FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Stressed? Burnt out? Fatigued? Depressed?
Dietary and lifestyle interventions can have a profound effect on our mental wellbeing.
There is plenty of scientific research now to suggest that what we eat may well affect our mental health and wellbeing. Eating well (i.e. a well-balanced diet rich in vegetables and nutrients) may be associated with feelings of wellbeing.
Choosing what we pile on our plates every day, our social connections, both the family and friends that we have, as well as having a sense of purpose in life and the amount of daily movement we enjoy can be extremely powerful.
In order to build resilience, we must consistently work at it - we cannot achieve this with a pill or a supplement.
Imbalances within our body can have a profound effect on our mind and body. Imbalances could be within our hormones, our gut bacteria as well as nutrient deficiencies for example and could present themselves in number of different symptoms that may well appear completely unrelated.
Just like the stomach, liver and heart, the brain is an organ that requires different amounts of complex carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins, minerals and water to remain healthy.
Nutrients that are particularly important for optimum brain health include essential fatty acids, choline, zinc, magnesium, copper and B vitamins. Learning what your current levels are for these nutrients can help when designing a personalised health optimisation plan. We also need to include plenty of antioxidants to reduce cellular stress and inflammation which can be linked to brain aging and neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease.
According to the WHO there is an epidemic of mental health problems especially among young people all over the world. The incidence of autism, ADHD, suicide, schizophrenia, violence, depression and Alzheimer’s are on the increase.
Mental health problems are fast becoming the number one health issue for the 21st century, with one in ten people suffering at any point in time and one in four people suffering at some point in their life.
In Britain, this year more than 1 in 4 adults and 1 in 10 children will suffer from a mental health condition. 1 in 5 older people are struggling with depression and 1 in 14 adults over 65 have a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.
It is important that we start to understand the power of nutrition in preventing and tackling these debilitating mental health conditions but also in supporting the learning and development of our children, helping them to reach their full potential.
The Smiles Trial (2017) studied moderate to severely depressed people with unhealthy diets. Half received seven sessions with a clinical dietician while the others received “social support”, involving friendly conversation. After 12 weeks, one-third of those who had received nutritional support were in remission, compared with 8% of those who had had the social support. Scientifically this is a fantastic difference and an exciting progress to help those who suffer with mental health.
WHAT SHOULD WE EAT?
There is not just one healthy way to eat. Generally, we need to consume all the nutrients and fibre our bodies needs and this may be different for everyone. We also need to avoid large consumption of refined and heavily processed foods. Studies have shown that eating large amounts of refined sugar can increase inflammation markers that are seen to be raised in those with depression.
A diet that is rich in a large variety of plant foods, contains fish as well as unrefined grains and fermented foods, with less meat and highly palatable processed and snack foods, reduces your risk of depression. The Mediterranean diet or Japanese cuisine which is rich in fish, seaweed, green tea and tofu are two examples of diets that will help reduce our risk of mental health issues.
It is also important to make sure that you are drinking enough water. Your brain is 73% water and it takes only 2% dehydration to affect your attention, memory and other cognitive skills.
Several studies have identified a link between dehydration and mood disturbances. Make sure you are drinking about 8 glasses of water every day. Try drinking a couple of glasses of water as soon as you wake up - this will rehydrate you as well as set up a good habit for the rest of the day.
HOW CAN WE IMPROVE OUR GUT HEALTH?
Studies have shown that the gut microbiome affects everything from pain, mood, sleep and stress, to how our bodies use the food we eat and how we fight off infection.”
Although it is not always this simple and many other factors may be involved, our gut bacteria affect our brain health. So, if we are able to modulate our gut bacteria we may be able to improve your brain health.
Here are some easy ways for you to do just that:
Add polyphenol-rich foods to your diet such as berries - EAT A RAINBOW.
Add probiotic foods such as live yoghurt, fermented vegetables and miso
Include prebiotic foods such as leeks, garlic, onions and chicory
Reduce / eliminate processed and refined foods
MOVE!
Research has shown that exercise is as effective as taking antidepressants. A number of studies in which people exercised for 30-60 minutes show double the benefit you’d expect from antidepressants alone. In an Australian study published in 2005 and involving 60 adults over the age of 60, half took up high intensity exercise 3 days per week while the other half did low intensity exercise. Of those doing high intensity exercise 61% halved their score on the Hamilton rating scale while only 29% of those doing the low intensity exercise halved their score.
However, you’ve got to keep exercising to keep happy. Consistency is key. An 8 year follow up study of people prone to depression found that their depression returned if they stopped exercising.
So, choose something you love to do, something that gets you moving and that you will want to keep doing.
SLEEP
We already know that our gut health affects our mental health but sleep also has an important role to play. It doesn’t take long for poor sleep to affect your gut
The relationship between sleep and our microbiome can be seen as a two-way street. Our microbiota seems to influence how we sleep and in turn, sleep appears to affect the health and diversity of the bacterial world that lives in our gut.
After only two nights of partial sleep deprivation, scientists found a significant decrease in certain types of beneficial bacteria. These changes as well potentially affecting our mental health were linked to an increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
We are what we eat.
Making sure to you enjoy foods that will nourish, heal and help your body to function optimally is important.
Whilst nutrition, movement and sleep are not the only things we need to think about when dealing with mental illness they are very important aspects. If we can tackle these three pillars, not only will they help you to improve your mental health, but they may also positively impact your general health as well.
RECOMMENDED READING:
Essential Fatty Acids: Omega 3’s
References
Anderson, J., Carroll, I., Azcarate-Peril, M., Rochette, A., Heinberg, L., Peat, C., Steffen, K., Manderino, L., Mitchell, J. and Gunstad, J. (2017). A preliminary examination of gut microbiota, sleep, and cognitive flexibility in healthy older adults. Sleep Medicine, 38, pp.104-107.
Jacka, F., O’Neil, A., Opie, R., Itsiopoulos, C., Cotton, S., Mohebbi, M., Castle, D., Dash, S., Mihalopoulos, C., Chatterton, M., Brazionis, L., Dean, O., Hodge, A. and Berk, M. (2017). A randomised controlled trial of dietary improvement for adults with major depression (the ‘SMILES’ trial). BMC Medicine, 15(1).
Libuda, L., Antel, J., Hebebrand, J. and Föcker, M. (2016). Ernährung und psychische Erkrankungen. Der Nervenarzt, 88(1), pp.87-101.
Mikkelsen, K., Stojanovska, L., Polenakovic, M., Bosevski, M. and Apostolopoulos, V. (2017). Exercise and mental health. Maturitas, 106, pp.48-56.
https://www.who.int/mental_health/evidence/en/