HOW FOOD AFFECTS
OUR MENTAL HEALTH
Brain function and mental health rely on optimal nutrition for basic function, so when deciding what to eat
we should aim for more than a quick energy fix, says nutritional therapist Charlotte Watts.
also require B vitamins, vitamin C, zinc, magnesium and omega 3 oils
(to name just a few key nutrients) to metabolise these macronutrients
and produce the hormones, enzymes and neurotransmitters that
run the whole symphony. To continue this musical analogy, this
orchestration is put under more pressure when physical activity is
increased. Yes, this is a good stress or challenge (‘eustress’) when
appropriate recovery for tissues is also observed, but increases the
need to attend to nutritional needs for both energy and mood.
Balancing blood sugar
There’s a reason that ‘balancing blood sugar’ is the foundational
starting point for most nutritional therapists. If this cornerstone of
energy utilisation and metabolism is not addressed, we cannot have
an objective view of what other symptoms might mean. Helping a
client eat for sustained energy to brain, muscle, organs and other
tissues can help us view where other factors such as gut, adrenal,
reproductive and thyroid health need support. Sports nutrition has a
basis of sufficient blood sugar needs before training, and replenishing
spent muscle with protein soon after, and this is supportive of blood
sugar balance (and therefore mood) as a whole. For example:
Before training, these carbohydrate sources are easily digested:
• a low sugar berry smoothie
• a few oatcakes
• coconut water (also isotonic for electrolyte minerals)
• a banana or other piece of fruit
• nut and dried fruit mix.
f you’ve ever reached for
chocolate or cake when stressed,
you will know that what we eat is
intrinsically bound up in our ever-shifting
mood states. When we feel low or
demotivated, we can quickly crave the
dopamine fix that sugar, caffeine and junk
fats can deliver. With motivation to move and
look after ourselves relying on this mood-
lifting neurotransmitter (and dopamine levels
are depleted by stress) it’s easy to see how a
vicious cycle can quickly result, in which
emotional eating replaces taking on the
nutrients we need to support good mood.
As I outline in my book Good Mood Food,
brain function and mental health rely on
optimal nutrition for basic function. We need
the right carbohydrate sources for sustained
energy, quality protein for neurotransmitter
production and healthy fats for nervous
system cells to pick up and use these. We
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After training, depending on time and how close to a meal you are,
these make good snacks:
• boiled egg and avocado
• spinach frittata or omelette
• nut butter on rye crackers or bread
• Greek yoghurt with berries and coconut
• good quality protein smoothie or snack bar.
Unfortunately, many messages have been propagated that eating
‘little and often’ is the way to fix rollercoaster blood sugar levels,
where people may feel energy dipping and low blood sugar
symptoms between meals, such as low mood, intolerance, irritability,
lost motivation, fatigue and poor concentration – not to mention the
effect on performance for those in training.
It is true that eating small amounts regularly will prop up any
sudden drops in glucose delivery to cells, but this is not a viable
long-term solution. It not only creates a fixation with putting things in
our mouths, but also sets up a confused relationship with appetite,
places a strain on digestion (which has to start the whole process
from scratch each time we eat) as the gut has little time empty for
renewal and gut motility, and is metabolically dampening. We need
to be able to go for at least 4 to 5 hours without food, and longer
allows the ‘intermittent fasting’ that supports mood, immunity and
energy efficiency.