Nutrition for Mental Wellbeing
/On a waitlist to see your therapist? Have you noticed “mental health” is driving conversations across all wellness fields? Not surprisingly, the annual functional nutrition conference I attended two weeks ago focused on nutrition and mental health. Surprisingly, although Americans’ interest in personalized nutrition increased 27% after the peak of the pandemic, there was only a 1% increase in people seeking personal guidance from a nutritionist.
Food is a leading cause of dis-ease, yet it also heals. What we eat is mostly overlooked as a mode of prevention in Western Medicine and the fields of mental health and psychotherapy. Eating disorders are complex mental health concerns with a huge impact on gut function and, therefore, the gut-brain interaction. Chronic pain and chronic conditions affecting the physical and emotional body inevitably affect mental wellbeing. Dementia and Alzheimer’s often develop over many years of losing nerve cell function in the brain.
Depression – the top cause of disability in the US and in the world – is directly related to gut health, environmental toxins, dysregulated hormones, diet, trauma, stress, and nutrition. Obesity – a condition directly related to brain dis-ease – has tripled worldwide. Medications for depression and anxiety actually deplete specific nutrients our brains need to thrive.
For these reasons and more, food should be a top priority for our mental wellbeing.
Part of the challenge is the food industry’s focus on growing commodity crops, not diverse foods; on marketing for food addiction, not nourishment; on creating guidelines based on numbers, not disease prevention. Because we are nutritionally under-educated, we look toward supplements instead of bioactive nutrients in whole foods; superfoods over variety and tradition; diagnoses and pharmaceuticals instead of prevention and personalization. Even the USDA suggests maximum daily intake of sugar (which disrupts brain function) far exceeding the clinical data. No wonder we’re all confused!
Until recently, nutrition wasn’t considered for mental health. Ample studies highlight how the Western diet causes neuroinflammation, shrinks the brain, and plays a major role in gut health (and we all know about the gut-brain connection, right?). Despite lab tests, scientific research, and complementary wellness techniques, the solution to mental dis-ease always comes down to food. Example: purple foods rich in flavonoids directly support mood and learning, while many processed foods promote inflammation and lack essential nutrients for brain function, like omega-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, B-vitamins.
Eating any traditional diet that centers around whole foods will increase vitamin and mineral intake to reduce inflammation, improve nutrient absorption and metabolism, diversify the gut microbiome, improve neurotransmitter function, prevent cognitive decline, balance blood sugar, reduce uric acid, increase nitric oxide… I could go on! Crucially, these shifts directly improve mood, cognition, memory, and emotions, while supporting brain development and the blood-brain barrier.
Here are 10 simple food suggestions to improve mental wellness:
1. Optimize motility and hydration
2. Consume plant foods rich in fiber and phytonutrients (polyphenols, flavonoids, antioxidants)
3. Consume animals and fish that consume their natural diets
4. Consume ample protein
5. Diversify the gut microbiome and enhance gut function
6. Support the mind-body with herbs and adaptogens
7. Limit alcohol, caffeine, simple sugars, salt, animal fats, and ultra-processed foods
8. Eat at regular intervals
9. Practice mindful eating
10. Reduce stress and toxic load
Cheers to the holiday season, whole foods, and your mental wellbeing!
Want help optimizing your meals to improve your mood, memory, cognition, and more? Consider scheduling a ‘Supplement Makeover’ or ‘Individual Meal Planning Consult’. Contact me to discuss what’s best for your needs…