Mental Health
Mental Health and Nutrition
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There is a strong relationship between how we view and feel about our food and our mental health. For example, anxiety and depression are more likely if we have disordered eating or an eating disorder, because our brain health is hugely impacted by undernourishment in macro or micronutrients. Food anxiety also impacts quality of life and perceived happiness.
But there is also a very exciting and compelling emerging body of research in the field of Nutritional Psychology, which studies the connection between the impact of food on brain health. A Mediterranean diet, for example, or a more plant-forward diet confers benefit to our mental and cognitive health, decreasing the risk of mental health pathologies and cognitive decline by helping to lower inflammation int he body. Our gut health also has a HUGE impact on how our brain is functioning, because there is a super highway (vagus nerve) that is sending messages from the gut to the brain. Eating a gut-friendly dietary pattern also impacts the level of neurotransmitters in our body. Our gut makes 90% of our serotonin and 50% of our dopamine! There are also an array of vitamin and mineral, polyphenol, and bioactive compounds that have been found to support brain health.
Our meal timing and consistency, sleep hygiene, and routine- the combinational impact of which is dubbed "chrononutrition"- are also profound in balancing the circadian rhythm "little clocks" that are within all of our cells. Taking a look at overall lifestyle, habits, food relationship, quality of intake, and dietary pattern supports a healing journey towards greater well-being and long-term brain health.
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Joanna contracts with an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) at Georgetown University Hospital, supporting young adults and adolescents with mental health concerns by teaching the nutrition groups for the programs. She has advanced continuing education in mental health and nutrition, and personally, she is a carrier of a single copy of the APOE4 allele, which increases the risk of Alzheimer's by 2-3x, so she believes self-care is a powerful tool for long term quality of life and decreases risk of mental health concerns or cognitive decline.
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Interested in learning more? Let's chat. ​​​​​