Nutrition and Mental Health

I want to write a book, and I'm thinking of writing about nutrition and mental health. I signed up for a three month "coaching through the process of writing and publishing" course, so I'm committed to write something. I have lots of ideas and want to organize them and get them out of my head and on paper even though I'm not even sure who my audience is. Mental health professionals? Nutritionists? People overcoming depression? LDS/Christian faith? People trying to lose weight? I don't know. I'm hoping those answers will come as I go through the course.

I would like to outline here what I'm working on in the event that someone wants to hear the information I've learned about diet and mood, most if not all of it will probably end up in the book, and this blog has served as writing practice on this especial subject.

Nutrition and Mental Health

i. Introduction

            A. summary of contents

            B. personal experience

           

I. Gut to Brain Axis

A. Neurology

            1. Brain Cells: Neurons

            2. Right Brain Left Brain

            3. Emotional Brain

            4. Logical Brain

            5. Vagus Nerve

            6. Neurotransmitters

B. Digestion

            1.Five processes

                  a. Mechanical processing and movement: chewing, mixing

                  b. Secretion: fluid, digestive enzymes and hormones, bile, acid, alkali, mucus

                  c. Digestion: breaking down food to smallest absorbable units

                  d. Absorption: through mucosa into blood or lymph vessels

                  e. Elimination: undigested material eliminated

            2. Key players: mouth, stomach, small intestine, pancreas, liver, gall bladder, large

                        intestine...and neurotransmitters, hormones

C. Connections

            1. Digestion

                        a. leaking gut  
                        b. motility and malabsorption issues
                        c. blood sugar dysregulation
            2.Brain function

                        a. Immune response

                        b. misfiring when to stimulate hormones

                        c. cravings and mood swings

D. Importance of nutrition

            1. Not just about obesity or anorexia
            2. Inflammatory vs Functional
            3. Food and Mood
            4. Gut=second brain, Neurotransmitters first produced in the gut

E. Importance of the nervous system

            1. Parasympathetic vs Sympathetic responses

            2. Nervous system ties all the systems together

            3. Trauma/Brain dysfunction/Stress affect digestion

            4. Wholistic approach to healing instead of focus on symptom

II. Rise in physical and mental health issues

A. Evolution of food

1. The Standard American Diet has become a SAD diet: move away from whole foods

2. Elimination of fat in food has led to adding sugar to improve taste

3. 44% more gluten in wheat today than 100 years ago

4. Refined foods subsidized by government funds and accessible and affordable

5. Additives, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, and refined sugars toxic, in 80% of food products

6. 1980 “adult onset diabetes” now called Type 2 diabetes: 50000 children and adolescents diagnosed

B. Recent Epidemics linked to digestive issues

1. Obesity, 1 in 2 Americans overweight

2. Type 2 Diabetes, a disease of the last century

3. Mood disorders, cognitive dysfunction, and sleep disturbance

4. Fibromyalgia

5. Food allergies, celiac, SIBO, Leaky gut

6. Chronic fatigue syndrome

7. Temporomandibular disorder

8. Irritable bowel syndrome

9. Dizzy spells, fatigue, headaches, “brain fog”

10. ADHD, Alzheimers, Autism, Anxiety

11. "Hypoglycemic" complex

12. Addiction

C. What do the experts suggest?

            1.Contradictions between experts

            2."Lists" of do's and don't's

            3. Medical model vs functional medicine

                        a. doctors vs nutritionists

                        b. natural vs man made

            4. General consensus: balance

III. Three Realms of Human Experience

A. Biological realm

            1.What foods help what?

                        a. Still learning about this: shift away from SAD
                        b. Choose nutrient dense foods
                        c. Protein source vital
                        d. Probiotics?
                        e. Supplements?
                        f. Whole foods vs refined foods (JERF, FED UP, EAT REAL)

                        g. Demonize one food? man-made refined sugars

            2. What is your metabolic type?

                        a. no one right diet for everyone, everyone has a different genetic "weak link"

            b. What is your metabolic evolution?

                  c. Some metabolize glucose faster than others, even within families

            d. Fast oxidizers, slow oxidizers, mixed

            e. What is your muscle mass?

            f. Is your blood sugar regulation off balance?

            g. Sugar/gluten sensitivity manifests different for different people

            h. Start paying attention to how you feel after you eat

            3. Compromised gut integrity

                        a. stomach acid and pH levels

                        b. once you are out of balance, host of problems

                        c. personal history with IBS

                        d. your issue will be different, but still issues!
B. Psychological realm

            1. Thinking errors and food

                        a. Beware All or Nothing Thinking error and food

                        b. What is your mind chatter regarding food?

                        c. Achieve balance mentally as well as physically

                        d. Overthinking what we eat or underthinking what we eat problematic

                        e. We do thinking errors to food, causes problems!

            f. Goal: Base our view of food and nutrition on truth not distortions

            2. Mindful Eating

                        a. importance of saying “grace”

                        b. Take time to sit and eat

                        c. Chew your food

                        d.Notice when you are full

                        e. Write down your mood/digestive response

            3. Anger/bitterness/fear vs acceptance or change

                        a. positive psychology and law of attraction

                        b. acceptance paradox: letting it go

                        c. pain a message: what is your body telling you?

                        d. stop silencing you body

C. Environmental Realm

            1. Stress toxic, sparks nervous system response

                        a. modern lifestyle: death by a million cuts

                        b. Breathe

                        c. Exercise/Stretch

                        d. Mindfulness

                        e. Relaxation

                        f .Rest

                        e. fun

            2. Do what you can, can't avoid all toxins

                        a. constraints in what is available

                        b. time constraints

                        c. social expectations

            3. Live in a land of plenty, because we can doesn't mean we should

ii. Conclusion