As I prepare to give a presentation to some college students at Montana State University about the powerful connection between food and mood, I can't help but write a blog post about it and share it with all of you. Could nutrition play a powerful role on our mood and even help with depression and anxiety?
When my father became ill with brain cancer in 2020, the brain was definitely on my mind like it had never been before. I was seeing images of my dad's brain at every doctor's visit, I was having conversations with his neurologist about words I had never even heard of before (as I was anxiously scribbling notes in my notebook) and together we were going over this complex organ. How in the world did my father get brain cancer? How come I didn't know much about this powerful organ? It made me want to learn more. I began to study the brain and I have learned about the power that nutrition has to make our brains thrive or it can be harmful to the brain by making it spend time detoxing harmful foods.
Our brain weighs approximately 3 pounds, is approximately 2% of our body weight and consumes about 25% of our body's energy. It controls every thought we have, our emotions, our memories, our vision, our body temperature, as well as letting us know when we are hungry. On average, we have about 60,000 thoughts per day. If our brain controls so much, why is it that we don't think about it as much as we should? Could it be because we can't see it?
Happiness
Those experiencing depression, anxiety, and unhappiness are at an all time high. At this point in time, we all probably know of someone who has one of these conditions or maybe all of the above. Many look for happiness by purchasing things or spending thousands of dollars trying to look good, and yet find that they are still searching. Now that I look good and have this new "thing" shouldn't I be happier? According to Daniel G. Amen, MD, in his book, You, Happier, he discusses his seven secrets to happiness:
1. It is critical to target happiness strategies to your unique brain type-a one size-fits-all approach will never work. To find out your brain type, visit his website here to take the quiz. I found this to be fascinating and very helpful.
2. Brain health (the actual physical functioning of the organ) is the most important foundational requirement of happiness. Asking yourself, "Is this good for my brain or bad for it?"
3. Your brain needs targeted nutrients every day to boost happiness.
4. The foods you choose to eat either elevate happiness or steal it.
5. Mastering your mind and gaining separation or psychological distance from the noise in your head is essential to protecting happiness. For more ideas on how to practice this, you can visit my blog post, Detox Your Mind.
6. Noticing what you like about others more than what you don't is a recipe for happy relationships and happiness overall.
7. Having clearly defined values, purpose and goals are essential to a strong foundation for happiness.
Dr. Amen also explains how important it is to look for the "micro-moments of happiness" by finding joy in the small things such as, the warmth of the sun on your face when you step outside, watching your child play, or petting your dog or cat. These small moments of happiness add up and overall bring us more satisfaction and gratitude in our lives. I find it helpful to write these moments down in a journal and revisit them from time to time.
The Gut/Brain Connection
Have you ever noticed that when you start thinking about something unpleasant, you may get nauseas? Or, when you are nervous, you get butterflies in your stomach? There's not doubt there is a connection between our gut and our brain.
Our gut is often referred to as the "second brain." You have probably heard of the gut being discussed more often than not these days with more and more research becoming available on this topic. When it comes to mental health, there is no doubt that when our gut is healthy, our minds are healthy. Although the gut and brain are physically located in separate parts of the body, they are connected by the vagus nerve, which starts at the brain stem and travels all the way to the gut connecting to our central nervous system. The vagus nerve has little threads that cover the gut lining, causing it to penetrate the gut, which means it plays a key role in our digestion. Think of this connection as a two-way street--our gut feeds our brain and our brain feeds our gut. When we feed our gut healthy foods and fiber, we have the ability to think clearer, we lower our odds of depression, anxiety and psychological distress thus, our microbes are happy. The same is true if we feed our gut with inflammatory foods, the bad microbes start to thrive which can be very problematic. When our brain doesn't have the nutrients it needs, it doesn't have the ability to make the neurotransmitters it needs and thus it cannot function at its highest potential. This leads us to feeling groggy and confused which is also referred to as "brain fog."
When we feed our gut healthy foods and fiber, we have the ability to think clearer, we lower our odds of depression, anxiety and psychological distress thus, our microbes are happy.
Foods that Heal
When there is a focus on a diet rich in antioxidants (such as greater fruit and vegetable consumption) we are dampening the effects of oxidative stress (inflammation) in the body. Foods that are purchased whole in their natural state are best. When we have less inflammation, we experience an increase in happiness, life satisfaction and overall wellbeing. Focus on a variety of fruits and vegetables-all the colors of the rainbow. Mix it up! Aim for 30 types of plants/week making sure to get dark leafy greens in daily. Our guts thrive on these healthy nutrients. Focus on seasonal and local as much as possible as well as fiber rich foods. Blueberries (aka brain berries in my household) are one the most powerful foods you can eat for brain health. They help with blood flow to the brain, are full of antioxidants, fiber and a lot of water. Try adding them to smoothies, chia seed parfaits or eat them as is.
When we have less inflammation, we experience an increase in happiness, life satisfaction and overall wellbeing.
Fiber
So many of us talk about protein, calcium and carbs, but we forget about this important "F" word. Fiber binds excess hormones in the gut which then can reduce hormonal cancer risks such as breast, ovarian and testicular. It also binds excess cholesterol in the gut reducing serum cholesterol, it reduces blood sugar and can help with IBS, Cron's disease, diverticulosis, constipation, diarrhea and leaky gut syndrome. There are two types of fiber, soluble and insoluble. Both are equally important and our microbes thrive on both types. Soluble fiber absorbs water and functions as a "mop" to clean the gut lining. Insoluble fiber does not absorb large amounts of water and acts as a "broom" to push things through the digestive tract. The average American is consuming around 17g of fiber/day when 38g/day is recommended for men and 25g/day is recommended for women. We must consume fiber in order to feed our gut with good bacteria so our brains can function at the highest quality.
Fiber binds excess hormones in the gut which then can reduce hormonal cancer risks such as breast, ovarian and testicular.
Try adding in 1-2, 1/2 c servings/week of plants to avoid overwhelming your gut with rapid change, then add from here. Another way to start adding more fiber in is by getting your fiber from cooked plant foods, blended plant foods (such as a blended soup or smoothie) and frozen fruits and vegetables. In frozen fruits and vegetables, the fiber has been partially broken down by the ice crystals that form which breaks apart the cellulose fiber which can help with gas, bloating and any discomfort. Focus on getting fiber into your diet from whole, plant foods and avoid fiber powders and gummies which can have added sugars and other additives which can be harmful.
Another way to start adding more fiber in is by getting your fiber from cooked plant foods, blended plant foods (such as a blended soup or smoothie) and frozen fruits and vegetables.
Omega 3's
Omega 3's are essential for brain health. They are the "good fats" our cells rely on for optimal cellular function. Omega 3's help make our cells more flexible and receptive to signals and they allow more nutrients to enter our cells. They even improve overall brain function, help with mood as well as inflammation. They are best found in chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds and walnuts. Visit my chia seed pudding recipe here for an easy way to incorporate Omega 3's into your diet.
Omega 3's help make our cells more flexible and receptive to signals and they allow more nutrients to enter our cells.
Foods that Harm
When we receive the majority of our calories from a diet rich in ultra processed foods, foods with added oils (soybean oil, grapeseed oil, sunflower oil, corn oil and vegetable oil) foods covered in pesticides, sugary foods, foods that have a high saturated fat content and artificial sweeteners, we are creating oxidative stress (inflammation) in the body. Although our bodies try and detox as much as possible, at some point, these ingredients become too taxing on the body and inflammation sets in. An abundance of inflammation has the ability to cause many health ailments such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol and high blood pressure to name a few. This inflammation not only is the start of many diseases, it also creates a weak gut microbiome, which leads to unhappiness, depression and anxiety. Although these types of foods may provide us with a quick jolt of happiness and energy, after our blood sugar drops, our brain feels like it is walking through mud and thus we feel the need again to reach for that sugary snack to give us our energy back and the cycle starts all over again. Basically, we are feeding our brains with toxins when we consume foods that are highly inflammatory and the brain then has to spend time trying to remove those toxins out versus helping us thrive and make good decisions. Dr. Amen refers to the Happy Meal at McDonald's as the "Unhappy Meal" due to its high sugar and high fat content.
An abundance of inflammation has the ability to cause many health ailments such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol and high blood pressure to name a few.
When purchasing packaged foods, always take a look at the ingredients. Don't rely on the front of the packaging to get your information about that particular food. Remember, the front of the packaging is trying to lure you in to purchasing so you may see words like "heart healthy," "vegan," "lowers cholesterol," "organic," etc., but when you flip the package over, this is where you see the truth. Just because an item is sold at a health food store or is organic, doesn't mean it is healthy for you. If you are purchasing packaged foods, look for foods that have 5 ingredients or less and that has ingredients you can pronounce and are recognizable.
Nutrition does play a key role in our mood. What we put into our bodies is truly a reflection on how we think and behave in the world. Not only are our gut and brain completely connected, they are best friends-constantly communicating. Remember to fuel up on whole, plant foods with diversity as much as possible for ultimate gut and brain health!