Nutrition's impact on Mental Health
Nutrition and the GI Tract
Nutrition's close relationship with emotions and mental health stems from the close link between the brain and gastrointestinal tract, often called the “second brain”. The gastrointestinal tract, or GI tract, houses billions of bacteria that influence the production of chemical substances, like dopamine and serotonin, that constantly carry messages from the gut to the brain. Eating nutritious and healthy meals promotes “good” bacteria and chemical production. This helps maintain healthy gut bacteria which may improve mood and anxiety by stimulating the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve, which connects the brain and gastrointestinal tract, the brain and gut communicate physically and chemically. This process can reflect on one’s mental state, if the production of the chemicals goes awry so does one's mood. Sugar, in particular, is considered a major culprit of inflammation. It feeds “bad” bacteria in the GI tract. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, dietary changes to alter your gut microbiome may help to treat hyperactivity and neurodevelopment disorders, such as autism.
Mood
Like cognition, correlational studies have also shown a relationship between mood and well-balanced diets. Although many external factors could influence mood, mood can be greatly affected by one's nutrition. With nutritious meals, one can experience fewer mood swings and a better ability to focus on activities. Clean diets composed of whole, unprocessed foods, have also shown a decrease in symptoms of depression and anxiety. In terms of “whole foods”, these include foods that are minimally processed, which have few preservatives, food colorings, and other additives. Good diets also consist of fiber-rich foods like plant-based foods, as these help our body absorb glucose more slowly, thus avoiding sugar rushes and crashes. As mentioned before, Vitamin B also improves mood, but more specifically folate, a type of vitamin B, helps with dopamine production without forcing it to surge the way sugars do. Folate can be found in leafy greens, lentils, and cantaloupes. Along with improving meals, one should also regulate meals as this helps to regulate blood sugar. This may influence some of the hormones that control mood and one’s ability to concentrate. This is why poor mood and behavior are often observed in children who have been without food for too long, like a child who skipped breakfast.
Nutritional Phsyciatry
Nutritional psychiatry is an emerging clinical field that recognizes the significant impact of nutrition on mental health. Nutritional psychiatry is the assessment of a patient's food habits and nutritional status as a crucial component of mental health evaluation and treatment in clinical settings. Psychiatrists and dietitians work together to create tailored nutrition treatments that supplement normal treatments such as psychotherapy and medication. These programs may include dietary suggestions targeted at addressing nutritional deficiencies, lowering inflammation, and stabilizing blood sugar levels, all of which could have an impact on mood and cognitive function. Nutritional psychiatry therapies are becoming more widely recognized as important tools in the treatment of mental health illnesses, providing patients with a comprehensive approach to controlling their symptoms and promoting general well-being. As research in this field continues to expand, nutritional psychiatry is poised to play an increasingly significant role in clinical practices worldwide.
Conclusion:
As the number of cases of mental illness rises, the improvement of nutrition is a factor that will alleviate these numbers. As emerging research continues, the correlation between nutrition and the brain continues to grow in importance. With nutritious meals promoting stable moods, reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety, and better brain functionality, changing one's diet to a healthier one is a good option to reduce mental illnesses. Nutrition psychiatry continues to emerge as a field that recognizes the importance of nutrition in mental health treatment, offering tailored dietary interventions to complement traditional therapies. Nutritional psychiatry is poised to become a vital component of mental health care worldwide.