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Do you often find yourself feeling sad or anxious?
Dealing with mood swings from energized and happy to worn out and feeling blue?
Do you rely on medications like SSRIs to keep your mood stable?
(At no point in this post am I telling you to stop taking your medications. Only you and your doctor can decide that. I do encourage you to discuss alternate therapies with your doctor.)
Mental health is a serious issue in our country these days. Millions of adults deal with clinical anxiety and depression, and the number of young people, including children, suffering from mental health disorders continues to rise alarmingly.
Traditional medicine for the last 50+ years has said that mental health issues are a combination of chemical imbalances and personal trauma.
Talk therapy is still a hugely valuable tool, it just doesn’t address brain chemistry.
Could there be a nutritional element to these issues?
Turns out fixing chemical imbalances with pharmaceuticals like SSRIs hasn’t worked out all that well, as there are more people on these medications than ever before, yet rates of depression and other issues continue to rise.
(Not to say these medications haven’t helped at all or don’t help some people, they are just not the only tool in the tool box.)
A growing area of study called Nutritional Psychiatry is showing how important the nutrients we get from our food are to not just our brain health, but our mental health as well.
Like the rest of our body, the tissues in our brain are made from the food we eat. So are all the critically important neurotransmitters, like serotonin, that we prescribe medications to help balance.
Also like the rest of our body, when glucose is left in the blood for too long or insulin is not able to do its job efficiently, the brain can become inflamed and even insulin resistant.
This inflammation and hormone imbalance can cause the connections between our neurons (synapses) to not work as well, or to not produce neurotransmitters as efficiently.
Just like the body, the brain can experience oxidative stress. This just means that there are molecules bouncing around called “free radicals” damaging brain cells. (Think of oxidation like rust on a piece of metal.) This oxidation can lead to dysfunction in the mitochondria and a decline in function in certain neurons.
While oxidative stress in the brain has been shown to contribute to brain disorders like dementia and Parkinson’s, there is lots of evidence to show that oxidation is linked with mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.
But what is causing insulin resistance, inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain?
There is a certain amount of distress that happens to the brain because of genetics and environmental factors like toxins.
The biggest primary driver of what creates insulin resistance, inflammation and oxidative stress is (drumroll)...
The food we eat!
A highly refined, ultra processed Standard American Diet is the ultimate driver of insulin resistance, chronic inflammation and oxidative stress.
Which is to say, a highly refined, ultra processed Standard American Diet is a major driver in mental health issues.
Refined, processed and sugary foods keep our insulin elevated nearly all day, making our cells resistant and keeping glucose in our blood stream longer.
Glucose in the bloodstream for too long creates chronic inflammation. Add to that most of these foods are made with toxic seed oils like soy or canola, which drive up inflammation even more.
As the cells metabolize glucose, they create free radicals that left unchecked will bounce around causing damage to other cells and creating more inflammation in the brain.
So how do I eat to fix my mood?
For starters, eating a nutrient-dense, whole foods diet and avoiding processed and refined sugary foods as much as possible.
But we can get more into the weeds, here.
To help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, we should remove foods that create… inflammation and oxidative stress.
Those foods are things like packaged foods with added sugars, refined grains, even foods made with or cooked in toxic seed oils like canola, soy, cottonseed, etc.
Same for insulin resistance. Sugary foods and drinks, along with a diet largely based on refined grains (think cereal, bread, pasta, etc) keep our insulin high all day, making our cells resistant.
But it’s not just about what we take out, it’s about what we add in.
It’s just as important to make sure you are eating foods packed full of the nutrients your brain needs to build and repair neurons and neurotransmitters like serotonin.
Foods like eggs, red meat, fish and seafood are at the top of the list.
Yes, veggies have lots of nutrients too, but many nutrients in plants are difficult for our body to process and absorb.
So, to make sure all of the bases are covered, we should eat a wide variety of foods, and include animal foods as often as possible.
The good news is, this kind of change is relatively simple. Yes, it may take time to swap out processed junk for nutritious meat and veggies, but it’s worth it.
Once you stop feeding your brain things that cause chronic inflammation, insulin resistance and oxidative stress, and start feeding it the nutrients it needs to lower inflammation and build and repair neurons and neurotransmitters, you’re going to notice a big improvement in your mood every day.
More patience, less anxiety, more smiles.
Y’all, my 6-month program is all about helping you make these small changes that create a huge change in your life.
If you’re struggling with depression, anxiety or just a low mood, changing your nutrition is a great place to start.
(If you’re seeing a therapist or are currently being prescribed medication for a mental health disorder, you should not stop or reduce your medications without working with your prescribing doctor.)
I can help you take the next step on the path to better mental health.
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