When I started working on this article, I originally wanted to investigate the correlation between what we eat and the resulting status of our mental health. I thought that eating junk meant that mental health would suffer.

But after talking to Marnie Wedlake, support and education team leader with the Canadian Mental Health Association London-Middlesex charter, and Tom Gantert, Fanshawe instructor and endurance athlete (who also holds a PhD in nursing), I gained knowledge from two somewhat different views.

Wedlake approached the subject much like I did — that what I eat in turn affects my mental health.

“You are what you eat, and it's not just your body; it's your mind as well,” she said. “If you can have food that is not chock full of all kinds of preservatives and chemicals, then it's always good for the body. If it's good for the body, then it's good for the mind.”

“If our brain is affected by putting all kinds of contrary substances into our systems — whether it's additives, too much caffeine, too much alcohol, street drugs, preservatives — it's going to have an effect,” said Wedlake.

But Gantert sees bad eating choices as a coping mechanism for poor mental health, and also “lack of proper nutrition and lack of activity can lead to lower physical and mental health.”

“Junk will contribute to poor mental health,” he added. “If I'm stressed out and I don't have the coping or belief in myself ... I'm going to go to [junk food] for release.”

Why? He said junk food makes people happy — it's instant gratification. The temporary bout of happiness will most likely result in minor weight gain, and that's the short-term outcome, something small and easy to overlook.

Gantert said peer groups don't help either. “You will never exceed beyond the expectations of your peers. ‘It's not that bad. You look fine.'” He said affirmations like this help justify self-perception as “not that bad.”

But long-term consequences follow when great intake of junk food results in noticeable weight gain, compromising mental health status.

“Might have disordered eating patterns ... then we might get into body image disturbances,” Gantert said. “It's a roundabout way. We're using the junk food because of our poor mental health.”

Gantert said students are more susceptible to climb aboard the unhealthy-eating train when they are emotionally drained because of studying. “It [makes it] that much easier to make bad food choices because their willpower is shot, and vice versa.”

This is particularly true during high-stress periods of midterms and finals. “When people get anxious, they just want that to go [away],” Gantert said. “People often don't eat junk food when it's not there or when they're calm and relaxed.”

“We're not telling you to stop, just know why you're doing it,” said Gantert. “Is it because you're stressed? Know that you have a choice and know the long-term consequences.”

If unhealthy eating is something you suffer (and let's be honest, who isn't reaching for the occasional candy bar?), it might be time to re-evaluate your own mental health and make changes with your physical health.

Gantert said, “How do we change any behaviour? It has to be a must, then you get used to it ... you see the benefits.”

This all gave me a lot to think about. How about you?