Mood Follows Food: Building the Case

Extensive research in neuroscience demonstrates that emotional and neurocognitive dysfunction emerge from the gut-brain axis. Societal systems deny food’s significance on mental health and suicidality. Laying the bedrock of understanding about the link between nutrition and mental health neuroscience showcase the critical basics local food sovereignty and advocacy have on moving us toward communities that thrive in modernity.

Nutritional psychiatrists and Harvard Medical School-trained traumatologist, Dr. Leslie Korn, have explored various studies to illustrate the relationship between diet and mental health. Emotional and neurocognitive dysfunction emerge from the gut-brain axis alongside one’s environmental factors and epigenetics expressions. Via modulatory effects of food on emotions, brain imaging technologies offer real-time snapshots of food’s influence on emotions and cognition. With the current risks of mental health (MH) diagnoses among youth and adults nationwide, why would we not go back to a basic intervention that could positively impact well-being in individuals, families, and communities as a whole?

The CDC outlines a 2023 study correlating food insecurity with higher risks of MH and suicidality amongst a survey of nearly 27,000 youth participants across 11 states. Whether the impact characterizes inability to attain enough food or the healthiest types of food, it illustrates the importance of basic nutrition as a tool to reduce mental health and suicide concerns. Current societal systems deny food’s significance and substantive relationship to the mental health and suicidality crisis we face. The Standard American Diet (SAD) is characterized by high consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), added sugars, red meats, and saturated fats. The USDA Economic Research Service data (1977–2018) indicated that U.S. consumers’ diets are substantially below recommended nutrient densities for most categories, except total fats, calcium, and oils. This means that for every 1,000 calories consumed, SAD provides less than the recommended amount of many critical nutrients. Most Americans have a low intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fiber. UPFs are often high in sodium, added sugars, unhealthy fats, and industrial additives. 73% of our food supply is UPFs; in which, much of these products are engineered by food scientists to override our hunger signals, hijack our dopamine system, and keep you eating past the point of fullness.

Hippocrates said 2,400 years ago, “let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” Pithy sentiments, current data, alongside interventions to equip individuals, families, and communities that we serve demarcates the critical work to build connections in fostering food sovereignty to increase overall wellbeing through food-brain education and interventions. Growing a web of advocacy, farming plots for nutrient rich foods, and building community around what we produce locally and eat sets up a network for the many to thrive, not just the few.

This will be a series diving deeper into nutrients necessary for brain-body holism and the neuroscience behind it. We will also venture into enthonutrution/genomics, culinary practices, biorhythms, nature's color story, and much more.