I love food and coffee and there are very few days when I don’t have a plan for both. In fact, food has been one of those “thorn in the side” issues in my life since childhood. Despite trying loads of dieting methods from my teenage years on, it wasn’t until my thirties that I realized that food was not just about being fat or skinny, indulging or restricting.
Just after my thirty-seventh birthday in February of 2019, I hit a depressive episode of the type that causes lots of laying on the couch, crying, brain fog, and lack of motivation. It occurred just two months after a similar bout of depression that had fallen right after Christmas. Now I know that lots of people have a hard time with the holidays, but I could tell that wasn’t the problem. It was the first time in my life that I realized that my holiday sugar binge had consequences other than an expanding waistline. My festive indulgences actually impacted my mental health. My mood was low and I considered whether medication was necessary. But within a week or two of turning my eating around, my mood was back to my baseline. It proved to me that food has an impact on mood.
Around the same time, one of my best friends was also struggling with her mental health, which fluctuates between depression, anxiety, and bipolar symptoms. A couple of weeks of a Whole30 style eating plan had leveled her mood out and made her feel more capable of handling the ups and downs of life. Whole30 is an elimination plan that starts by removing all types of food that are likely to cause allergic or inflammatory reactions in the body, including grains, sugar, alcohol, caffeine, dairy, and legumes, followed by a slow introduction of certain foods to determine the body’s sensitivity to each. While a strict Whole30 is difficult for most modern eaters to keep in compliance, even moderate reductions in these trigger ingredients can improve overall health, including mood.
Based on these experiences, it seems to me that the “grown-up” thing to do is to pay attention to how food makes us feel, not just how it satisfies hunger or how it contributes to a certain body shape (although these things often go together). And the reason I say that it’s the “grown-up” thing to do, is that many of us have an inner child that craves Pop Tarts and Cheez-Its. In the same way I coach my children to make healthy choices and to prioritize nutrient dense foods before treats, I have to re-parent my rebellious self in the same way.
From a mental health perspective, I counsel my clients to review their eating habits and consider how both their patterns of eating and their food choices could be impacting their mood or anxiety levels. Since I’m not a nutritionist or dietician, I never give specific advice or create eating plans for my clients; however, I can point them to general information and resources and even refer them to a nutrition professional if needed. It is always worth an experiment at least, if you are struggling with your mood, energy levels, brain fog, irritability, or other symptoms, a diet clean up can go a long way. There is plenty of research out there that shows that dietary changes can help with all kinds of psychological or neurological syndromes, from ADHD to autism spectrum disorders, as well as hormonal disorders accompanied by depression and anxiety symptoms, such as Pre-Menstral Dysphoric Disorder (PMS on steroids) and thyroid disease. Why not try it for yourself?
Besides just evaluating what we eat, some of us also need to look at how much we are eating. Your brain and your body will interpret undereating as a form of stress–a threat to your existence–and it will shut down systems in accordance with the lack of resources you provide it. That means if you don’t have enough calories, your body will save energy for things like breathing and heartbeats, not critical thinking. Similarly, you can really throw your body off by overfeeding it to the point of hormone imbalance and a whole host of other problems.
Caffeine
Now this next section I’m going to be preaching to myself. Ouch. It’s going to be about caffeine. Our culture is inundated with caffeine choices, from low level teas and chocolate, to heavy hitters like coffee and energy drinks. It’s pretty standard that church, meetings, and social gatherings all include coffee (not to mention those little uppers known as donuts in between church services). Coffee is as much a habit as a need for me to feel normal in the morning, and my mornings last until lunch time, if you know what I mean. Then I have a window from 1:00-4:00pm in which I allow myself one can of Diet Pepsi. I don’t do energy drinks, but I know that it’s common to use any of these powerful cans of “pick me up” to make it through our busy lives. Excess use has been linked to myriad health issues.
Yes, I know that I have an issue with caffeine–I am being transparent here. But let me preach a little, too. Caffeine is one of the big culprits in exacerbating daily anxiety. In fact, if you’ve been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder, it’s probably a good idea for you to cut out caffeine all together. On the other hand, if you have an unmedicated attention-deficit disorder, caffeine may be the only thing that allows you to get your adulting done. I’ve had clients who had comorbid (existing together) Anxiety and ADHD, which caused a major problem. Caffeine snaps the ADHD brain into gear, but it also exacerbates anxiety symptoms. The clients had to experiment with tolerable levels of caffeine as well as medication and other changes in order to manage both disorders at once. Maybe you don’t have a diagnosable illness, but just feel edgy (you know, there’s a pandemic going on). It’s worthwhile to experiment with your caffeine intake along with other aspects of your daily nutrition.
Alcohol
As long as we’re talking about uppers, let’s talk about downers, too. Yes, I mean alcohol. Within the Christian community, there is a wide range of beliefs and practices in regards to alcohol. So I’m not here to argue theological or moral aspects, nor do I need to explain the family and community impact of alcohol abuse. I’m simply here to remind you that what you put in your body impacts your mental health. If you already struggle with depression, drinking alcohol might sink you deeper, and if you’re manic, drinking alcohol may lower your inhibitions even more, permitting behaviors that are going to make you feel even worse when the episode is over. If you’re anxious and alcohol is the only thing that lets you unwind in the evenings, it’s worthwhile to work with a therapist who can help you learn some additional skills for managing stress and anxiety, such as mindfulness, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, and grounding. See what I had to say about grounding here. The after effects of alcohol are problematic for mental health as well. Having a clear mind and a clear conscience is crucial for our mental health.
It’s Your Mental Health
Throughout this post, I’ve been careful not to recommend a particular eating plan, a specific range for your caffeine intake, or whether you should or shouldn’t drink alcohol. I’m simply asking you to consider for yourself, in your unique context, what are the best ways to ensure your mental health as far as it’s determined by your nutrition. There are many other factors to mental health, including genetics, social interaction, spiritual life, therapy, and medication to name a few. With my friends and clients I like to rule out some of the basic biological functions before moving on to a psychiatric diagnosis and treatment. Last week I talked about sleep and rest, and this week I have talked about nutrition. With these two covered, we have one more biologically based question to raise that can apply to everyone: movement.
Check back here next week for more thoughts on how moving your body impacts your mental health.
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