Impact of Diet on Mental Wellness:
Unveiling the Truths
It’s a little mind blowing how directly connected diet is to mental wellness. What we eat directly impacts our brain function, our mood, and our thought processes. The root of all medical issue that arise can, for the most part, be inflammation in the body can be attributed to a couple of key things: diet, stress, and environmental impact. But, the most impactful one is FOOD.
So why don’t the majority of doctors let us know this? Why do they not make recommendations for diet changes before throwing medications and massive amounts of supplements our way?
…I think it’s because they often don’t make as much money if they don’t get a prescription on the ticket before you leave. That and, the last I read, there is a total of 20 hours of nutrition training in the entirety of med school (and most likely nutritional advice that might be out of date and follow the agenda of government agencies).
Because I’ve never had a doctor tell ME how to reduce inflammation on my own, I’ll share with you some of the most impactful truths I’ve learned from my own journey as well as the year-long nutrition school I completed.
2 Truths & a Not-So-Truth
1. Sugar is the main root of inflammation
- 12 ounces of regular soda contains 39g of sugar…almost 10tsp!
- 12 ounces of fruit juice contains 20-40g of sugar, depending on the juice and added sugars.
- a flavored, single serving yogurt contains between 15-30g of sugar.
- granola bars can range from 8-12g per bar.
- even ketchup contains 4g of sugar per Tbsp.
2. The brain need fats. And so do hormones
That doesn’t mean fry bread or French fries. It means the fats such as avocado and coconut oil, high quality full-fat dairy, and red meats and eggs.
Do you ever wonder why so many people struggle with hormonal diseases, low libido, or lack of hormonal balance?? These fats listed above are those that are healing to the brain and hormone regulation. Neurons are coated with myelin sheaths that are strengthened by the right omega 3:6 ratio. Let me tell you about a recent study published this year by CNN:
Believe it or not, the ideal ratio of omega 3:6 ratio is 1:1. ONE FOR ONE. I know this is not what I get in my diet, and I’m not sure I know too many people who do.
The study found that the average ratio is 20:1!
“After nearly 13 years of follow-up, the authors found participant with the highest ratios of omega-6 to omega-3 were 26% more likely to die early from any cause, 14% more likely to die from cancer, and 31% more likely to die from heart disease…”
My advice?
Begin by removing one of the omega-6 foods listed below from your diet. REALLY focus on looking for that one ingredient that might be hidden in so many of your daily foods.
THEN begin to work in omega-3 foods. Get the ratio down to reduce inflammation, and then begin your healing efforts. Our ultimate goal is to heal your gut by taking out the offenders, and then move the foods in that will repair it. There’s no point in trying to repair something that is continually being broken apart, right?
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3. Fats cause cardiovascular disease. Hint: this isn't one of the two truths...
We have been told for so many years that fats cause cardiovascular disease (90’s propaganda, anyone?).
However, the real culprit is the excess intake of carbohydrates. Multiple studies have discovered that those that more than 50% of their diet in carbs, were found to have significantly higher incidences of cardiovascular disease.
Excessive carbohydrates are the base of so many issues that arise for so many people. Fatty liver disease, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s are just some of the diseases that are actually derived from excessive carbohydrate intake, instead of a high fat diet like we’ve been told. (Jo & Park, 2023).
Jo U, Park K. Carbohydrate Intake and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies. Nutrients. 2023 Apr 2;15(7):1740. doi: 10.3390/nu15071740. PMID: 37049580; PMCID: PMC10096555.