Our brains are always hard at work, but sometimes, even our most important organ needs a boost. While it’s naturally a powerhouse within our bodies, the brain functions best when you get the appropriate amount of nutrients in your diet. And it’s inextricably linked with your mental health. So, the old saying, “You are what you eat,” is really true.
Determining the root of mental and behavioral health problems is sometimes a gamble, as genetics, environment, and lifestyle can influence the onset and severity of conditions like depression and anxiety – two of the most common mental health disorders experienced by people across all age groups. To combat this uncertainty, it’s essential to do everything possible to ensure you’re taking a well-rounded approach to maintaining all parts of your health.
Behavioral health and nutritional care are interrelated, so planning for both is essential to providing holistic services to residents. Let’s examine what happens to your brain when you don’t eat healthily and how to improve your brain-gut connection.
What Happens to the Brain When You Don’t Eat Healthily?
Although the gut and the brain aren’t two places in the body you’d think were connected, they are. The vagus nerve connects them through the gut-brain axis, the pathway responsible for this bidirectional communication. It allows messages to travel between your gut and brain, influencing your gut microbiome, digestion, cognitive function, etc.
So, if the messages your gut receives from your brain aren’t good, how is it supposed to work properly?
For example, you might notice that when you become more anxious, you have more gastrointestinal problems. That’s because anxiety signals that something isn’t right in the brain, so your gut becomes overactive.
Here are a few of the other things that happen to the brain when you don’t eat healthily:
- Cognitive Decline – Diets high in sugar and unhealthy fats interrupt your cognitive function, affecting memory and learning and impairing your overall mental health.
- Mood Disorders – Unhealthy eating patterns worsen mood disorders like depression and anxiety due to blood sugar fluctuations and nutrient deficiencies. They also increase your risk of developing these conditions if you don’t already have a diagnosis.
- Brain Inflammation – Diets high in processed foods increase brain inflammation, linked to neurodegenerative diseases like dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
- Neurotransmitter Dysfunction – Lack of essential nutrients disrupts neurotransmitter (NT) production, dysregulating NTs like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, affecting mood regulation.
- Structural Changes – Long-term poor nutrition alters brain structure, impacting signal transmission efficiency. It can even stop the production of new neurons, which are essential for brain development and neuroplasticity.
- Increased Risk of Stroke and Neurodegenerative Diseases – Unhealthy diets contribute to artery plaque buildup, high blood pressure, and obesity, increasing stroke and neurodegenerative disease risks.
Food Suggestions and Tips to Heal Your Gut, Brain, and Mind
Like how different types of vehicles take different types of fuel, your brain needs specific foods to ensure it’s working as it should. And just like you wouldn’t put diesel in a car that uses unleaded gas, you shouldn’t feed your brain foods that can hurt it. Continuing the example, if you were to fill your gas tank with diesel, the engine would completely shut down. While your brain won’t stop working if you enjoy a greasy hamburger or a bag of chips, it can increase your risk for any health problems mentioned earlier.
While it’s easy to pick up some supplements at the local health food store, altering your diet is a more effective way to see long-term changes in your gut health and mental health. Pre- and probiotics are one of the secrets behind the healing power of food as medicine and one low-intensity way to boost your mental health through gut health. Consuming foods like yogurt or milk, along with other probiotic foods, helps reduce anxiety and depression, so the more you get, the better.
Aside from pre- and probiotics, here are some more tips on how to use food as medicine for healing behavioral health:
- Avoid foods high in artificial sweeteners (like aspartame), high-fructose corn syrup, and saturated fats.
- Limit caffeine intake. Too much can overstimulate the brain, altering its ability to perform basic functions. Plus, it can make you super jittery!
- Drink plenty of water throughout the day to maintain your hydration levels, which is crucial for cognitive performance.
- Use portion control to monitor how much high-glycemic carbs are consumed during each meal, like potatoes or pasta. There are plenty of easy alternatives, such as switching out white bread for whole grain and using high-protein or chickpea pasta instead of the standard recipe.
- Complex carbohydrates, proteins, and fatty acids are some of the most important foods in a brain-healthy diet. Eat more foods like brown rice, sweet potatoes, eggs, fish, chicken, flaxseeds, and leafy greens.
- Decrease your intake of processed and highly refined foods, which often contain additives, preservatives, and unhealthy fats.
- Practice mindful eating by paying attention to when your body is hungry or full after a meal, savoring each bite, and being aware of how different foods make you feel physically and emotionally.
- Plan balanced meals and snacks that include a variety of food groups to ensure adequate nutrient intake for the best brain function and mental health possible.
Nutritional psychiatry, the science of the intersection between dietary and behavioral health, promotes using food as a catalyst to improve your mental well-being – confirming that “When you eat good, you feel good.” They, along with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), recommend person-centered care for integrating nutritional and behavioral health care because it focuses on combining the patient’s individual preferences and their health needs.
When you provide this type of care, you’re truly showing that food is medicine and that a few changes to diet and nutrition can significantly improve the quality of a person’s life.
Food is Medicine – Let Us Show You How
A positive and encouraging environment can make a world of difference in recovery for those struggling with behavioral health or addiction problems, especially in psychiatric hospitals or other inpatient centers. Good food that boosts your energy and mood also helps! That’s why we go beyond ensuring your menu focuses on bringing patients to mind healthy foods that look and taste good; we’ve spent years thoughtfully curating meal plans that balance proteins, greens, and probiotics, along with the feel-good favorites expected on most menus. Staff also receive regular training on the latest health, wellness, and nutrition best practices, so we’re also always in the know about how to best help you help your patients.
Culinary Services Group offers all this, plus more, all the while saving you money (Most of our partners save over $50,000 when they start working with us!). Visit the rest of our website to learn about our behavioral health food service management and dining programs and how to contact a member of our sales team.
