The Role of Holistic Nutrition for Better Mental Health
Mental health is the overall state of a person’s wellbeing that includes emotional, psychological and social aspects. It includes how one thinks, feels, acts, relates to others, makes choices and manages their stress. Everyone has mental health, and it can be optimized through lifestyle, nutrition, sleep, stress management and supportive relationships. One can have good mental health and have a diagnosed mental illness.
Mental illness refers to a diagnosed mental health condition as per the DSM and can include conditions like depression and anxiety disorders. Mental health is a spectrum, where on one end a person may experience high levels of resilience and balance, in the middle one may be managing temporary challenges and toward the end one may be experiencing intense struggles that impact on their ability to function daily. This is why everyone can experience times of depression or anxiety but not have a formal diagnosis or need professional help.
Mental health is influenced by lifestyle, stress management, sleep, physical activity and nutrition. Certain nutrients have been shown to be beneficial for mental health and optimal nutrition for your body can help reduce anxiety, enhance emotional stability, support mental clarity, boost energy, reduce fatigue and enhance sleep quality.
The Gut-Brain Connection
It may seem odd to think that the state of our gut can impact our mental health, but they are closely tied communicating via the “gut-brain axis”. A healthy balanced gut microbiome is important for mood regulation and can lead to improved resilience and emotional balance.
Though nutrition plays a large role in the state of both physical and mental health, it goes hand in hand with other practices like stress management techniques, quality sleep and physical activity. When we look at the body a whole, we understand that what affects one part will affect another. All systems are interconnected and as such poor sleep can exacerbate or create anxious feelings of itself. Pair that with certain food choices, nutrient deficiencies, an imbalanced gut, a sedentary lifestyle and high daily stress, it is easy to see how this would affect the state of one’s mental health.
How a Holistic Nutritionist Can Help
The mind and body are deeply connected and influence one another. Our thoughts, attitudes and emotions can affect our physical body, just as the state of our physical body impacts our mental and emotional wellbeing. For example, chronic stress releases cortisol, a hormone that with time can affect the immune and digestive system or in the case of stomach that arise from feeling anxious.
Many mental health professionals are recognizing the value of nutritional support as part of their approach. Nutritional psychiatry is an emerging field where psychiatrists are combining treatment with lifestyle changes, diet and supplementation often working with dieticians, nutritionists or holistic practitioners to offer an approach that includes medication and nutritional support.
A holistic nutritionist can support mental health by assessing, identifying and addressing nutrient deficiencies, imbalances and barriers in the body along with lifestyle, sleep and stress management recommendations.
Given the body-mind connection, this is not an either/or situation. Often, seeking the services of a trained therapist or medical professional while working with a holistic nutritionist can be the best approach for someone struggling with their mental health. Likewise, one may need medication for symptoms but could still benefit from the support of a holistic nutritionist.