Nutrition & Brain Health

Our brains never really seem to turn off. From the moment we wake up, to the moment we fall asleep at night, the gears are constantly turning. Even when we’re sleeping, we have crazy dreams or nightmares, showing us our brain is still functioning to some degree, trying to process what happened today. Because our brains are constantly working, it’s important we provide the best fuel. Eating the right/best foods can make a huge difference in how we feel and our brain health.

It seems as though society is slowly starting to realize how much food can affect the body, but we can often forget about one of our most important organs, the brain.

What you are ingesting affects the structure and function of your brain, which in turn affects your mood. Refined sugars and processed foods are not good for the brain; in fact, they are actually harmful. They make it harder to regulate insulin, and promote inflammation and oxidative stress (Selhub, 2020). By impairing the brain’s function, symptoms of mood disorders like depression are more common (Selhub, 2020). 

We’ve all heard of serotonin, the neurotransmitter that assists in determining moods, inhibiting pain, regulating sleep, and controlling appetite. 95% of your serotonin is actually created in your GI tract, which helps with digestion. Therefore, what you eat is directly affecting your brain health and emotions (Selhub, 2020). If you’re eating a bunch of TV dinners, fast food, candy, and ice cream, what else does your GI tract have to absorb for your brain and to make serotonin? 

So what should we be eating? Studies have compared the Western meal to a Mediterranean or Japanese meal, and the results are staggering. Western meals typically have a high amount of processed foods and refined sugars. On the other hand, Mediterranean or Japanese meals are higher in fruits, vegetables, seafood, and small amounts of lean meats. They don’t normally contain so much processed food. The risk of depression for those sticking to this kind of diet is 25-35% less than with a Western diet (Selhub, 2020). 

Let’s look at some specific foods and their positive effects. Green, leafy vegetables like kale and broccoli have vitamin K, lutein, folate, and beta-carotene, all of which are good for brain health. Fish like salmon and nuts have tons of omega-3-fatty acids, which are major building blocks for the brain and help improve memory. Berries help improve memory (I personally could eat raspberries all day)! For added sweetness, dark chocolate isn’t too bad and has antioxidants (Avery, 2020). 

It may be hard to notice the difference if you go from lots of processed foods to a healthier diet. You may even be cranky at first as your body starts to detox and get rid of all the unhealthy food. However, if you eat clean for about a month and then try introducing some of the more unhealthy foods back in, you will notice the difference (Selhub, 2020). You can also try cutting out one thing at a time. First, it’s ice cream, then fast food, etc. You’ll notice how you feel physically and emotionally. 

References:

Selhub, E. (2020). Nutritional Psychiatry: Your Brain on Food. Harvard Health. Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/nutritional-psychiatry-your-brain-on-food-201511168626. 

Avery, A. (2020). How Nutrition Impacts the Brain and Mental Health. The Whole U. Retrieved from https://thewholeu.uw.edu/2020/03/02/nnm-2020-nutrition-and-the-brain/. 

Challenges/Points:

• Food has a much bigger impact on brain health than we think.

• Serotonin, a neurotransmitter that affects mood, is created in the GI tract, which means that food directly impacts mood.

• Try cutting out just one unhealthy food this week, add another in the coming weeks and see how it affects your mental and physical health.

Questions:

• Have you ever tried “clean eating?”

• Did you know previously how much food affected brain health?

• Would the majority of your diet be considered Western?

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