A Dietitian Who Wants to Hear from YOU (Food and Mental Health)
eatmadesimple
Posts: 2 Member
Hello all! I am a registered dietitian who is looking for some input. I love the world of nutrition as it relates to mental health and really feel called to help people in this area. What are some questions you have regarding nutrition and mental health? What would be most helpful for you? What would you want a dietitian to provide (videos, tips, instagram posts, etc.)? Thanks in advance!
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Replies
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What kind of mental health are you planning to address? The general public's or specific problems such as depression or schizophrenia?3
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Is there anything universal that can be said about nutrition and mental health? While I feel better when I eat a certain way (and get good sleep and lots of exercise), many others here have remarked on how their ways of eating, which are different from mine, have helped their mental health.
I'll pass on the IG (and tiktok, which you didn't mention, but I know is a thing.) I see that as having the potential to provide far more benefit to the provider as a marketing tool than to the recipient.1 -
Could you post some peer reviewed studies that prove a causal link between diet and mental health, other than those related to malnutrition and allergy?3
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PopGoesTheCoyote wrote: »What kind of mental health are you planning to address? The general public's or specific problems such as depression or schizophrenia?
This made me think of my brother's former Naturopathic Doctor, who thought he could fix my brother, who is on the schizophrenia spectrum, with fish oil and B vitamins.9 -
What should I do with the headless birds my cat leaves in the hallway for me?9
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wilson10102018 wrote: »Could you post some peer reviewed studies that prove a causal link between diet and mental health, other than those related to malnutrition and allergy?
I realize your comment was intended for OP, but I’m adding it just cuz I think it’s interesting
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6005194/
It doesn’t address causal links between mental health and neurotransmitters, nor causal links between diet and microbiota, but it does address modulation of neurotransmitters by gut bacteria. Many studies conclude “needs more study” (how investigators stay in business), so not definitive but interesting nonetheless.2 -
This is great input- I was thinking about focusing on anxiety and depression but was curious about what else people wanted to know. Mental health is such a vast field. I don't claim to be able to cure anything related to mental health with nutrition, but there certainly appear to be some links between how we feel and what we eat and I just want to help people feel their best.2
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My suggestion would be post a link to a study or reputable article - for people's information and discussion.
I would do so in a separate thread titled "effect of diet on mental health " or whatever the study/article is about.
Something specific rather than a vague 'any questions' starting point.2 -
I've checked out this book so many times from the library! I'm not sure how it's reviewed by medical professionals, but would recommend it for anyone interested in how diet can affect mentality and mood.
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I think my mental health would get worse if I were to not eat carbs. It rarely happens, but I notice that when i'm low on carbs my mood changes.7
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For me personally I learned I could never fix my weight issue unless I fixed my mental issues. I have depression. Once my depression was improving it made improving my nutrition was so much easier.7
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Depending where you work you may not have a lot of options on your recommendations. I saw an RD for type 2 diabetes and she could not recommend any particular diet, just the ADA my plate. My friend with depression swears by keto. I have a type of schizophrenia. I am in a ketogenic diet and my diabetes meds have reduced, but psych are the same. Have you talked with any psychiatrists about diet and mental health? I would like some research information on how diet helps mental health and what kind of diet.4
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Fascinating topic. I know that depression has an impact on eating (either too much or too little) but I don’t know whether the converse is true. Seems like it would make sense.
Eating Disorders have a huge mental Heath component.
I know that for me, losing weight was mostly a mental exercise (which was a surprise for me).
I think there is a definite mind/body connection and I would love to hear more!3 -
I am very interested in the gut-brain connection. Working with kids with diagnoses like autism, I have long heard about the theory that certain foods (like gluten and casein) can trigger an increase in symptoms. For a long time it seems most in the mainstream thought it was woo, but there is now a lot of evidence of the whole gut brain connection. It may not necessarily be gluten and casein, but may be more individual.
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I'd love more info on the brain/gut connection.0
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"I know that for me, losing weight was mostly a mental exercise (which was a surprise for me)."
YES!
I have no mental health issues but working from home during COVID, I gained 50 pounds. I became depressed and didn't want to do anything. It took gaining another 20 pounds before I saw the terrible loop I was in and decided to change my eating habits and join a gym. Everyday, I have to talk myself into eating properly and go to the gym (no matter the weather or how tired I am). Once I set my mind on it, I'm fine and don't really struggle with wanting to snack or whatever. But everyday... it's mental. Or maybe I am LOL
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Can I be a case study for you? I would love to know more about connections between food and emotions. If I know that sugar is going to make me tired/cranky/depressed, then that's more reason to avoid it.0
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From my anecdotal experience I would suggest that weight gain is more likely a symptom of mental illness than the other way around.
When I went through a serious bought of anxiety my weight went up. I had very low self esteem and I punished myself by not looking after myself and eating crap food that didn't even bring me joy. I stress ate. I stopped exercising.
When I got help for my mental health, these behaviours went. When my head space was better I was able to stop my weight gain and now I'm starting to lose again.
That's just me, but I know others who have experienced similar things. I am a strong believer in treating the mental health first, then dealing with physical issues afterwards3 -
How do you address anorexia?
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From my anecdotal experience I would suggest that weight gain is more likely a symptom of mental illness than the other way around.
When I went through a serious bought of anxiety my weight went up. I had very low self esteem and I punished myself by not looking after myself and eating crap food that didn't even bring me joy. I stress ate. I stopped exercising.
When I got help for my mental health, these behaviours went. When my head space was better I was able to stop my weight gain and now I'm starting to lose again.
That's just me, but I know others who have experienced similar things. I am a strong believer in treating the mental health first, then dealing with physical issues afterwards
I agree with this in the sense that yes, mental health issues are sometimes the root cause of weight issues, but I also believe that there are many reasons not related to mental health that cause people to over-eat. I see a lot of comments that imply or state that obesity is always a mental health issue (this isn't how I read your comment, you were speaking to your own experience), and once that root cause is resolved weight loss will follow. I see social and financial issues as equally responsible for obesity, and in those cases social and financial solutions need to be applied in order to alleviate the problem.2 -
From my anecdotal experience I would suggest that weight gain is more likely a symptom of mental illness than the other way around.
When I went through a serious bought of anxiety my weight went up. I had very low self esteem and I punished myself by not looking after myself and eating crap food that didn't even bring me joy. I stress ate. I stopped exercising.
When I got help for my mental health, these behaviours went. When my head space was better I was able to stop my weight gain and now I'm starting to lose again.
That's just me, but I know others who have experienced similar things. I am a strong believer in treating the mental health first, then dealing with physical issues afterwards
I agree with this in the sense that yes, mental health issues are sometimes the root cause of weight issues, but I also believe that there are many reasons not related to mental health that cause people to over-eat. I see a lot of comments that imply or state that obesity is always a mental health issue (this isn't how I read your comment, you were speaking to your own experience), and once that root cause is resolved weight loss will follow. I see social and financial issues as equally responsible for obesity, and in those cases social and financial solutions need to be applied in order to alleviate the problem.
I completely agree with you. I understand that my comment may have sounded like I was making sweeping statements that mental health issues are the cause of weight issues, and I very much did not mean that to be the case! Thank you for making that clear in your response. I personally do not think that (for example) weight will just fall off easily once mental health is managed, more that it may be much easier to address weight goals when in a better mental state.
What I was trying to address was that some people who have the perception that weight issues is a major contributing factor to mental health issues, and my argument is that, in my experience it was the other way around. I have seen people who genuinely believe that improving their diet and losing weight will 'cure' their clinical depression or anxiety and from stalking the 'things nobody tell you about weight loss' thread, time and time again I have seen people say that it didn't.
What I'm saying is: I don't think that (for example) eating poorly causes depression, more that someone might be eating poorly because they are depressed. And I am not oblivious to the fact that weight and diet may not help. I'm not saying that no one is unhappy about their weight and it might not be contributing in some way. But depression and anxiety is rarely caused by a single contributing factor and so weight and diet management shouldn't really be seen as some sort of a cure in absence of therapy and/or medication
PS:
I also am talking on a large scale. I understand that on a micro scale, diet and food management can be a tool to help manage mental health. For example, I know if I have more than a certain amount of coffee in a day, my anxiety is definitely heightened.2 -
Has OP lost interest in the thread?2
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