It's Time to Feed Your Brain

Tara Parker Hope recently published an article in the New York Times on the best brain foods you are not eating with the overall theme that it is time to start feeding your brain.

Nutritional psychiatry studies how foods can make us feel. Hope quotes Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Uma Naidoo:

“Many people think about food in terms of their waistlines, but it also impacts our mental health. It’s a missing part of the conversation.”

The stomach and the brain have a strong connection. "One of the significant ways the brain and gut are connected is through the vagus nerve, a two-way chemical messaging system that explains why stress can trigger feelings of anxiety in your mind and butterflies in your stomach."

Dr. Naidoo, who wrote “This Is Your Brain on Food" describes food  as something that influences your microbiome.  Some species of gut microbes have been linked to higher rates of depression. "The brain chemical serotonin, which regulates mood, also has a strong gut connection. Only 5 percent of your body’s serotonin is made in the brain; the rest is made, stored and active in the gut." said Dr. Naidoo.

A number of studies have suggested that dietary changes can lead to meaningful improvements in mood and mental well-being.

The myth of comfort food and it's effect on mood

Traci Mann, head of the health and eating laboratory at the University of Minnesota, conducted research to determine whether a person’s preferred comfort food improves their mood.

Hope describes Mann's studies and their conclusions saying, "In Mann's studies whether participants ate comfort food, any food or no food didn’t make a difference in the person’s mood. The factor that seemed to matter most was the passage of time."

Dr. Mann told Hope “If you eat comfort food you might feel better, but if you didn’t eat it, you would also feel better just with time going by. People believe in comfort food, and they are giving it credit for mood improvements that would have happened anyway.”

Improving diet to treat depression

While research found that traditional comfort foods don’t have a meaningful effect on mood, Tara Parker Hope's New York Times article shares that a growing body of research shows that improving the quality of a person’s diet can have a significant effect on mental health. Hope details elements of a meta analysis of 16 different research studies that found that dietary interventions significantly reduced depression symptoms.

Findings from the studies included one in which people who closely followed a Mediterranean diet were at lower risk for depression. Another study found that higher fruit and vegetable intake predicted increased happiness, life satisfaction and well-being. One study found that people who changed their diet to include more vegetables saw mood improvements within two years.

Dr. Drew Ramsey, a psychiatrist and assistant clinical professor at the Columbia University, stated,"Scientists do know that about 20 percent of everything we eat goes to the brain." "Critical neurotransmitters and receptors are made when you eat specific nutrients and amino acids. Your glial cells, for example, which make up a substantial portion of the brain, are dependent on omega-3 fats. Minerals including zinc, selenium and magnesium provide the foundation for cell activity and brain tissue and the synthesis of neurotransmitters that directly affect mood. Iron, folate and vitamin B12 help your body produce serotonin."

 "Increasingly we know there’s a way to fuel the brain to improve overall mental health,” said Dr. Ramsey “We know if you eat a bunch of garbage, you feel like garbage, but the idea that it extends into our mental health risk is a connection we haven’t made in psychiatry until recently.”

Seafood, greens, nuts, and beans, and a bit of dark chocolate.

To help patients remember the best foods to eat to support brain health, Dr. Ramsey shares a simple mantra:

Seafood, greens, nuts, and beans, and a bit of dark chocolate.

The science on the possible brain benefits of foods is in its early stages. and it is clear that eating for the brain won’t result in mood changes overnight. However, integrating these foods into your meals will improve the overall quality of your daily diet and may create a difference in how you feel.

Leafy greens

Colorful fruits and vegetables

Seafood

Nuts, beans and seeds

Spices and herbs

Hope describes studies that suggest certain spices may lead to a better balance of gut microbes, reduce inflammation and even improve memory. Turmeric's active ingredient, curcumin, may have benefits for attention and overall cognition over time. Adding a pinch of black pepper makes curcumin 2,000 percent more bio-available to our brain and body. Other spices that may support brain health include cinnamon, rosemary, sage, saffron and ginger.

Dark chocolate

Hope shares the findings of a large survey of 14,000 adults that found that people who regularly eat dark chocolate have a 70 percent reduced risk of depression symptoms. The same effect was not seen in those who ate a lot of milk chocolate. Dark chocolate is packed with flavonols that milk chocolate does not typically have.