IMPROVING OUR MENTAL HEALTH Through a Healthy Diet
September was National Suicide Awareness Month, but every month should have a focus on mental health. Mental health issues are more prevalent than one may think. According to recent studies, • 1 in 5 adults in the United States live with mental illness; • In 2020, nearly 52.9 million adults were living with mental Illness; • In 2022, 40 million adults in the United States have anxiety. These numbers are astronomical. The good news is many mental health problems are preventable, treatable, and curable with the right type of meal plan. You’re probably wondering, “What does food have to do with anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or other mental health disorders?” To understand this, we’ll start by evaluating our gut health. The Gut: It starts at the mouth and involves the entire gastrointestinal tract down to the anus. The intestinal tract involves an intestinal lining that should be tight, aid in digestion, and absorb nutrients. Villi: These are intestinal finger-like structures that should absorb our nutrients and move particles through tight junctions. Tight Junctions: This intestinal barrier should keep particles, toxins, and bacteria IN the intestinal tract so we can expel the byproducts. The intestinal lining can be damaged over time due to stress, medications, trauma, and OUR FOOD. Certain foods are inflammatory and these are specific for each individual. Generally speaking, gluten, dairy, soy, corn, and almonds are among the top inflammatory foods. Food sensitivities and allergies can be assessed via blood testing, which reveals
the antibody’s reaction to the foods tested. We can utilize results from the blood test to further evaluate gut health, vitamin and nutrient absorption, and metabolic function. Food sensitivities and allergies can present themselves as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, sleep disturbance, excessive anger, and other mental health disorders! With damage to our gut lining, the tight junctions actually open up and create gaps. Then toxins, bacteria, and food particles can seep into our tissues and bloodstream, which is not normal. The immune system reacts to this by developing antibodies that attack our organs. The immune system also reacts by creating cytokines, which are a special type of antibody. Cytokines affect our organs but can also cross the blood-brain barrier and reach the brain, which then affect our chemical balance. Think about a sprained ankle. Inflammation around a sprained ankle causes it to be fat, painful, and unable to work efficiently. Additionally, the ligaments of the ankle are weak after a sprain. The inflammation on the inside of your body and in the brain is similar to the inflammation in the ankle but worse. When the gut lining is damaged, not only are these toxins getting into our tissues and bloodstream, but the development of cytokines allows the inflammation to also reach our brain. In addition, we are also not absorbing nutrients properly. This leads to vitamin deficiencies and vitamins are VITAL for our brain function. But how do we obtain these vital vitamins and nutrients? One of the BEST ways is through our food, although sometimes we can’t consume enough of the right foods to receive adequate nutrients. Other times, we don’t actually absorb the nutrients due to our gut damage, so supplementation can also benefit many individuals.
On another note, blood sugar is absolutely vital for our brain function, hormone balance, and cellular recovery. Protein in the diet can provide quality vitamins and minerals but is also a key component in stabilizing blood sugar. Did you know low blood sugar levels or high blood sugar levels can actually increase cortisol (stress hormone) and cytokines (inflammation), which augments anxiety, depression, bipolar disorders, and several other mental health disorders?! It can be controllable with adequate protein in our diet!! Check out some of the foods that can help to promote blood sugar stability and stabilize mental health: • Green, leafy vegetables and other cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts) are absolutely essential in providing many of the vitamins already mentioned! • Lean, unsaturated proteins (chicken, fish, turkey, pork loin, plant-based proteins, quinoa, tofu) are also very important to provide essential vitamins for brain function, hormone control, and blood sugar stability. • Fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines support vitamin levels, healthy brain development, and bone density • Nuts and seeds in moderation! • Theanine and branch chain amino acids through proper supplementation Improving and stabilizing mental health requires a full-body approach. We cannot expect long-term effects from treating just one area. We need to start from the inside out, so start with your food and your gut. This article is not to treat or to make treatment recommendations. You should always consult your provider prior to making any dietary or supplement changes.
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