#306: Three Things Everyone Needs to Know About the Link Between Diet and Mental Health with Autumn Smith

September 28, 2021 in Podcast, Women’s Health 0

If You Want To Improve Your Mental Health Through Diet, You Should:

Identify your own nutritional gaps and create a personalized nutrient replacement plan
Increase your Vitamin C intake for better mental health, physical health, and detoxification
Incorporate Omega 3’s, B vitamins, green veggies, proteins, and grass-fed red meats into your diet

Watch the Episode Now

Or Listen to the Episode Here

Or, listen on your favorite app: iTunes (Apple Podcasts) | Stitcher | Spotify | Google Play | Pocketcasts

Episode Summary

Have you ever considered that your diet could be connected to your mental health and emotional wellbeing? Using food to heal your mind doesn’t have to be complicated; you just need the proper knowledge and tools to empower yourself to start using food as medicine.

The Power of Paleo With Autumn Smith

Autumn Fladmo Smith is the co-founder of Paleovalley and Wild Pastures, holds a Masters in Holistic Nutrition, a Certified Eating Psychology Coach, and a Certified FDN Practitioner. Her passion for health began with her own struggles with IBS and anxiety when her health was in shambles. She and her husband Chas stumbled upon the paleo diet in 2011, and it completely transformed Autumn’s health. Since then, she has made it her mission to share the information she had learned with as many people as possible.

The Connection Between Diet and Mental Health

At this point in our lives, eating crap isn’t an option if you want to function properly and show up to be your best self for yourself and everyone you love. Diet can have not only a huge impact on our physical condition but also our mental state.

Studies have shown that dietary intervention can clear up your inflammation, and therefore the stress, anxiety, and depression that is weighing on your brain. The more we know, the better we can address that inflammation and put our symptoms into remission.

Using Food as Medicine

We all know that sugar and fast food don’t make us feel great. It can impact our energy, mood, and emotional state. By using food as medicine and identifying your unique nutritional gaps, you can optimize your mental health with food and improve your overall nutritional function.

If you have been feeling anxious or depressed lately and want to use food to boost your mood, the habits that Autumn shares on this episode are what your body and brain need. Let’s make smart choices with our fork every day to improve our mental health, physical health, and total body function.

Are you ready to take control of your emotional health through proper nutrition and want to gain the expertise to use food as medicine? Share what you loved most about Autumn’s approach with me in the comments below!

Quotes

“Now we know that some mental health issues can start because of imbalances in the gut.” (9:04)

“I envision a world one day where we have these baseline foundational treatments, and we explore them and exhaust them before we move up the ladder.” (17:37)

“We always think about depression as a brain-related condition, but what they are finding now is it is often rooted in inflammation, and it should be categorized more as an inflammatory condition.” (26:16)

“Nutrient deficiency is a huge deal, 95% of us are deficient in at least one nutrient, and when I work with women, it’s at least a few nutrients for sure for everyone.” (39:26)

“If you can just identify where your nutrient gaps are in your diet, and then figure out how to craft your own personalized nutrient repleted diet, its a pretty amazing and eye-opening exercise.” (42:00)

In This Episode

Learn how Autumn became passionate about helping support people through whole foods (8:23)
What to do if you do not feel aligned with the recommendations you have been given for your symptoms (16:34)
The top three nutrients that can help support your mental health (19:50)
What you should know about the link between diet and mental health (26:00)
Answers to some of your biggest questions about your nutrient status (39:18)