The connecting between mental well being and nutrition is taking a solid stand in our society. Most people would agree that eating healthy benefits our mental well being and decreases the risk of depression and anxiety. With depression and anxiety on the rise among our youngsters, more and more research is emerging that there is a relationship between healthy diets and better mental health outcomes.
After another pilot, the program starts to take properly shape, and if it continues with this development, it is estimated that the program will be life mid this year!
I had the opportunity to work with an all-girls school. The students were positive of the program. In the survey we conducted before and after the workshop, these were the findings:
On the question if a healthy lifestyle and diet has a positive effect on their mental wellbeing, almost 75% answered positive. 61% answered that they are confident that they can apply of what they have learned in their daily lifestyle.
More than half of the Students thought the program was useful, and almost 40% already had made changes since following the program! 61% thought the examples to change your lifestyle was do-able.
The vast majority of the students agreed that having a program for mental health and lifestyle is a good idea, and so did the teachers who attended the program:
‘ It’s a really an excellent program! I think you had a fantastic balance of information and activities. You manage the room really well and check for understanding regularly. In particular I really appreciated the way you were able to encourage the students to get involved without putting them on the spot or making them feel uncomfortable. Really good! ‘
As new research is coming out, I will continue developing this program. If you think you can help me in this process, either by bringing me in contact with a high-schools or organisations willing to run the (pilot) program, I would be very grateful. Please feel free to contact me on:
e-mail: susan@susansteinnutritionist.com
mobile: 61 416 931 034