Eating For Mental Health

This post will discuss the link between diet and nutrition, and your mental health. This is an area of relatively new research that is continuing to grow and gain more and more interest. The topic of nutrition can be complicated and when discussing mental health, it can become even more complex. Food and diet can not only have a physical impact on people, but research shows that there is a connection between the things that we eat and the way that we feel. This post looks at information from Nutrition psychiatry: Your brain on food, from Harvard Health Publishing; Healthy Diet: Eating with Mental Health in Mind, from Mental Health America; and The emerging link between food and mental health, from The Center for Addiction and Mental Health.

Recognizing that health is something holistic that connects mental and physical well being helps to begin to understand the impact of nutrition on our mental health. In the context of overall mental health and wellbeing, certain lifestyle changes can impact the way we experience the world. The food that we eat is the nutrition that fuels our brain and our brain best functions when supplied with high quality nutrients. Having an unhealthy diet can cause increased inflammation, stress, and worsen existing mood disorders. Current research looks at the role of diet, gut health, and specific nutrients in relation to mental health.

The diet or eating patterns that you choose to follow can play an important role in your mental health. Research shows eating a diet full of fruits, vegetables, fish and seafood, and whole grains can improve feelings of anxiety, stress, and your overall mood. Along with this, by reducing your intake of meat, dairy, processed foods, and refined sugars you can further help support a healthy diet for your mental health. There are many different forms of diets that exist that can align with these recommendations. The updated Canada’s Food Guide provides a helpful resource with useful guidelines to get started making healthy changes to your diet. Further suggestions include reducing your intake of sugary drinks and caffeine. If you find you experience increased anxiety it might be worthwhile to consider cutting caffeine out of your lifestyle completely. Aim to replace these things by drinking at least 2 liters of water per day.

The gut is a major part of the digestive system and plays an important role in your healthy diet. 95% of the body’s serotonin, an important neurotransmitter involved in mood regulation, social behaviour, appetite, sleep, and digestion, is produced in the gut. The gastrointestinal tract has many important functions which includes regulating our emotions. The function of the GI system is enhanced by good bacteria. Therefore research has shown links between an increase in good bacteria and an improvement in mental health. Probiotics can be taken as supplements to increase good bacteria, as well as consuming fermented foods such as kimchi act as natural probiotics to do the same. Research in this area is continuing to grow as a part of nutritional psychiatry.

Some specific nutrients have been identified to play a role in impacting our mental health. Folate is believed to decrease the risk of depression and can be found in leafy greens ,fruits nuts, beans, and whole grains. Vitamin D is believed to be connected to seasonal affective disorder. You can get vitamin D from adequate sun exposure and through oral supplements during the fall and winter months when adequate sun exposure is not available. Omega-3 fatty acids are believed to be helpful in the treatment of depression and to have mood stabilizing effects. You can get omega-3 fatty acids by eating oily fish such as salmon twice a week. Aiming to incorporate these nutrients as a part of your healthy diet may help to improve your overall mental health.

The information and growing research on this topic is interesting, provides insight, and offers tangible lifestyle changes that we can implement to impact our mental health. However, lifestyle changes are not a substitute for medication and you should always speak to a healthcare professional when you have questions about your own personal health. Taking the time to invest in your diet and make healthy eating choices will not only improve your mental health but will always improve your physical wellbeing and aid your sports performance. Just like most things by making a healthy change to the foods that you eat, the positive benefits will impact all other areas of your life.