Weight loss, immunity, and managing chronic disease may be the first things that come to mind when you think of nutrition. However, what you eat impacts your whole-body health, including your cognitive function and mental health.
Let’s dive in and take a look at how what you eat impacts your mood and neurological health.
Your Brain Never Stops Working
Everyone knows the basic trivia about the brain that we all heard growing up:
“Brains are linked to every other organ and system in the body.”
“We only use ⅓ of our brain- what is going on with all the rest of it?”
“Our brains are always on, they never turn off.”
We know these things, but somehow forget that they shed light on the fact that our brain (and entire body) requires premium fuel. By fuel, I mean oxygen and nutrient-rich whole foods. Specifically, those scientifically linked to optimal brain function.
Your brain is responsible for your movement, breathing, heartbeat, all five senses, your thoughts, and more. Thoughts are directly linked to feelings, so what you eat can impact how you feel.
Nutrition is an Often-Forgotten Link
Modern fast food and processed food diets have led many of us to forget that what we ingest should be considered when treating personality disorders, depression, anxiety, PTSD, trauma, and in anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts. Nutrition is important even if you aren’t struggling with your mental health, but even more so for those trying to manage acute or chronic mental health conditions.
I know from firsthand experience that nutrition isn’t generally discussed in hospitals and psychiatric centers, unless speaking of managing physical diseases. I feel this is a loss to patients trying to manage and heal their mental health, and we need to talk about it more. As a nutritionist- and someone who has worked through long-standing grief and depression—I have experienced the immense positive impacts of eating the highest quality food and getting all my nutrients. Also, how much better my clients feel! Nutrition and mental health should not be separated.
Focus on How Food Makes You Feel
Even if it was for your birthday, a holiday, or while on vacation—think of the last time you binge ate junk food or overindulged for a series of days. How did you feel afterward? You likely experienced any combination of:
- Exhaustion
- Decreased energy
- Poor digestion
- Irritability
- Not quite feeling like yourself
Our cells are living organisms that require specific nutrients to carry out cycles that enable your body to do everything on autopilot. Without the right nutrients, your cells literally cannot do their job. Feeling less than your best is how your cells communicate that they are nutrient deprived.
How Your Nutrient Intake Affects Your Mental Health
Emotions are not only an indicator of what is going on with us emotionally, they can also be an indicator of what is going on physically.
Serotonin is often referred to as the “feel good” hormone. In addition to boosting and regulating your mood, serotonin helps regulate sleep, appetite, and pain management. Approximately 5% of serotonin is produced in the brain, and 95% is produced in the gastrointestinal tract.
Refined sugars and processed foods provide little to no nutritional value and can disrupt gut bacteria. When gut bacteria are out of balance it can disrupt serotonin production and how well nutrients in healthy foods are absorbed. Processed foods can also decrease your body’s ability to regulate insulin, which often has the ripple effect of oxidative stress and internal inflammation.
When gut bacteria are properly balanced, they activate the neural pathways that travel between the gut and the brain. If bacteria are imbalanced, these pathways don’t “fire” as often—which can negatively impact your mood and mental health. So much so, that studies have found that refined sugars can impair brain function and worsen the symptom of mood disorders, including depression.
Top Nutrients to Support Optimum Mental Health
There are many challenges to overcome when making nutritional changes. First, many of us are not taught beyond the Food Pyramid in school, which is dated, to say the least. Second, our culture prioritizes the convenience of processed foods. Finally, creative marketing and misleading food labels may leave you purchasing foods that are not as healthy as they claim to be.
However, the bottom line answer to all of this is simple- just eat food from the earth. Diets high in fruits, vegetables, unprocessed grains, and lean meat can decrease the risk of depression by 25% to 35%. In addition, nutrition should be personalized to you. This includes factors such as your:
- Age
- Gender
- Level of physical activity
- Individual health conditions
- And more
In terms of your brain health, these foods contain the essential vitamins and minerals your brain and body need most.
- Omega-3 fatty acids can be found in walnuts, chia seeds, fish, and seaweed.
- Vitamin B12 can be found in shellfish, eggs, tofu, and fermented cheese.
- Vitamin B can be found in leafy greens, legumes, salmon, yogurt, oysters, and poultry.
- Vitamin C can be found in citrus fruits, bell peppers, strawberries, and broccoli.
- Vitamin D can be found in salmon, sardines, tuna, eggs, and fortified dairy products.
- Vitamin E can be found in almonds, sunflower seeds, peanuts, spinach, and pumpkin.
- Iron can be found in broccoli, cabbage, arugula, seafood, legumes, and pumpkin seeds.
- Potassium can be found in bananas, cucumbers, mushrooms, oranges, and sweet potatoes.
- Selenium can be found in Brazil nuts, halibut, sardines, shrimp, beef, chicken, and cottage cheese.
- Vitamin A can be found in dairy, beef, clams, salmon, sardines, nutritional yeast, and nori.
- Zinc can be found in shellfish, meat, legumes, nuts, whole grains, eggs, and dairy products
Take Key Supplements
It is extremely difficult these days to cover all our nutrient needs through diet alone. Taking high-quality supplements to ensure you maintain your essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, will also optimize your health. We each have unique nutritional needs, but the most common supplements to prioritize daily include:
- High-quality probiotic
- Multivitamin with zinc and vitamin C
- Cod liver oil or capsule
- Vitamin D support
How Long Will It Take to Feel The Positive Effects?
The negative impact of poor food choices or overindulging a bit too much can be felt the same day. However, you will need to eat “clean” for two to three full weeks before you will feel the full impact on your physical, mental, and emotional health. Eating clean refers to cutting out all refined sugars and processed foods.
You are likely to feel gradual improvement, but your body needs time to re-regulate. Adding a probiotic can help accelerate bacterial balance.
How Can I help?
I understand how challenging changing your diet and lifestyle can be when you’re struggling with mental health and trauma. Trauma is like having your arm cut off without treatment and everyone expecting you to behave as normal. In addition to trauma, we are in the midst of a loneliness epidemic, accelerated by constantly connected lifestyles that lack authenticity, in-person contact, and quality time.
If you are amid a challenging time and searching for someone to assist you in developing lifestyle changes to better support your mental health, I have been there too and it would be my honor to help. Please reach out for a free 30-minute consultation to discuss more.
