Nutrition and its Role in Mental Health

We are what we eat, and it's only now that such prominence has been placed on the link between diet and mental health, with an ever-growing body of nutritional psychiatry research studies showing how our daily food choices affect our brain, mood, and general cognitive function. The common saying, “You are what you eat”, is traditionally applied to physical health. However, today it has been established beyond reasonable doubt that diet considerably contributes to preventing and managing neurodevelopmental mental disorders. 

The Brain

Much like your car runs at its best when you fill up on the right gas, so does the brain run best with constant nutrient intake that keeps mental sharpness, emotional stability, and total mind function at their best. Some of the principal nutrients keeping your brain healthy are: 

• B vitamins: The formation of most neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, dopamine, and GABA, which have a role in mood regulation and in preventing mental health disorders, requires cofactors of vitamins. In this case, those would be the B6, B12, and folate. All these deficiencies could lead to fatigue, irritability, and cognitive decline among other host symptoms.
• Minerals: Iron, magnesium, and zinc are essential to the brain for good health. Zinc has a role in the synthesis of neurotransmitters. Magnesium, on the other hand, has a calming effect on the nervous system and therefore reduces anxiety, while iron delivers oxygen to the brain. Recently, several micronutrients have been associated with an increased risk of depression and other mental health disorders.
• The Fatty Acids omega-3: Omega-3 fatty acids, essential in supporting good brain health, are found on walnuts, flaxseeds, and in fishy salmon. They uphold the integrity of the brain cells and support neuronal communication. They also avoid or diminish the danger of minds that have low omega-3 fatty acids from being assaulted with advanced risks of mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression.
• Amino Acids (Protein): The body needs amino acids in order to manufacture neurotransmitters. One such amino acid is Tryptophan, which the body utilizes to produce the neurotransmitter, serotonin, that influences positive emotions such as happiness and well-being. Eating ample protein however, ensures that the brain has all of the building blocks it needs to stay in balance.

The Gut-Brain Relationship
These two organs  communicate with each other bi-directionally through the 'gut-brain axis.' The gut is colonized by trillions of bacteria, otherwise referred to as the microbiome. These help in digesting food and synthesizing neurotransmitters while being directly linked to the brain by the vagus nerve. The effects of such communication would be on mood or cognitive performance.

You should include probiotic and prebiotic-rich foods in your diet. Obvious sources of probiotics include fermented items like yogurt, kefir, or sauerkraut. On the other side, natural fibers are prebiotics, which may be found in garlic, onions, or even a banana, among many more. An equated microbiome goes with reduced levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. The opposite occurs in a too kind microbiome, caused by a diet filled with processed foods but low in fiber, weakening its movement through the whole brain or worsen mood disorders such as anxiety and depression.

Mood

Several studies have established the impact of some nutrients on mood and mental stability. Intake of whole, minimally processed foods that provide basic nutrition, like vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, and fiber, will keep you making neurotransmitters and quenching inflammation in the brain. It has been related to improved mood and less cognitive decline. Meanwhile, junk foods and processed sugar are responsible for nutritional voids that promote fatigue, sluggish thinking, and long-term neurological damage, thereby creating the conditions for anxiety or depression.

We know full well that there can never be a simple relationship between diet and mental health. Good nutrition not only plays an important role in sustaining our minds with better functionality, but it also greatly reduces psychological health complications and needs to be implicitly done for obtaining optimal mental wellness.