It should come as no surprise that what we put into our bodies affects our brains. When we eat better, we feel better. Every day we are feeding our brains with the food we choose to consume. Which is why it’s important that we plan what we eat in order to provide ourselves with the greatest chance of success when it comes to diet and our mental health.
I know, it’s easier said than done. But there is emerging evidence that our brains are negatively affected by consuming refined sugars and processed foods which are the staples of the American diet. I like how Dr. Eva Selhub’s Harvard Medical blog on nutritional psychiatry likens brain functioning to an expensive car that runs on premium fuel. When we fill it well by eating high-quality foods full of the nutrients we need, our brain is nourished and flourishes. However, like a fancy car, choosing to fuel our brains with processed foods and refined sugar has negative consequences. According to her article, “Multiple studies have found a correlation between a diet high in refined sugars and impaired brain function — and even a worsening of symptoms of mood disorders, such as depression.”
I’ve recently been learning about how certain diets, such as the ketogenic diet, can help reverse the damage and heal mental illness symptoms. I first learned about the benefits of the ketogenic diet by listening to the audio book, Brain Energy, by Dr. Chris Palmer who is currently, among other things, an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He argues that mental illnesses are metabolic disorders of the brain. His theory (from his website), “integrates biological, psychological, and social factors and helps us understand the connections between mental health and physical health.” The book was at times a little over my head as he does go into the science of metabolic health and the function and importance of mitochondria in mental health. But overall I did enjoy it and feel strongly that more psychiatrists need to adopt a wholistic approach to treating their patients. Dr. Palmer is also a Clinical Advisor to the nonprofit organization, Metabolic Mind, dedicated to sharing information on metabolic therapies for treating serious mental illness.
I firmly believe that what we eat and the substances we consume (alcohol, drugs, etc) deeply affect our brain’s ability to function, that’s no surprise. New research is proving that interventions like the ketogenic diet can be life-changing for individuals living with serious mental illness who haven’t responded well to medication. A woman I met at a conference in 2019 is a YouTuber documenting her experience with using the ketogenic diet to treat her schizoaffective disorder. Lauren and her husband Rob have committed to at least six months on the diet to measure the impact it has on their mental health and are sharing the details in weekly videos on their YouTube channel, Living Well with Schizphrenia. So far it seems to really be helping manage her symptoms, and yet, it hasn’t been a completely smooth path as she has had some bumps in the road where they’ve had to make adjustments. For example, she had an episode of what she described felt like psychosis after taking exogenous ketones (basically a ketone sports drink) before a soccer game, which threw her out of ketosis and catapulted her blood sugar, causing schizoaffective symptoms.
I believe in this intervention and in some ways I wonder how I would react to the ketogenic diet, but I don’t love the notion of being on such a restrictive diet. Instead, I prefer to just limit my carbohydrates and sugar, and focus on eating as much of a whole foods diet as I can. I feel better when I eat less carbs and more veggies, but I’m not obsessive about it. If I have a meal that is more carb-heavy, then I will make an effort to make the next one more vegetable-focused. I find the more green foods I consume, the better I feel both physically and mentally.
More research needs to be done on the ketogenic diet, but I also wonder if there could be research conducted on a person who uses the keto diet intervention for a short period of time and then moves to more of a balanced diet for the long run. It would also be interesting to learn the brain/mental health benefits of the Mediterranean diet. And diet isn’t the only thing that affects our brains and mental health, as exercise (which I’ll get to next) and sleep are crucial to helping our brains function optimally.
I know how hard it is to eat healthy when you’re depressed. I’ve been there and it felt nearly impossible. I barely felt like eating when I was most severely depressed, but I’d often force myself to eat something to at least have some energy. Luckily, most grocery stores have healthy options available and pre-packaged, which can be helpful when you don’t feel up to cooking. And things like smoothies are a great way to get nutrients when you don’t feel like a meal.
Crawling out of the last severe depression I went through took a number of things and I believe improving my diet was one. I also forced myself to walk and paint, and focused on getting quality sleep. These things combined, in addition to my incredible support system and securing a part-time job, were the forces that came together to begin to alleviate my depression and accompanying anxiety.
I whole-heartedly believe medicine plays an important role in treating mental illness, especially in the acute phase. But I also think that evaluating and adjusting our diet can be a powerful way to take control of our mental health, and I look forward to learning about the latest research studies that hopefully will begin to change the way psychiatrists approach treatment.
(IMPORTANT NOTE: Advocates of the ketogenic diet as an intervention for mental illness advise pursuing it with the help and support of a trained professional.)
I wholeheartedly agree that our diet has a major impact on our brain. Thanks Jen