September - Food to Support Your Mental Health
Introduction
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In the last decade, many mental health professionals and researchers are looking in a new direction to help with these very complex issues. They’ve looked at our diet (Nutritional Psychiatry) and at our gut (where 90% of our serotonin is made).
In this masterclass, I’m mostly focusing on the Serotonin Hypothesis when it comes to our mental health because that’s where we have the most research and that’s where most clinicians focus. But, it’s not a fully proven hypothesis…it might not be high or low serotonin that affects our mood. If the research points us in a different direction in the future, I’ll update this masterclass.
In the meantime, if you have any questions about a different way of looking at mental wellness, be sure to email me and we can discuss it in a Facebook Live <3.
A lot of the masterclass will be focused on how a healthy diet can support your mental health because the research is really strong. Studies like this one:
The 2017 SMILES study, led by Felice Jacka, found that moderately to severely depressed people who were coached by a dietitian to follow a Mediterranean style diet for 12 weeks experienced significant improvements in mood compared to people who simply received social support. By the end of the study, around 30% of patients receiving the nutritional support were in remission for their depression compared to 8% of the social support group.
A bit about Depression & Inflammation
There’s an emerging connection between inflammation and depression. Researchers are still looking to understand this connection fully.
Inflammation changes how your cells react to your neurotransmitters, which could be where this connection is. If your body feels like it’s under threat, even if inflammation is the treat, then survival is prioritized in your body over any other reaction…including happiness and pleasure.
This connection could be why high amounts of inflammation can reduce the effectiveness of anti-depressant medications.
Chronic stress can also trigger inflammation by increasing inflammatory molecules in the brain (IL-6 specifically). These markers can be tested in a routine blood test, so it’s possible to find out if you’re dealing with an inflammation/depression connection. Ask your doctor to test for CRP and IL-6.
So, even though there isn’t a definite absolute connection between inflammation and depression, it’s enough of a connection that focusing on a healthy, low-inflammatory diet is a good idea <3. It’s good for your whole body, and maybe for your mental health too :).
All of the food suggestions and many of the supplements in this masterclass are anti-inflammatory <3.
If you’d like to know more about the depression/inflammation connection, check out this article.
How to Navigate this masterclass:
In Part 1 we dive into the gut/brain connection and show how stress & mental health issues can trigger digestive issues (and vice versa).
In Part 2 we look at how to eat to support your mental health, including superfoods for your brain.
In Part 3 we look at simple lifestyle additions that can calm the mind and support mental wellness.
And in Part 4 we look at mental health supportive supplements, just in case your body could use an extra little support.
If you have any questions, jump to our private Facebook Group or the Ask Lisa page :)
Now let’s get started! Head over to Part 1.