What (and How) You Can Eat to Nourish Your Body and Mind

Written By Mia Kogan-Spivack

You may or may not have known, but our gut health is tightly linked to our mental and brain health. What we eat, as well as how we eat our meals, will impact not just how you feel physically, but can impact how you feel mentally. Certain foods will give your brain extra energy, improve your mood, and just generally make you feel so much better! 

The other aspect of food that impacts our overall health is related to inflammation. Sugar-y and overly processed foods lead to inflammation in the body, which is associated with a number of health difficulties - both mental and physical. 

The foods below will help reduce inflammation and keep your health at its best, all while easily added to any diet and still allowing for “fun” foods!

 

What to eat:

  1. Prebiotics (click for a list of some great prebiotic foods!)

    This includes foods like bananas, oats, garlic, leeks, onions, and chickpeas. Prebiotics help stimulate the good bacteria in our gut. 

  2. Fermented foods (click for a list of some great fermented foods!)

    Fermented foods are usually made from vegetables, with pickled vegetables being the most common type of fermented food. Other fermented foods include miso and kefir. This is another category of food that makes our gut happy and in turn can reduce anxiety and stress. 

  3. Omega-3 fatty acids (click for a list of some great omega-3 rich foods!)

    Omega-rich foods help in the production of neurotransmitters - the chemicals released in your brain that influence your mood, actions, and essentially contribute to the majority of brain function. Some of these foods high in omega-3s are things like salmon, sardines, flax seeds, and walnuts. 

  4. Spices (click for a list of some great spices to add to your cooking!)

    Spices, depending on which ones you incorporate, can have any number of benefits. Many East Asian and ayurvedic cultures have been utilizing spices for their health benefits for thousands of years. 

How to eat:

  1. Mindful eating: free yourself of any distractions. Our body processes food best when it can focus fully on the act of eating. Allow your mind and body to enjoy the food you’re eating and reap the full benefits. 

  2. Emotional eating: we all have a tendency to “eat our feelings” sometimes, and that’s totally fine! But it can be valuable to check in with ourselves to ensure that our hunger is real, and not due to some other cause. It can prevent us from overeating or eating foods we don’t actually want to. 

  3. Food freedom: when all’s said and done, it’s important to allow yourself the freedom to enjoy foods you really like, even if they cause inflammation or you’re constantly told how bad it is for you. Moderation is key - with health foods, too!

This snippet from Ethos Clinic offers a little more (interesting!) info on the link between gut and brain health:
“Let’s talk biology for a minute. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate appetite, mood and sleep. Serotonin is produced in your gastrointestinal tract. The production of serotonin and other neurotransmitters is influenced by the good food and bacteria in your digestive tract. Good bacteria can block toxins, improve how you absorb nutrients and improve communication with your brain and more.”

Mia Kogan-Spivack
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