Since March is National Nutrition Month, we thought we’d look at the benefits of a well-rounded diet from a different angle. Recently we took a look at the health benefits of Kefir, and we also did a deep dive into positivity for 2025. With it being National Nutrition Month, now is the perfect opportunity to marry those two things and explore how food affects our brains. Nutrition can have a major impact on our physical health, but how about our mental health? Yeah, turns out, that too!
What’s happening in that big beautiful brain of yours!
Okay, so your brain is always working away on your thoughts, and keeping your body alive – even when you’re sleeping. All this work your brain is doing requires some heavy duty fuel. Where does that fuel come from? Inevitably, it comes from what you eat, and what you eat can have a major impact on how your brain works. In other words, what you eat affects how your brain works, and can even affect your mood.
That’s why it’s important to give it some of that grade-A fuel that comes from eating high-quality foods. Just to clear up any confusion, we mean food that is full of vitamins and minerals.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I hear you saying. You know all about vitamins and minerals, but how much do you know about antioxidants?
Oxidants protect the brain from the “waste”, also known as free radicals, that build up from the oxygen used by the body. This waste can cause oxidative stress which may damage cells. That’s why it’s important to try to take in only premium fuel.
Your Brain On Low-Grade Fuel
Low-grade fuel can include the kind of substances the brain has difficulty ejecting, the kind of substances that come from processed or refined foods. Refined sugar, for instance, can harm the brain. How? Well, they can affect how the body handles insulin and can increase inflammation and oxidative stress. Studies have shown that brain function can be negatively affected by a diet that is high in refined sugars which can also contribute to the symptoms of mood disorders, like depression.
Think of it like this: if free radicals build up in the brain, it’s reasonable to expect some kind of negative consequences. In this case, the consequences would be damaged cells leading to injured brain tissue.
It took a while for the link between mood and food to come to light, but now nutritional psychiatry is a fast-developing field that is continually finding new links between what we eat, how we feel, and how we behave. However, it also determines what type of bacteria takes up residence in our stomach.
How High-Grade Foods Affect Your Mind
Would it surprise you that the typical “Western” diet has shown to have a 25-35% higher risk of depression when compared to “traditional” diets like the Mediterranean or Japanese diet. Apparently, the difference comes down to the greater levels of fish and seafood, fruit, unprocessed grains, and vegetables that are found in traditional diets. These traditional diets also contain lower amounts of meats and dairy, and no processed or refined foods and sugars. Oh, and the unprocessed foods are often fermented, which results in them becoming natural probiotics that are good for the body.
At EJAI Loves Homecare, our highly experienced care providers can visit your loved one in their home to make sure they are eating a balanced diet, and give the care they need.
Food And Your Mind
We mentioned serotonin in our blog post How To Be Grateful And Embrace A More Positive You back in January. Well, here it comes again. This neurotransmitter helps to balance sleep, appetite, moods, and helps keep a lid on pain. Around 95% of our serotonin is created in the gastrointestinal tract which is lined with millions of nerve cells (neurons). It’s thought that the digestive system affects our emotions, in addition to digesting our food.
The intestinal microbiome consists of billions of so-called good bacteria that influences the creation of neurotransmitters like serotonin.
Good bacteria helps protect the intestines by defending against toxins and so-called bad bacteria. It also helps to prevent inflammation and aid the body in absorbing nutrients from food. Also, good bacteria helps to stimulate the neural pathways that link the gut and the brain.
Increasingly researchers are finding that good bacteria can reduce inflammation and boost mood and energy levels.
Your Next Steps
Keep an eye on how you feel, say six hours after eating different foods, or the next day. You could try foregoing all processed foods and sugar for a few weeks to see how you feel. This is called a “clean” diet.
Many people are surprised by the physical and emotional difference it makes to them. Don’t take our word for it, try it for yourself. Maybe you will also be surprised. Let us know what you think in the comments!
If you have a loved one who needs a little help, contact EJAI Loves Homecare in Florida to discuss their in-home care service. The team is ready to take your call and go through the options to give your loved one the assistance they deserve to stay in their own home. Greater independence, lower cost.
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