environment. According to the World Health Organization, mental health is not only the absence of mental disorders, but also a state in which a person realizes his potential, can cope with stress, work effectively and is able to function in society.

The concept of health in terms of the holistic (holistic-functional) model:.

-the connection between the psyche and the body -psychosomatic medicine.... -health - a two-way relationship between the functional structures of man and man and his environment. -well-being - depends on man's diverse immune resources, potential, environment and demands, i.e. stressors, -mechanism of constant balancing of human needs and environmental demands, -human through awareness of the meaningfulness of life, comprehensibility and resourcefulness can activate and develop his potential, -every person can influence the state of his or her health -human health = healthy life -a healthy life means the body's ability to regulate itself

Aspects of body image.

One's body image is a very important part of one's overall self-image. The development of one's body image can proceed properly at any stage of its formation. A person adequately evaluates his physicality, but this can become disturbed at some stage. In the future, this has a negative impact on the evaluation of one's own body. Such disorders can occur as a result of damage to the central nervous system, abnormal intellectual development, reduced motor skills, or as a result of chronic somatic diseases, or external factors (i.e. family, peers, influence of mass media )(Rabe-Jabłońska, Dunajska, 1997). The consequence of disorders of perception and evaluation of one's own body , manifested by a negative attitude to one's own appearance, is usually reduced self-esteem and deterioration of interpersonal relations. According to Thomson and Smolak, factors contributing to body image dissatisfaction include: -gender, -BMI ratio, -low level of autonomy, -negative comments from parents and peers, -concentration on body size and weight, -willingness to conform to cultural standards. They describe self-body image as a complex phenomenon, consisting of components such as cognitive, emotional, behavioral, perceptual factor, interpretation of external and internal stimuli, subjective experience of the body, opinions and evaluations of the environment as well as one's own.

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Stress and emotions and nutrition.

The results of the study indicate that emotional states can be both a cause of food consumption and a consequence of what and when we snack. Difficulty coping with emotional tension, can cause a desire for quick relief to arise - which can be quickly achieved by reaching for something tasty. Eating becomes an escape, that is, instead of recognizing emotions and consciously expressing them - we scrimp on them. Why so? Because we have often not been taught what emotions are, how to name them, and how they function. Increasingly, too, as a society we don't know how to deal with them. If we talk about the role of nutrition - it has an important function in both the physiological regulation of feelings of hunger and satiety. Sometimes at the same time satisfying the emotional needs of a person. The growing number of negative eating behaviors is often, unfortunately, a response to daily stress, as well as negative emotions.

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Lesya Sowinskaya MA.

Dietotherapist/Psychodietitian .

Sources: Magdalena Rozmus, 2021. mental health and nutrition - psychodietetics". WSNS in Lublin.