Daily Menu in Times of Pandemic for Individuals with Anxiety and Depression

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic brought to light food and nutrition vulnerabilities in society, which were aggravated by the effects of social isolation and other measures to contain coronavirus spread in people’s lives. This study explores how individuals with mental disorders are reacting to this pandemic time, focusing in the context of their eating habits. For that, nineteen in-depth interviews were conducted with people previously diagnosed with depression and/or anxiety. We found out that the pandemic affected food and nutrition security for the participants, once it has acted as a trigger activating vulnerabilities that make this part of society more susceptible to negative changes in eating habits. They are consuming unhealthy food, and experiencing emotional eating and weight change. Also, financial problems, unemployment, and the rise of food prices were worsened by the pandemic, causing food access difficulties for few participants. Suggestions for policymakers were highlighted on the conclusion.

Depression and consumption habits: a cross-cultural study

“…An unhealthy diet is associated with depression (Meller et al , 2021). Alcoforado et al (2021) investigated how people with anxiety and depression in Brazil are more vulnerable to unhealthy foods and binge eating, both driven by emotional consumption, that is, eating in response to negative emotions. In our research, Brazilian depressives reported consuming more pasta, cookies, sweets and sandwiches than Brazilians without a level of the disease.…”

“…Also, because of the symptoms and consequences of the disease, depression is related to a higher medication intake, such as antidepressants, anxiolytics, sleeping pills and opioids (Kodaira et al ., 2015; Scherrer et al , 2020). In addition, it has been already investigated the low rate of physical activity by depressed individuals and the higher intake of unhealthy food (Alcoforado et al , 2021; Meller et al ., 2021; Zhang et al , 2021). According to Maddock and Hill (2016), foods not only affect mood and general well-being but also contribute to the prevention and treatment of specific mental disorders.…”