Food For Mental Health
We have a true mental health crisis. An estimated 26% of adults in the US have a diagnosable mental health disorder like anxiety or depression–that is 1 in 4 people! And even more suffer with mood swings on a regular basis.
Statistics are even worse in children. It’s estimated that 32% of children between 13 and 18 years old suffer from anxiety disorder. This was completely unheard of 30 years ago.
Food & Mood Health
The foods we are eating today are a direct assault on the brain. They are crippling both adults and children. Yet in conventional medicine, the doctor pulls out the prescription pad for an SSRI or pharmaceutical and in most cases, that is the only treatment recommended. There’s no mention of our toxic food system.
Nutrition and lifestyle interventions can have a drastic impact on mental health outcomes. But public health agencies also aren’t talking about this. If you go to the websites of public health agencies like the Anxiety and Depression Association of America there is no mention of diet or nutrition interventions.
We are missing the mark. There is an unnecessary level of pain and struggle that people are experiencing that could be drastically improved if food was a key part of interventions. This should not be an afterthought.
One of the most common outcomes that are reported amongst the thousands of people who go through my company’s nutrition programs is improved mood. And in the Fortune 500 companies that we work with, their executive teams consistently report better emotional resilience during stressful seasons.
I broke this down in a recent podcast episode, Courageously.U with Tara Bixby. We discussed the ways that nutrition and lifestyle can impact overall mental health.
The Science on Nutrition & Mental Health
There is an emerging field called Nutritional Psychiatry with a program at Harvard because there is strong evidence on the connection between nutrition and mental health.
In one study, a 12 week single-blind, randomized controlled trial, they found a positive relationship with improvements in diet and depression.
Another study looked at five randomized control trials and showed that eating a Mediterranean diet significantly lowered the risk of depressive symptoms in young to middle aged adults with depression or mild-moderate depressive symptoms.
6 Key Things That You Want to Pay Attention to
1-Gut Health
90-95% of your serotonin, the “feel good” chemical, is produced by the bacteria in your gut.
The microbiome includes hundreds of trillions of microbes that live primarily in your small intestine. These microbes include bacteria and fungi that are directly influenced by the food you eat. The bacteria eat the foods you eat and if you are eating optimally, they create beneficial chemicals like short chain fatty acids. When you eat optimal foods–their population grows and these beneficial microbes compete with more harmful bacteria. The chemicals that they release impact your metabolic flexibility, blood sugar, mood regulation, sleep and your energy.
This can be done by incorporating more fiber, probiotics, prebiotics and polyphenols. One meta-analysis found that for every 5g increase in fiber consumed, there was a 5% decreased chance of having depression.
2-Blood Sugar
At least 50% of the population has abnormal blood sugar levels. Tightly regulated blood sugar levels are associated with neurotransmitter production like GABA (will help calm you) and dopamine (will help motivate you). Symptoms of high or low blood sugar can mimic symptoms of anxiety because it increases stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. This hormone primes your body to “fight or flight,” potentially resulting in some symptoms commonly experienced during bouts of anxiety such as pounding heart, shakiness and cold sweats.
This can happen if you go too long between meals before eating or if your blood sugar levels are fluctuating dramatically from high carbohydrate/sugar foods.
3-Nutrient Deficiencies
Your Nutrition is not just dependent on your macronutrients. It also goes deeper into phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals. Meta-analyses confirm the importance of a nutrient like magnesium for the nervous system, showing supplementation to be beneficial in reducing symptoms of anxiety.
Another group of nutrients called B vitamins are critical in supporting neurotransmitter synthesis. Overall, increased intake of B vitamins through foods like animal proteins, legumes and leafy greens are associated with lower rates of depression and anxiety.
4-Lower Inflammation
Depression has been shown in research to be associated with chronic inflammation. One article from the Washington Post says “inflammation is a pathway to depression and a potential avenue for treatment. A variety of different kinds of mood disorders are connected to chronic inflammation including: bipolar disorder, postpartum depression, and major depressive disorder.
5-Move More
The key is to spend less time sitting and more time standing, exercising and moving your body as a whole. There are numerous benefits to this but one in particular, demonstrated by a meta-analysis, found exercise to be as effective as antidepressants in mild to moderate cases of depression. Start with something as simple as tracking your daily step count.
6-Spend Time in Nature
Numerous research studies show that spending more time in nature can help to lower stress, improve mood, and support healthy thinking. Spending more time outside is good for our health.
New research shows that connecting children with nature can improve their mental well-being. The study reported that a 10% increase in neighborhood green space was associated with a decrease in emotional problems and better social behaviors.
At this point, the data is very clear: nutrition and lifestyle interventions should be the foundation of mental health recommendations.