Food and mood
‘There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds.’
― Laurell K. Hamilton
Mental health disorders continue to be public health issue and this is not expected to change anytime in the near future. According to the Institute of Functional Medicine, depression is estimated to be the second leading cause of disability worldwide by 2020. Antidepressants are often the first line of defence, yet are certainly not solving the issue and are a band aid at best. Back in 1985 we spent $240 million on antidepressants; this cost has jumped to $12 billion dollars. I don’t believe pharmaceuticals are the only way.
Hippocrates introduced the idea that “Food is our medicine, and medicine is our food.” This is an approach I have adopted to deal with my own mental health challenges and can state from experience that it works.
Just like the brain, our gut has its own nervous system, called the enteric nervous system (ENS). In fact, the gut contains more neurotransmitters than the brain! It is so complex and important that scientists are now calling it our ‘second brain’. The ENS is made up of millions of neurons, with an entire ecosystem of bacteria communicating through, and with, the ENS. Crazy, right?
Although our second brain doesn’t reason, create or help us solve a mathematical equation, it does affect our mood state. And it is controlled by our gut microbiome. A healthy gut microbiome is integral to a healthy mind with evidence indicating that our microbiome play an important role in both brain health and mental health.
‘That's the thing about depression: A human being can survive almost anything, as long as she sees the end in sight. But depression is so insidious, and it compounds daily, that it's impossible to ever see the end.’
― Elizabeth Wurtzel,
The vagus nerve plays a vital role in the communication between our gut and brain. In a study conducted in 2010 researchers found that stimulating the vagus nerve after a brain injury prevented intestinal permeability in the patients. Think of the vagus nerve as the phone line between the gut and brain. The vagus nerve also plays a role in reducing inflammation. It operates a network of fibres that surround our organs, and relays information regarding the presence of inflammatory mediators. It acts like a spy that passes information about inflammation to the brain, so then the brain can respond and regulate the body’s immune response.
There is a growing number of studies showing that inflammation is central to poor mental health. Inflammation can be caused from a number of factors. In the modern western world our diet is extraordinarily inflammatory. Sugar, excessive omega 6 fatty acids found in seed oils, and modern grains, play a significant role. Some people have intolerances to dairy and gluten and do not possess the enzymes to break down either and inflammation is often a consequence
When undigested particles cross through our intestine into our bloodstream our body treats it like a foreign invader and sends an inflammatory response. When the body is inflamed it produces a number of symptoms such as tiredness, fever, low mood, loss of appetite, loss of libido; all of which are associate with depression.
The first step is to focus on reducing the inflammation and restore gut health. Balancing out the ratio of essential fatty acids is important. As mentioned the modern western diet is saturated with omega 6 fatty acids which are pro-inflammatory. Omega 3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory. To create a ration of 1:1 (the ratio we evolved with) can be achieved by eating more foods high in omega 3 fats (grass fed meats and wild caught fish). Then we need to remove inflammatory foods. For most of us this means grains, sugar, and dairy.
Fermented vegetable are important as these feed our gut microbiome. Lots of prebiotic foods ( leek, garlic, chicory, dandelion greens, asparagus) are food for the good bacteria in your gut; in feeding them you will be rewarded in kind.
Fruit and dark green vegetables are high in folate which can also help with depression. Selenium deficiency has been associated with mood disorders so eat grass fed meats, seafood, nuts, and seeds. Vitamin D deficiency is linked also linked to mood disorders. Plenty of sunshine, fatty fish, free range eggs, grass fed beef liver, cheese and mushrooms are all great sources of vitamin D.
I have used food as medicine for my mind, along with exercise and meditation for the last few years and have observed a dramatic improvement in my mental health; others have also noticed which is encouraging.
We really need to care for our mind as well as our body so we thrive rather than just survive.
Bansal, V (2010). Stimulating the central nervous system to prevent intestinal dysfunction after traumatic brain injury.
Armstrong, D.J., Meenagh, G.K., Bickle, I. et al. (2007). Vitamin D deficiency is associated with anxiety and depression in fibromyalgia. Clin Rheumatol 26, 551–554
Felger J. C. (2018). Imaging the Role of Inflammation in Mood and Anxiety-related Disorders. Current neuropharmacology, 16(5), 533–558. https://doi.org/10.2174/1570159X15666171123201142
DiNicolantonio, J. J., & O'Keefe, J. H. (2018). Importance of maintaining a low omega-6/omega-3 ratio for reducing inflammation. Open heart, 5(2), e000946. https://doi.org/10.1136/openhrt-2018-000946