Nutrition and Mental Health
- Payton Kifus
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Our bodies need food to use as fuel for our daily functioning. Therefore, how we eat has an impact on how we perform.
The mind and body have long overlapped in how they help us move through our days. In recent years, more studies have examined the link between diet and mental health. Some studies show that improving your nutrition can support your overall mental wellbeing.
How are they linked?
Your brain controls your immune system, neurological system, endocrine system, and more. These systems and how they work affect areas of the brain that are also associated with mental health, as they are the systems that regulate sleep, stress, and mood. These systems play a vital role in our regulation.
The human body relies on vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fats, carbohydrates (for fiber and energy), water, and protein. Consuming a balanced mix of these nutrients supports cell repair and helps regulate neurotransmitters and hormones.
By understanding the roles that these vitamins and minerals play in our bodies, we can see how significant the link between diet and mental health is.
The Mind-Body Connection
Serotonin
Typically known as the “feel-good” hormone. Serotonin helps regulate your mood, sleep, appetite, and pain tolerance. Vitamins like vitamin B1, copper, riboflavin, and calcium help the body produce this hormone and support its function.
Foods rich in vitamin B1 include legumes like black beans and chickpeas. To support your serotonin production, try making recipes like this Chickpea and Black Bean Salad
Gut Microbiome
There are billions of “good” bacteria living in your intestinal microbiome that can create vitamins like B1 and hormones like serotonin.
These bacteria can communicate with the brain to keep our bodies healthy. A recent study at Deakin University took samples from pregnant women’s microbiomes and collected information on their diets, then compared it with samples taken post-partum. The study showed that the women with the “most diverse intestinal microbes during pregnancy” had children who had fewer characteristics that align with depression and anxiety.
Although this isn’t a direct cause-and-effect relationship, it shows the important link between a healthy microbiome and mental health.
To support your gut health, try incorporating foods like leafy greens, whole grains, and lean proteins, like those found in this Greek Spinach Rice.
Immune system
The body’s immune system naturally fights off threats with inflammation. Research from the National Library of Medicine implies that increased inflammation, caused primarily by saturated fat, sugar, and food additives that the body can’t recognize, can lead to challenges like cognitive decline as well as dysfunction in areas of the brain like the hippocampus and amygdala.
The hippocampus manages stress through dopamine production. The amygdala regulates the fight-or-flight response through adrenaline and epinephrine. If these are affected, they can impact your mental wellbeing.
Incorporating anti-inflammatory foods, like carrots and lemons, into your diet can help support your immune system. Give this system a boost by trying dishes like this Lemon Herb Chicken with Roasted Vegetables.
Nervous system
The nervous system includes your brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves. This network serves as the communicator, sending and receiving messages for other systems to follow.
The efficiency of this system relies on the brain’s neuroplasticity, or how the brain creates new neural pathways and clears out ones that are no longer necessary.
An inefficient nervous system has been shown to lead to or exacerbate mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), etc.
To maintain a healthy nervous system, prioritize certain amino acids, minerals, fatty acids (like Omega-3s found in salmon), and carbohydrates to support the production of proteins and nerve fibers.
Reducing inflammation in the nervous system can help manage many neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
Help support your nervous system by trying more Omega-3 based dishes like this Brainpower Salmon with Spinach.
Caring for Your Mental heatlh
Every day, we make choices to support ourselves as we get through our busy schedules. Prioritizing having a balanced and healthy diet can lead to overall improvements, not only physically, but mentally as well.
For more information and for mental health resources, visit our website:
Resources
Disclaimer: The information provided on this blog is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical or mental health advice. Accessing this content does not establish a therapist-patient relationship with Your Path Counseling Center.
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