Mental health and nutrition
How can we use nutrition as part of self care?
Self care can mean many things to different people. During turbulent times, people start to pay more attention to how their actions influence their mental state. More alone time indoors = less distractions. Less distractions could lead to more uncomfortable confrontation with built up emotions, or it could bring up emotions that we are not used to feeling very often.
Many of us recognise the importance of taking time for ourselves, to pamper, relax, and wind down from stress. Taking a hot bath, reading a book, going for a walk or phoning a friend. These are the sort of things we think of, when we know that we ought to do something about a steady build up of emotional tension.
However, when we think of how what we are eating might be affecting our emotions, we might not realise that beyond the instant-gratification that eating something delicious might provide for us, the implications of our diet can have a stronger impact on our psychology than we realise, which is (hopefully) comforting, as it provides us with some actionable approaches that, in combination with mindfulness techniques and exercise, can help us to become more emotionally resilient and prolong the ‘health-span’ of our brains.
One area of interest, which more and more research is becoming devoted to, is the connection between gut health and the brain. We are discovering that bacteria in the gut can influence inflammation levels in the brain, contributing towards neurological illnesses such as depression or dementia.
The gut-brain axis explained
When there is an imbalance of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria in the gut, this causes inflammation in the gastrointestinal lining. Inflammatory markers can leak through this lining causing systemic inflammation, which affects the brain itself.
The gut microbiota communicates with the brain via the vagal nerve, by aiding the production of neurotransmitters including serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine- the control systems of the autonomic nervous system (the system that helps us switch between fight or flight mode, versus rest and digest mode) and the central nervous system (your brain’s messengers throughout the body).
When there is plenty of ‘good’ bacteria, we can easily produce ‘happy hormones’, and regulate our stress responses a lot better. If we have a stressful deadline, or need to push through an intense HIIT session, a well functioning autonomic nervous system means that we can recover quickly and easily, still get to sleep on time, and not feel burnt out.
However, antibiotic use, a diet high in processed foods, alcohol and sugar- can alter this balance of bacteria. What’s more, chronic stress impairs the digestive system through cortisol and hormonal regulations- keeping our body in constant ‘fight or flight’ state. When other components of our digestive tract are sluggish or disfunctional, this can lead to an overgrowth of the wrong kind of bacteria, preventing the flourishing of good bacteria- a vicious catch 22. Stress = poor digestion, and poor digestion = poor stress regulation.
What’s the best solution?
From an eating perspective, to promote a rich diversity of bacteria in the gut it’s helpful to focus on pre-biotics and pro-biotics in the diet. This means plenty of fibre rich, plant based foods, along with the inclusion of fermented foods (sauerkraut, kombucha, tempeh, miso, kimchi, etc.). However, people who suffer with gastrointestinal disorders should seek specialist guidance to avoid certain foods that might make things worse. Probiotic supplements are generally safe and may be helpful for those with mild neurological conditions, but might not be necessary for the majority of healthy-eaters.
Self care during turbulent times should include eating foods that your body (and your brain) will thank you for. Put in the effort to set aside enough time to cook, prepare and eat your meals, treat this as an act of respect and gratitude for your amazing body!
References:
Cryan JF. Et al. Mind-altering microorganisms: the impact of the gut microbiota on brain and behavior. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2012. 13:701-712.
Dash S. Et al. The gut microbiome and diet in psychiatry: focus on Depression. Current Opinion in Psychiatry. 2015;28(1)1-6.
www.microbiome.stanford.edu
