Feed Your Body, Feed Your Brain

Most people know eating a balanced diet with lots of veggies, as well as complex carbs, lean protein and healthy fats is good for your body. What a lot of people don't realize is that the same kind of diet is also great for your mental health. Bonus! So while you're putting energy into learning about what makes a healthy diet and adopting better eating habits, keep in mind you're feeding your brain, as well as your body.

How does the kind of food we eat affect mental health?

Just like your muscles need food energy to keep you moving, your brain needs food energy to do its work. When you are just sitting and thinking, your brain uses 20% of your body's available carbohydrate energy. It also needs nutrients from proteins and certain fats, vitamins and minerals to create and maintain hormones, brain cells, nerves, and neurotransmitters (chemicals that help brain cells communicate to each other).

For example, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables every day and fish once or twice per week is associated with lower risk of depression, and vice versa: diets low in vegetables and fish and high in simple carbohydrates and processed foods have been associated with higher risk of depression.

Although diet can’t be said yet to be a direct cause or cure for mental disorders, a healthy diet will help support good mental health.

For those of us who are just dealing with the regular stresses and strains of everyday life without a mental disorder, there is evidence that a healthy diet supports our being able to handle stress better, to maintain a more energetic and positive outlook, and feel less depressed or anxious.

These are important factors if you're working to change unhealthy lifestyle habits and boost self-esteem. You may notice a short-term change in mental energy or mood right away when you move to healthier eating; but the real benefits add up over time.

What foods support my mental health?

For most of us, a healthy, balanced diet with an emphasis on vegetables, complex carbohydrates, lean proteins and small amounts of healthy fats will provide the nutrients we need to feed our brains. Avoiding simple carbohydrates (sugar, white bread, potato chips, for example) is helpful, as is making sure you get enough Omega 3 fats. Here are several suggested foods and how they help your brain:

• Omega-3 fats are used by nerve and brain cells and may also help in making hormones that affect mood. Omega-3s come from fish (especially oily ones like sardines or salmon), flaxseed oil, canola oil, walnuts, dark leafy greens, whole grains and soybeans.
• Complex carbohydrates help the brain take in the protein that helps make serotonin, a neurotransmitter that boosts positive mood. Through facilitating hormone action, carbs also help us sleep and cope with stress. Complex carbohydrates are found in whole grains, fruit, legumes, nuts and seeds. 
• B-vitamins are important in dealing with stress, and a deficiency of some B-vitamins can contribute to anxiety, fatigue and emotional instability. Vitamins B6 and B12 are important for the production of neurotransmitters. You can find B-vitamins in meat, fish, poultry, whole grains, bananas and potatoes, and fortified foods. B12 is found in meat, eggs, and milk; individuals eating a vegan diet must supplement their diet with B12 from fortified foods or vitamin pills to maintain healthy levels of B12.

Today’s post is a guest blog by the Canadian Mental Health Association - Calgary Region. They are partnering with us at the X-Weighted Connect events, and will be sharing a wealth of information to help us get a grip on good mental health.