Nutrition and Mental Health

There is no doubt that nutrition affects mental health. Poor nutrition leads to and exacerbates mental illness. Optimal nutrition prevents and treats mental illness. Note the word “optimal” to describe nutrition that prevents and treats illness. One’s diet cannot be just “good,” or providing the basics for survival; it must be nutrient dense and tailored to the needs of the individual, who may have been missing the basic ingredients for optimal brain function since life in the womb.

Where there is mental illness, there is poor diet

Where there is mental illness, there is very often poor diet. Where there is mental illness, there is usually a long history of digestive problems. By adding the lens of nutrition, diet, and digestion to your personal toolbox, you can forever change your approach to self- care and enhance the efficacy of your eating habits for optimal energy, health, and emotional well- being.

Changing your thoughts, beliefs, behaviors, and habits can be challenging.It happens slowly. Changing nutritional beliefs and behaviors is no different from changing other beliefs and behaviors, but results are assured.Knowing who you are and what your body needs is the art and science of mental health nutrition. Some people function best as carnivores, others function better as vegetarians. But what is incontrovertible is that nutrition matters. It is the most important missing link to mental health in society today.

– Leslie E. Korn Ph.D., MPH, LMHC, ACS, NTP

Read more: Creating The “Good Mood” Kitchen

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