Does food affect your mood?
Is there a connection between nutrition and mental health?
Let’s ask a Mental Health Dietitian…
From a young age, we’re taught that eating well helps us look and feel our physical best. However, what we’re not always told is that good nutrition significantly affects our mental health, too.
Here at The Dot, our Mental Health Dietitian Heather Bray specializes in this connection between nutrition and mental health. We interviewed her to answer some frequently asked questions about nutrition and mental health.
Heather Bray, RD
Q: What’s the difference between a dietitian and a nutritionist?
A lot of people get confused by this! The main differences between a dietitian and a nutritionist is the level of education, training and regulation. Ours is a highly regulated and skilled health profession. A dietitian must complete supervised training and obtain a degree specializing in food and nutrition through an accredited university program. Whereas a nutritionist is not required to meet the same rigorous standards.
Q: What does a dietitian do?
Dietitians are experts in the use of food and nutrition to manage disease and promote health. In general, we plan and provide nutritional counselling and programs to help people lead healthier lives by focusing on every day meals, nutrition, and the relationship between eating habits and preventing or managing specific diseases.
This typically includes:
Assessing your nutritional and health needs and goals
Developing meal and nutrition plans including which foods to eat—and which to avoid - taking your preferences and budget into account
Evaluating and monitoring the effects of nutrition plans and practices and making changes as needed
Q: What is a mental health dietitian?
Although many dietitians do similar tasks, there are several specialties within our field.
Clinical dietitians provide medical nutrition therapy. They create customized nutritional programs based on the health needs of clients and counsel clients on how to improve their health through nutrition which can include: diabetes management, weight management, inflammatory bowel disease, kidney disease, digestive disorders, or other specific conditions.
As a mental health dietitian, I help you to explore the overlap between what you eat and how you feel. My role as a mental health dietitian is to help you improve mental wellness by addressing eating habits, behaviours or lifestyles that may need adjustments or intervention in order to improve your mood.
Q: How do eating habits affect the brain?
There is an intimate connection between your brain and gastrointestinal tract - which is frequently referred to as the "second brain" - and this is what causes the connection between diet and emotions. Within your GI tract, there are millions of bacteria which affects the creation of the chemicals that constantly send signals from the gut to the brain. Dopamine and serotonin are two examples.
When we consume foods that are nutrient-dense, it encourages the development of "good" bacteria, which in turn benefits the production of these chemicals. Your brain hears these “positive” messages when production of these chemical are at their peak, and your mood changes as a result. However, if production is off, your mental health can suffer.
Q: What are causes of unhelpful eating habits?
Many people just don’t pay close enough attention to their eating habits. We get caught up in our busy lives and don’t realize what we are eating or how much until we start to notice a lack in energy. Paying attention to what you eat and how you feel when you eat, is one of the first steps in making sure you’re getting nutrient rich meals and snacks. Sometimes just documenting what, where and when you eat is a great way to gain insight into your patterns.
Peer pressure and media pressure, particularly social media, have influenced many people's eating behaviours - especially in the case of youth and young adults. Social media promotes unrealistic beauty standards and increases comparisons and unhealthy body image, both of which may lead to unhealthy eating patterns. Remember, babies are all born at different weights and sizes, we are not all supposed to grow up into adults and be one optimal shape or weight. You can indeed be healthy at any size.
Included in these unhealthy eating patterns are the many fad diets and ‘miracle’ pills, exercise trends, etc. This cycle of extreme dieting followed by swift weight gain is known as "yo-yo dieting," and it can be brought on by unhealthy eating patterns and disordered eating, which can also cause emotional anguish and a poor perception of one's body. Physical and mental health are equally at risk in this cycle. Yo-yo diets have a negative impact on the body's metabolism and ability to absorb essential nutrients. Stepping outside of that pattern and speaking to an expert in nutrition can be a great relief and can be an important first step in developing a healthier body, mind and relationship with food.
Q: When is it important to see a mental health dietitian?
Sometimes, stress and depression are severe and that can impact not just how you think, but what foods you eat, and your connection to how your body feels in general. An important part of recovering from depression, trauma, and anxiety is to look at your whole lifestyle, which includes what you eat, and if you are getting your nutritional needs met. Sometimes a deficiency can be a contributing factor to low mood, which is the case with anemia (low iron) or not having enough magnesium (which can impact anxiety).
Traumatic experiences or transitions can impact your eating habits. For some, stress can make it hard to eat at all, while others may overeat to numb emotions, both can impact your health, and a dietitian can support you with finding balance again. Sometimes trauma can even trigger bowel issues, which in turn reduces the ability for you to absorb vitamins and minerals from your food. This is when seeing a therapist who works from a somatic perspective, along with a dietitian can be especially helpful.
If your life is being impacting by your mood, you should seek professional support. Getting care from both a counsellor and a mental health dietitian is a two pronged approach that can provide multiple ways for you to start feeling better, sooner. Asking for help is a sign of strength and self awareness, especially in situations you’ve been struggling to handle alone.
Q: What should people expect during nutrition counselling?
If you are struggling, there is help. With nutrition counselling you will learn what nutrients can positively impact your brain, and how to use the food you eat to achieve a holistic and whole-body approach to healing your mental health.
During your sessions, we will explore the foods and nutrients that support your mental health, and identify any nutritional deficiencies that may be contributing, or causing, your symptoms. We will work together to develop practical strategies for incorporating healthy, sustainable eating habits into your daily routine, such as meal planning, grocery shopping, and eating out. We will collaborate to develop a personalized nutrition plans that considers your unique needs, tastes, and lifestyle factors.
In addition to nutrition, we may also talk about other lifestyle factors that are impacting your mental wellbeing, such as exercise, sleep, and stress management. By taking this whole body approach to your mental health, we will be able to address the root causes of your symptoms to support your overall health and wellbeing.
With the right nutrition and lifestyle habits, you can feel better and improve your quality of life. Improving your health doesn’t happen overnight, but with a flexible and sustainable plan, each day will build on each other. In time, you’ll see the positive results in your mood and how you feel in your body.
Nutrition counselling and a Mental Health Dietitian can help you take the first step towards a healthier, happier you.
We’re here if you need help.
Therapy is a valuable tool that can help you to solve problems, set and achieve goals, or teach you new ways to keep yourself in check. It can help you to build the life, career, and relationship that you want. Does everybody need it? No. But if you are curious about working with a therapist, that curiosity is worth pursuing.
We know it takes a great amount of courage to examine your life and to decide that there are things you would like to change. And, it takes more courage to do something about it. We can help. We offer free consultations for anyone in Ontario considering individual or couples counselling, online at The Dot. We will go through any of your questions and concerns to help you decide whether online counselling is the right choice for you.