Food and mood are directly related: Luke Coutinho, a wellness expert, entrepreneur and author

Hyderabad: Food is everything. We are what we eat. Nutrition is a over hyped word. Though we have been eating healthy, nutritious food, yet we’re suffering from Depression and many diseases like Dementia, Alzhiemer’s said Luke Coutinho, a well known wellness expert, entrepreneur and author while addressing a Virtual Session “Food for Thought” organised by FICCI Ladies Organisation(FLO), Hyderabad Chapter .
 
Nourishing, well rounded diet give brain the power to fight age related brain diseases like Alzheimer's, Dementia, he added
 
It was a well attended session by over 200 attendees. Luke was in conversation with Arthi Deiva, Founder & CEO, Strive Plant based Nutrition.
 
Luke dealt various aspects of Food-Mood connection. The food has an impact they way we feel, look, think and feel. Food and Mood are directly related. Right food, sleep, exercise are important. Your sleep is very important. Exercise improves blood circulation. Food tastes different after a sound sleep. Stressed and relaxed taste food differently. Food is food. There is no magic food. The way we balance it does the magic, Luke explained. 
 
He shared simple tips for holistic immunity as well food to boost brain health. Our brain alone needs 600 to 800 calories, but that is not taken into account. Take for instance, a Data Scientist, who works with numbers for 12 to 16 hours, needs 2000 calories for the brain alone. But such things are ignored. These things lead to Cognitive disorders.  Cognitive disorders are a category of mental health disorders that primarily affect learning, memory, perception, and problem solving, and include amnesia, dementia, and delirium etc and others.
 
Luke shared some foods that boost up brain power. Good fats taken in right amount help brain. But on the contrary people are cutting them down from their diet. We need positive fats, he added quickly. Refined oils, pure ghee or home-made ghee are good. Unsalted nuts, turmeric, ginger, black choclate etc are recommended.  Coffee is a good brain food. Plain black coffee two times a day is a good practice, said he.
 
Don’t go against natural cycles or law of nature. Eat, sleep, wake up same time, early dinners work well for the body, he informed.
 
On a question on menopause, he told his gathering to embrace it as it happens. It has to happen one day. Don’t make it a stress builder.
 
Welcoming the gathering Usharani Manne, Chairperson of FLO Hyderabad said annual health check-ups have become routine as a matter of Preventive health care. But, we totally ignore our Mental Health, because sound in mind is sound in body. It is as important as physical wellbeing or even more.
 
Mental Health affects health in many ways. But, still we refuse to acknowledge it. Why it doesn’t get the due importance it deserves? she asked.
 
Towards this direction we kick started a yearlong campaign in association with Roshni NGO, to spread the message of positive mental health, Usharani shared.
 
Through our campaign, the FLO Chairperson shared,  ‘will be urging those undergoing the symptoms to reach out to those who can help – could be professionals, family members or friends…and also urging those who are around them, to extend a hand, an ear, shoulder in help. Because when we Reachout…there’s always somebody!”.
 
We have embarked on a ‘Say No to Suicide’ Video Challenge Usharani said. Adding more she said, It is done so , on the occasion of World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10th. Roshni and FLO together floated the Video Challenge ‘Say No to Suicide’.
 
ReachOut theme song brought out by FLO Hyderabad unveiled during the webinar.
 
Speaking on the occasion Usha Tipirneni of Roshni , a NGO In Hyderabad that helps People Struggling With Suicidal Tendencies said, the mental depression is the invisible enemy that takes our lives away. It is a complex problem which doesn’t have single treatment like a vaccine for the relief from Corona. 8 million people die annually across the globe. In India, in the year 2019 alone 1.39 lakh committed suicide. One suicide is happening every minute all over the world, she shared
 
Depression is treatable. Suicide is preventable. Let us together address this menace she concluded her talk.
 
Priya Gazdar, Secretary of FLO set the context for the conversation. Mental health is important at every stage of life. It includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It is the need of the hour. She also highlighted the importance of mindfulness eating. Wholesome approach to health is need of the hour, she said.