Food Has Everything To Do With Mental Health.

May was Mental Health Awareness Month, but that doesn't mean this awareness goes away as we move into June and beyond. Mental health is present throughout all of our lives, so let's keep it going!

Mental health awareness often goes hand-in-hand with talk about therapy, hotlines, and check-ins, but rarely does it dive into what we are eating. Food has a huge impact not only on our physical state, but also on our mental state. Let's dive into some ways to stay aware of how food can affect your mental health and well-being.

Your Gut is Basically Your Second Brain

The gut and the brain are connected; what you put in your gut affects how you feel, your mood, and your mental state. 90% of the body's serotonin (the feel-good chemical) is produced in the gut, not the brain. This means what you feed yourself also feeds your mood. Happy gut, happy mood. Sad gut, sad mood.

So What Foods Support Your Mood?

Eating real food that is nourishing and nutrient-dense is the way to go, for the most part. Everyone is different; everyone's gut works differently, so what makes your gut happy may make someone else's feel not so hot. Below are some ideas on specific foods and nutrients that are proven to support mood.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids (fatty fish, sardines, anchovies, mackerel, herring). These are healthy fats your brain uses to produce and receive serotonin, the chemical that keeps your mood stable. Your body can't make them on its own, so you have to eat them, and most people aren't getting nearly enough.

Magnesium (avocado, pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate, spinach). Think of magnesium as your nervous system's off switch. It tells your brain to calm down, stop spiraling, and rest. Try munching on some pumpkin seeds if you start feeling overwhelmed and stressed out.

B Vitamins & Choline (eggs, leafy greens, salmon). These are the raw materials your brain uses to make dopamine and serotonin. No raw materials, no good mood chemicals. Low B12 and folate (B9) in particular are two of the most common and most missed nutritional causes of depression and brain fog. The egg yolk is one of the best sources. Don't skip it!

Vitamin D (eggs, fatty fish, sunlight): Vitamin D tells your brain how much serotonin to make. Without enough of it, production slows down, and so does your mood. Most people, especially in cloudy climates, are running low year-round. So get outside in the early morning sun and invite Vitamin D into your daily routine.

Healthy Fats (butter, ghee, olive oil, coconut oil, avocado). Your brain is 60% fat. When you eat healthy fats, your brain has the building blocks it needs to function. When you eat poor-quality fats, like processed seed oils, you get the opposite.

Flavonoids (dark chocolate 70%+, berries, leafy greens). These are natural compounds in plants that reduce inflammation in the brain and help it stay adaptable. More brain flexibility means better mood regulation over time. Dark chocolate is one of the richest sources; just make sure it's 70% cocoa or higher.

Who knew helping your mental health and mood could be so delicious? Just remember, everyone is different; what works for you might not work for someone else.

What Can Tank Your Mood Without You Realizing

Sometimes we don't know why we are feeling down, or just off, and often it can come from sources that we were completely unaware of. How we feed our bodies often is the last thing people think about when in an "off" headspace.

Here are some things to note:

• Blood Sugar Spikes and Crashes. When your blood sugar shoots up and then drops, that crash can cause irritability, fatigue, and brain fog you might blame on stress. It may not be a personality thing; it could be a fuel thing. Try having more balanced meals, add in fats and protein to minimize a crash, and get off the blood sugar rollercoaster.

• Ultra-Processed Foods (seed oils, packaged snacks, fast food). These foods quietly trigger inflammation throughout the body, including the brain. Chronic brain inflammation doesn't look like physical pain. It looks like low motivation, persistent sadness, and feeling flat for no clear reason. Try swapping out seed oils for avocado oil and olive oil. Instead of quick packaged snacks, try grabbing something like nuts that don't have a bunch of ingredients you can't pronounce. Instead of fast food, try meal prepping or planning out some meals that you can have throughout the week.

• Lots of Caffeine. Caffeine can disrupt sleep, and poor sleep is one of the fastest routes to low mood and high anxiety. Now, you don't have to completely get rid of caffeine. I love my morning coffee. But start being aware of how you feel if you have had a lot of caffeine in one day. Maybe try having coffee later in the morning after a meal, or just stick to one cup and switch to decaf for the day. Just remember to hydrate; caffeine dehydrates you, so drink water!

These few areas that may be causing low moods are just things to be aware of and notice as you move forward. It is not meant to be strict or cause any sort of judgment. Treat your body with kindness. That is the most important step.

Small Shifts, Big Difference

You don't have to stress yourself out to eat perfectly to feel better; often, this can do the opposite and make you feel worse. Small, consistent changes matter.

Some practical starting points would be to...

• Start with one swap, not an overhaul. Replace one processed or sugary thing you eat daily with a whole food alternative. For example, swap seed oils with avocado oils

• Build your plate around fat and protein first. Eggs, salmon, avocado, nuts. Fill the rest with low-carb vegetables. When fat and protein anchor your meal, blood sugar stays steady and so does your mood.

• Eat magnesium every day. A handful of pumpkin seeds, half an avocado, or a square of dark chocolate.

• Get outside in the morning. Even 10 minutes of sunlight helps your body produce vitamin D and resets your cortisol rhythm for the day.

• Make some changes in the store: Focus on higher-quality foods. Look for organic, pasture-raised, wild-caught, no seed oil, low-sugar, etc.

• Ask yourself after every meal: how do I feel? Energy, mood, focus, notice it. That feedback loop is more powerful than any diet plan.

Start small and slow. Support your body and your mind. Don't push yourself too hard to make every change that you can. Make sustainable changes that you can actually DO. Stay mindful of how you approach any dietary changes you make, notice how your body feels and reacts, but don't judge every area. As I said above, being kind to yourself and gentle with yourself is the biggest piece to the mental and physical health puzzle.

Keep The Awareness Going!

Mental Health Awareness doesn't end in May, and neither does being aware of how your food affects you as a whole, physical and mental.

Show up for yourself, go to therapy, connect with loved ones, exercise, check in with each other and yourself, and take a look at your food. Eat mindfully, and feel better :)

If you want to learn more about Mindful Eating and the role food plays in our mental state, please check out our Online Mindful Eating Course!

Written by Ruby Laemmel, Marketing and Client Relations Manager, Certified in Mindful Eating.