Nutrition and mental health

There’s no doubt that now more than ever, we need to focus on the state of our mental health, doing everything we can to remain calm and positive. Social distancing, anxieties over loved-ones, financial worries and simply spending too much time indoors is going to challenge even the most mentally strong among us.

With stress levels higher and more prolonged than normal, our immune system can struggle to do its job efficiently. The prolonged presence of stress hormones can make us more prone to illness and we can take longer to recover from infections, including viruses such as Covid-19.

Making sure we continue to exercise, breathe in fresh air and practice mindfulness are all essential activities to help keep our stress levels down through this time.

However, there is another area we should focus on to help our mental wellness and improve our coping mechanisms and that’s how we choose to nourish our body through the foods we consume. The connection between our mental health and our physical body is still being researched but it’s clear that the link is a stronger one than we ever considered. Research tells us that a number of mental related disorders are linked to problems with the gut, adrenal glands, hormones and thyroid and, as a result, it makes no sense to ignore the fact that looking after our physical body can positively impact our mental health.

There are two key areas of our physical health that we now know are linked to our mental wellness: gut health and inflammation.

Gut Health

We know without doubt that the health of the gut can influence how the brain works, and is closely tied to disorders like depression and anxiety. Research tells us that the microbiome (the collection of bacteria in the gut) of people with psychological disorders is different than that of healthy people.

This link between our gut and our brain is often referred to as the gut-brain axis; a two-way communication channel linking physical and chemical connections between the gut and the brain via nerves and neurons, millions of which reside in the gut. When the gut is inflamed or imbalanced, signals are sent through the neurons to the brain, creating mood problems. Our gut bacteria also produces about 95 percent of the hormone Serotonin - a neurotransmitter responsible for providing stability and acting as an antidepressant.

When its healthy, the gut provides an effective barrier system, designed to let digested nutrients into the bloodstream and keeping out toxins. However, the health of our gut can be compromised through inflammation, poor diet choices, medications and illness. When this happens toxic particles can enter the bloodstream, leading to inflammation, a weakened immune system, chronic conditions including mental health problems, food reactions and more.

Inflammation

Our immune system creates inflammation to protect the body from infection, injury, or disease. Often we don’t even know this process is happening.

Acute inflammation comes on very quickly and usually resolves in two weeks or so. During this process, our body responds to harmful substances, repairs damage to cells and carries away dead cells. It results in symptoms like redness, swelling, heat and pain.

Examples of conditions that involve acute inflammation include acute bronchitis, a sore throat from a cold or flu or an infected ingrown toenail.

Chronic or low-grade inflammation is a slower and generally less severe form of inflammation and often occurs when the body can’t remove the harmful substance or heal an injury and this means your body stays in a inflammatory state for several months or even years. It can also happen if the harmful substance is gone but the body still stays in inflammatory state. Chronic inflammation can be caused by some bacterial infection and viruses but can also be caused by poor diet, food allergies or sensitivities, genetics, childhood trauma and more.

Some of the symptoms of chronic inflammation can include body pain, constant fatigue and insomnia, problems with digestion, weight gain, frequent infections, depression, anxiety and mood disorders.

Optimum nutrition for Mental Wellness

When it comes to mental health, everyone is individual and no one set of rules can be applied across the board. However, there are some broad science backed guidelines that can be followed to keep our gut healthy and inflammation down so that our brains and nervous systems can function at their best.

Look after your gut
It’s no surprise then that protecting gut health is vital when it comes to mental health for all the reasons discussed above. Eating probiotic foods and supplementing where needed can help to maintain a healthy gut. When supplementing, choose a broad-spectrum probiotic free from fillers. Eat prebiotic foods which nourish the existing good gut bacteria. These include foods like artichokes, bananas, asparagus, and apples. Fermented foods such as Kefir and Sauerkraut also help to supply good bacteria to the gut, reducing inflammation and disease-causing bacteria in the intestines.

Avoid sugar
Sugar provides a dopamine hit that temporarily eases feelings of angst, sadness, anxiety and depression. This is not a permanent fix. Over time, chronic over-stimulation from dopamine hits lead the brain to synthesise less and less. This leaves you more dependent on sugar to feel well. Sugar is also one of the driving factors of inflammation, which worsens mental well-being.

To give up sugar for mental health, avoid all forms of sweeteners, including honey, coconut sugar, and even Stevia. This is important because even the taste of sweetness can be enough to initiate that dopamine buzz. We want to allow the brain to receive its dopamine boost from factors other than sugar.

Avoid alcohol
Alcohol can also worsen depression and disrupt the balance of bacteria in the gut microbiome. It can also play a role in leaky gut, leading to malabsorption of crucial nutrients. Drinking changes the way the brain and nervous system function, and interferes with the brain’s basic ability to communicate.
If you are battling mental health challenges, avoid stimulants like sugar and alcohol that mess with neurotransmitter function. This will give your body the chance to re-balance the nervous system communication and synthesis of neurotransmitters.

Eat plenty of Omega-3 fats
Omega-3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory foods, which is partially why they support a healthy and balanced brain. EPA and DHA; two forms of omega-3s also regulate dopamine and serotonin, leading to a stabilised brain that can better cope with stress and anxiety.
Eating fatty fish like wild salmon, mackerel and sardines three times per week for a period of time can help to reduce anxiety and improve mental health. Chia and flax seed are also a great plant source of omega-3s.

Get enough protein
The amino acid tryptophan, found in good quality, protein-rich foods like turkey, chicken, eggs, fish, pumpkin seeds and milk can be converted to serotonin in the gut. When eaten regularly, protein can ultimately have a stabilising and relaxing impact on the brain. This doesn’t include poor quality proteins such as processed meats.

…and antioxidants
Fight inflammation from the inside with antioxidants (vitamin A, C and E). Think bright fruits and vegetables as well as garlic, ginger, turmeric, mushrooms, sunflower seeds, almonds and green tea. Antioxidants can help combat internal sources of oxidation and damage to all parts of the body.

Nourish your body, nourish your mind x