Food and Mood

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An acquaintance recently confided in me that her son, back in his early 20s, had dropped out of university due to severe anxiety issues.   It certainly wasn’t the first time I had heard that story.   She went on to say that, at home, things continued to go downhill for him to the point that she was VERY worried.  

After a thorough medical examination, her son was told there wasn’t anything physically wrong with him, and he was prescribed an antidepressant.   He chose not to go down that path, and instead, with close guidance, completely changed his diet (no sugar, no dairy, no processed foods, no grains, more vegetables, healthy fats, healthy protein), supplemented with supplements and made some significant lifestyle changes.     

Within three months, his improvement was dramatic.  He was 85% back to his normal self.   Not only has he continued improving his health, he tells everyone who will listen about his experience.   Thankfully, a happy story.

Make no mistake – I don’t take anxiety and depression lightly.  Antidepressants not only save lives, but help make many peoples lives worth living.   What I will say is that food and lifestyle (physical, spiritual, etc) play a big role in brain health.

Our microbiome

There are so many angles to approach brain health, and today I am focusing on the microbiome, our internal ecosystem of bacteria, located in our digestive tract.  

The digestive system (often referred to as our “gut”) is intimately connected to what goes on in our bodies. Our microbiome (or gut bacteria), a naturally occurring community of flora, dictates the health of our immune system, our hormonal health, our metabolism and our brain health… even the clarity of our thoughts.

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In very simplistic terms, a healthy gut microbiome is dominated by “friendly”, (good) bacteria, and an unhealthy microbiome is dominated by “unfriendly”, (bad) bacteria. 

The foods we eat, how we sleep, the amount of bacteria we are exposed to on a daily basis and the level of stress we live with all help establish the state of our microbiota.

So where does the brain come into play?

There are multiple pathways between our microbiome/digestive tract and our central nervous system/brain that send signals to one another, affecting our memory, our thought patterns, our moods and our reasoning (1).

If our “bad” gut bacteria starts to overwhelm the good, it can turn into a cascade of inflammatory events, affecting our brain.   It’s critical to note that our gut is not only a home to trillions of microbes, it also:

  • has its own immune system, representing 70-80% of our body’s total immune system, AND

  • is often referred to as our “second brain” (technically known as our enteric nervous system) as it lined with an extensive network of neurons, filled with critical neurotransmitters (did you know that 80-90% of our serotonin is produced in the nerve cells of our gut?) (2)

Let’s digest this for a second

Our digestive system doesn’t just digest food.   Rather, it’s home to:

1.    An entire ecosystem of bacteria

2.    Most of our immune system

3.    A complex network of neurons

ALL connected via pathways to our brain.  

Food really does matter when it comes to brain health.   As does lifestyle and how we manage stress.

The great news

The great news is that we have the power to dramatically influence our microbiome in a positive way, feeding the good bacteria the nutrients it needs, while starving the bad by staying clear of the food it often so desperately wants (yes, think cravings).  

Even better news!

What I am about to suggest below is identical (although more detailed) to what I suggested in my Food Cravings blog (August 2018).

This is great news because food recommendations for optimal health rarely change (unless you follow a specific diet based on certain ailments or preferences).  

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Foods to Indulge:

  • More vegetables / rainbow of colours / as many servings a day as you can handle!   Your gut bacteria feeds on the good fibre and micronutrients of fruits and vegetables

  • Whole fruit – especially berries, apples, oranges, pears, grapefruit

  • Healthy fats – avocados, nuts/seeds, olive oil, coconut oil

  • Wild caught fish, grass fed/pasture raised meat and eggs

  • Fermented foods – it feeds our microbiome

  • Prebiotic foods – artichokes, asparagus, garlic, onions, leeks, bananas, apples – more great food for our gut bacteria

  • Ancient grains and legumes/beans

 Foods to Avoid/Minimize:

  • Refined carbohydrates and processed grain products

  • Dairy products (for many this is a common allergen)

  • Conventional meat and poultry (I understand this is challenging for many – one option is to cut back on meat overall, and enjoy grass fed, hormone and antibiotic free meat when you do eat it)

  • Refined vegetable oils (canola, sunflower, safflower, peanut, etc)

  • Added sugars (found in most packaged goods, breads, condiments, canned items, yogurts)

  • Fried foods; packaged foods with more the 5 ingredients

  • Juice – eat a piece of fruit instead!

Lifestyle

Stress reduction – yes, easier said than done.   But a few suggestions:

  • Meditation

  • Yoga

  • Walks in nature

  • Just allowing yourself to sit for five minutes and do NOTHING

  • Physical exercise – any sort of exercise will help 

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Supplements

Probiotic supplements are always an option, although nothing will truly work if one doesn’t change their diet or lifestyle

If you would like to find out more about how I can help you kickstart your journey to health, please feel free to get in touch with me for a free 15 minute consultation.

(1)   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3139398/

(2)   Adam Hadhazy, “Think Twice:  How the Gut’s ‘Second Brain’ Influences Mood and Well-Being,” Scientific American, February 12, 2010, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/gut-second-brain/.