Collard Green Wraps with Peanut Sauce by Rosemary Squires (@thehintofrosemary)
We all know that eating healthy is good for us in so many ways. From keeping a healthy weight, to protecting our eyesight, to even helping our hair grow! But, did you know that a nutrient dense diet is also crucial in maintaining good mental health?
Every cell in our body is fed by the nutrients we eat. So it’s no wonder that the neurons, hormones, and cells involved in our mental health are also protected by healthy eating.
Poor diet and mental health rates in the United States: is this a coincidence?
Obesity rates are at an all time high and expected to rise. While in the past, we thought of malnourishment as the sick and starving. Today, we see malnourishment in a new form: obesity. Diets high in refined carbohydrates and fried foods without whole grains, beans & legumes, nuts & seeds, fruits, and vegetables. We are more sick than ever. And at the same time, mental health disease rates are rising.
According to the Centers For Disease Control (CDC), the prevalence of obesity in US adults between 2015-2016 was almost 40%. That is approximately 93 million Americans!
And when we are looking at instance of mental health disorders, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates nearly 1 in 5 Americans living with mental illness in 2017, which is about 46.6 million people. The CDC estimated 9.8 million adults, which is 1 in 25 Americans with a serious mental illness. A serious mental illness is when an individual’s major life activities and functioning is impacted by their mental illness.
So we wonder, does this rise in poor dietary habits have an effect on our mental health as a nation?
Nutrients needed for mental health
When looking at a mental health and brain function as a whole, many nutrients come into play. And due to the synergic effect of food, there is not a “cure-all” nutrient or food. Rather, the most beneficial results are seen in a well rounded plant-based diet.
Let’s look at some of the nutrients needed in cognitive function:
B-vitamins
B-vitamins are used widely throughout our bodies. They are used in neurological function and cell signaling. B-complex vitamins have been shown to improve depression and anxiety symptoms (1,2) . The most well-known B vitamin in mental health is Vitamin B-12. It is vital for neurological function.
Many of the B vitamins are found in meats, whole grains and leafy greens, like collard greens.
Magnesium
Magnesium is one of the most essential minerals in the body that is connected with brain chemistry (3,4). It plays a major role in calming the nervous system. Thus, it is an important nutrient in mental health disorders, especially anxiety and depression (3,4).
Magnesium is found in green leafy vegetables, fresh fruits, nuts & seeds, and legumes. Are you starting to notice so many of these nutrients needed in mental health are what most Americans are lacking?
Selenium
Selenium, while only needed in small amounts, plays a huge role in mental health (5)! Deficiency of selenium has been correlated with higher rates of depression (6). Selenium is necessary in preventing depression and anxiety. And what is even better, that it has shown to help prevent memory loss that leads to devastating diseases like Alzheimer’s disease (7).
Brazil nuts are rich in selenium. Just a few brazil nuts per day can give you enough selenium! Other foods include oysters, fish (like sardines and tuna), mushrooms, and eggs.
Note here that you can get too much selenium, so it is best to obtain it from natural food sources rather than supplementation where there is the risk of toxicity.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is another nutrient used widely throughout the body. Its receptors are found everywhere! It is no wonder that a deficiency of this sunshine vitamin is linked with higher rates of depression (8,9).
Vitamin D receptors are not only found in the brain to help with neurological signaling, but the nutrient itself protects the depletion of mood hormones like serotonin and dopamine (8).
Make sure you are getting at least 15 minutes of direct sunlight exposure per day! But, if you’re like me and live in the northern hemisphere, you will want to eat vitamin D rich foods in the winter.
Good sources of vitamin D foods include: cold water fish, mushrooms, beef liver, egg yolks, cod liver oil, and fortified foods.
Omega 3
Good fats are essential to your brain health (10)! Your brain itself is mainly composed of fat.
There are 3 main types of omega 3’s: ALA (alphalinolenic acid), EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). While these can all make omega-3 in your body, the most important one to get is DHA.
Good sources of DHA omega 3’s include: fatty fish, and fish oil. It is also found in lesser amounts in grass fed meat, eggs, dairy, and spirulina.
This is not an exhaustive list of nutrients related to mental health. And so many benefits have actually been seen when we are eating a well-rounded diet. A well-rounded diet includes quality whole grains, nuts & seeds, beans & legumes, fruits, vegetables, and quality protein sources.
And make sure you are staying hydrated! Even being mildly dehydrated can cause irritability.
Gut health and mental health
We can see that eating a variety of foods can help to protect and improve our metal health. And even the potential for developing degenerative diseases.
But even more interesting is that in recent years, scientists have found that gut health may be even more crucial for mental health (11,12). Our guts are home to trillions of microbes, think of them as “gut bugs.” They are responsible for reducing inflammation, controlling the immune system, digesting foods to provide our bodies nutrients, and even the production of neurotransmitters.
You know the happy hormone serotonin? You’d think that it was produced right in your brain. Bit in fact, 95% of serotonin is made in your gut! Yes you read that right ninety five percent!!
Just like our bones and muscles and the organs in our body, our gut microbes also need to be fed the right nutrients. They thrive on fiber dense foods like whole grains, beans, nuts & seeds. Other good foods include fruits and vegetables (13). Try any type that you like!
Note: if you have been on a long-term antibiotic, your gut bacteria have likely been killed off. You may want to talk to your doctor about starting a daily probiotic for a month to recolonize your gut.
So what can you eat today to start improving your mood??
1. Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Make sure you eat the rainbow! Bright red, yellow & orange, dark greens, and even purple!
2. Choose whole grains. Wild rice, quinoa, farro, and oatmeal. When you are looking at a nutrient label, make sure there are >3 grams of fiber.
3. Add nuts and seeds to your meals. Use chia seeds, flax seeds, and pumpkin seeds. Make sure you are choosing raw and un-roasted.
4. Look for quality protein sources. Lean and organic meats. If you are vegan choose beans, legumes, and tofu.
5. Stay hydrated! Drink plain or fruit and herb infused water throughout the day.
And above all, make sure you are enjoying your food! Experiment with new foods, you might be surprised.
Conclusion:
A poor diet high in refined foods has been linked to higher rates of mental illnesses. Foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds have been shown to be protective against mental illness. Gut health is crucial in reducing mental illness symptoms. Add many plant based foods to your diet!
Sponsored by Nature’s Greens — all thoughts and opinions are my own.
References:
1. Almeida O, et al. B vitamins to enhance treatment response to antidepressants in middle-aged and older adults: results from the B-VITAGE randomised, double-bling, placebo-controlled trial. Br J Psychiatry. 2014; 205(6): 450-7.
2. Lewis J, et al. The Effect of Methylated Vitamin B Complex on Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms and Quality of Life in Adults with Depression. ISRN Psychiatry. 2013; doi:10.1155/2013/621453.
3. Derom M, Sayom-Orea C, Martinez-Ortega J, Martinez-Gonzales M. Magensium and depression: a systematic review. An International Journal on Nutrition, Diet and Nervous System. 2013; 16(5): 191-206.
4. Serefko A, et al. Magnesium in depression. Pharmacological Reports. 2013; 65(3): 547-554.
5. Albuquerque R, Tufik S, Andersen M. Benefits of selenium in the treatment of depression and sleep disorders. Sleep and Breating. 2019; 23: 933-4.
6. Wang J, Um P, Dickerman B, Liu J. Zinc, Magnesium, Selenium and Depression: A Review of the Evidence, Potential Mechanisms and Implications. Nutrients. 2018; 10(5): 584.
7. Santos J, Gois A, Mendonca D, Freire M. Nutritional status, oxidative stress and dementia: the role of selenium in Alzheimer’s disease. Front Aging Neurosci. 2014; 6: 206.
8. Spedding S. Vitamin D and Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Comparing Studies with and without Biological Flaws. Nutrients. 2014; 6(4): 1501-18.
9. Anglin R, Samaan Z, Walter S, McDonald S. Vitamin D deficiency and depression in adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The British Journal of Psychiatry. 2013; 202(2): 100-7.
10. Martins J. EPA but not DHA appears to be responsible for the efficacy of omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation in depression: evidence from a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Am Coll Nutr. 2009; 28(5): 525-42.
11. Taylor A, et al. A review of dietary and microbial connections to depression, anxiety, and stress. Nutritional Neuroscience. 2018.
12. Aslam H, et al. Fermented foods, the gut and mental health: a mechanistic overview with implications for depression and anxiety. An international Journal of Nutrition, Diet and Nervous System. 2018.
13. Dash S, Clarke G, Berk M, Jacka F. The gut microbiome and diet in psychiatry focus on depression. 2015; Psychiatry. 28(1).