Mental Health - Part 2
Diet & Superfoods
Like an expensive car, your brain functions best when it gets only premium fuel. Eating high-quality food that contain lots of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants nourishes the brain and protects it from oxidative stress — this is the “waste” (free radicals) produced when the body uses oxygen, which can damage cells.
If you’re feeling strong feelings of depression or anxiety, making a healthy meal can feel almost impossible…but it can make the world of difference. Is there something you can make that’s super easy & nutritionally dense?
Focus on one meal or snack at a time <3. In this section, I’m going to take you through a few food triggers for mental health issues and what to do to balance that out.
Overall – a diet that supports your mental health is simply a healthy diet with lots of nutritionally dense foods. It doesn’t have to be perfect; it doesn’t have to be a specific “diet”, you just need to eat whole food. Lots of whole food, like veggies, fruit, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and protein. Just food <3.
At the end, I’m also sharing with you a breakfast trick that I’ve found to be really helpful <3
Mental Health & Blood Sugar Crashes
A common result of an imbalanced diet, a blood sugar crash, can dramatically affect your mental health. Suddenly patience goes out the window and you’re quick to anger. Your body may react differently and instead of getting fiery, you might get tired and depressed.
….but for many, you don’t actually feel hungry. Your only symptom of this blood sugar crash is mood changes.
If this feels like you, hop over to the Blood Sugar Balancing Masterclass for some help <3
Refined flour and sugar can also lead to nutritional deficiencies that can promote more depressive feelings. And the sugar high can trigger anxiety in many people.
Sugar cravings & Depression / Salt cravings & Anxiety –
I’ve seen a pattern over and over again, including in my own life. We usually have a tendency when under stress to feel either depressed or anxious (with some who teeter between the two). It’s believed that this wiring happens in utero, so you’re literally born this way. And, I’ve noticed that those who are wired for depression tend to have a lot of sugar cravings and those who are wired for anxiety tend to gravitate to salty food.
These cravings can change, especially when face with big-time stress or chronic stress, but they’re fairly universal. Plus, they make sense physically.
Sugar & Depression:
When our mood is low then our serotonin is low too. Eating something sweet gives us a temporary boost of that feel-good neurotransmitter. It’s not surprising that we get strong sugar cravings!
The bad news; eating something super sugary feels good for a moment, but the rebound effect is lower mood and lower serotonin. The good news; you can get a serotonin boost from whole sweet foods, like fruit, without the rebound effect.
The depression dietary key – I believe that people who are wired for depression need healthy carbs in their diet. I’ve observed that a low carb diet can trigger low mood.
Salt & Anxiety:
Being wired for anxiety can make it hard to feel relaxed, you were born with neurotransmitters that were set a bit too high. This chronic stress can lead to low adrenal function and frequently, low blood pressure. I’ve met MANY people with chronic anxiety who also tend toward low blood pressure…and that’s where your salt cravings come in.
Salt (esp. sea salt) is a healing food for chronic anxiety and low blood pressure. You’re literally craving exactly what you need! Enjoy sea salt to your taste and add a pinch to your water anytime you’re feeling extra dehydrated or if your blood pressure feels low (feeling light-headed).
The anxiety dietary key – In my experience, people who are wired for anxiety do well on a higher protein diet…mostly. It’s not as cut and dry as for depression, but protein has been found to calm neurotransmitters and I’ve seen that effect in many clients. It’s something to try out :)
Superfoods for Mental Wellness –
I can’t stress this enough – a healthy diet is all you need. But, if you’d like some extra special bonus foods, here are some great ones:
Oily Fish (wild only) – wild oily fish, like salmon, are really high in omega 3s (brain food). Cook your fish under 350 degrees to retain those precious oils.
Berries – Antioxidants help to lower inflammation and repair cells damaged by oxidative stress. They also contain polyphenols which have been found to help with concentration and attention span
Fermented foods (like yogurt) – these foods feed your gut bacteria, which help support your neurotransmitter production. One serving a day is all you need <3
Whole Grains (like quinoa, oats, & wheat) – grains are currently out of style, but they’re certainly a part of a healthy diet. Whole grains are a source of tryptophan, which is a precursor to serotonin.
Dark Leafy Greens (spinach, kale, chard) – studies have shown that a daily serving of leafy greens can reduce your risk of cognitive decline as you age.
Beans – This is great brain food! They’re full of fibre to keep your blood sugar steady, antioxidants for cellular repair, and they’re full of B vitamins which help your body make acetylcholine, which is important for memory. Go beans!
Breakfast can balance your neurotransmitters –
Early research has found a connection with breakfast and serotonin production. I’ve used this technique myself with great success and it works for many of my clients. But, if it doesn’t work for you then just ignore it :). You can also use this throughout the day, but it’s most effective in the morning.
Low mood/depression – Starchy breakfast with no protein
A starchy breakfast can boost your serotonin production by 10%! This is especially good for sugar cravers but can be tough for anyone with insulin resistance or type II diabetes (so you may want to ignore this for now).
Ideas – steel cut oats, sourdough bread, starchy veggies
Anxiety or diarrhea – High protein breakfast
Protein for breakfast can lower your serotonin by 25%, which should lower your anxiety symptoms.
Ideas – eggs & veggies, yogurt & berries
What to do if you feel both anxious sometimes and depressed others –
Choose the breakfast for how you feel that day. I usually tend toward a low mood so my main breakfast is starchy…but if I’m feeling extra stressed or anxious, I might add an egg to calm down my neurotransmitters.
Experiment and see how you feel, your body will guide you to your perfect breakfast.
If you have any questions, jump to our private Facebook Group or the Ask Lisa page :)