The Impact of Nutrition on Mental Health + Healthy Recipes

The food we eat impacts not only our physical health but also our mental health. A growing body of research suggests that certain nutrients can help protect the brain from cognitive decline and improve mood. But before we get into what foods to eat and avoid, let’s start with the basics: what exactly is nutrition?

Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash

Nutrition is simply the process by which our bodies take in food and use it to sustain life. Many different kinds of nutrients play essential roles in this process, including proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals (plant-based chemicals), trace elements like silicon selenium ), botanicals (ingredients derived directly from plants), and essential amino acids.

They all work together in various ways to keep us healthy, and things can go south quickly when one or more of them isn’t working properly! For example, some people experience migraines due to imbalances in their neurotransmitters.

You are what you eat.

You’re a literal product of the food you put in your body, so it’s no surprise that what you eat can profoundly affect your mental health. There are several ways that nutrition and mental health are intertwined:

• Your brain is made up of 60% fat. So when choosing what to eat…