There are many components to mental stability. Everyone has an off day every now and then where we may not feel like ourselves, we may be a little grumpy and irritable, or our concentration isn’t where it should be. This is totally normal. The problem exists when the days are strung together to make weeks and months, and before we know it, we not only don’t feel like ourselves, we have trouble remembering who “ourselves” was in the first place. Bad news, sudden life changes, and past trauma all play a role in depressive states, but one should also look at the type of lifestyle they are leading for answers. Sleep, exercise, mindfulness and especially diet all play a huge role in mental well-being.
The brain, like the rest of your body, requires fuel to run. The food that you put into your body is the only fuel your brain has access too. If you want your brain to operate at maximum function, you have to give it the good stuff. A Mediterranean style diet is recommended almost completely across the board for the optimal nutritional experience. Nutritious whole foods, lots and lots of vegetables, fresh fruits, whole grains, probiotics and prebiotics, healthy fats and a few lean meats make up a Mediterranean diet.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in the brain responsible for sleep, mood, and appetite regulation. It is estimated that 95% of serotonin is made in the gastrointestinal tract, which is lined with millions of nerve cells that not only regulate digestion, but also influence emotion. The bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract play a huge role in how well your body absorbs nutrients to send to the brain by limiting inflammation in the lining. So it becomes clear that eating well is so important to mental health, because mental health starts in our gut.
Even after knowing this information, why is it so hard to eat the healthy foods we know we should be eating? Unhealthy junk foods trigger another type of neurotransmitter in the brain, dopamine. Dopamine is the signal for reward in the brain. While the immediate response is that of pleasure and comfort, the long term effects can be grueling. This process is very similar to drug addiction, and in some cases can be as severe as we start to use food as a coping mechanism. It is sometimes necessary to ween off of junk food while introducing healthier foods in. In some cases, counseling may be necessary for a successful transition.
It is so important to take the time to validate your mental health and to share this with loved ones. This is especially true if you are experiencing a health crisis. It is so easy to put your mental health on the back burner. This is a friendly reminder that you are important! As always if you don’t have the time or energy to create your own healthy, delicious, nourishing meals, Cuisine for Healing has got you covered. Give your brain some love with our Greek Pasta, or our new Wild Caught Cod with Mango Salsa and Black Beans and Rice.
Sources:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/nutritional-psychiatry-your-brain-on-food-201511168626
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/diet-and-depression-2018022213309
https://www.rmit.edu.au/news/all-news/2016/sep/five-ways-junk-food-changes-your-brain
