Functional Nutrition for Better Mental Health
By Barb Beavis
Functional Nutritionist | May 30, 2023
There has long been a stigma around mental health issues, so much so that often people who are suffering keep it to themselves for fear of being judged. That stigma seems to be lifting and there are safe places you can go to get the care you need.
Did you know that functional nutrition can be a part of that care plan? Sounds weird, right? But one thing we know for sure is that there is a huge connection between gut health and mental health. When the gut is out of balance, it can affect everything from how you sleep, how you process information, and how much joy you feel – in addition to any physical side effects like indigestion, constipation, IBS, and more.
Our relationship with food can further complicate the matter. Nutrition can be complex and overwhelming, especially when you know there is a problem but we just don’t know where to start. Untreated trauma and emotions like stress and shame can blur the lines between what we eat and how we feel, possibly leading to poor eating habits that have a negative impact on gut health. That comes full circle again to a negative impact on mental health.
It's overly simplistic to tell someone to just eat better as a solution. If it were that easy, everyone would do it, the diet industry would no longer exist and neither, for that matter, would fast food restaurants. If you are experiencing symptoms that indicate a gut health issue, functional nutrition might be a good first stop.
What is functional nutrition? It is a personal, patient-centred practice that gets to the root cause of both physical and mental health issues. We don’t just look at the symptoms and relieve them; we look at all of the underlying factors like biology, history, lifestyle, and environment. Patients learn what foods work for their bodies, which ones don’t serve them well at all, and if there are supplements that can fill in a nutritional gap.
If we can heal the gut through nutrition and natural medicine, we can alleviate many physical health issues that are associated with the inflation that an out-of-balance gut can cause. Furthermore, the mental health benefits are real and plentiful. Here are just a few:
Sounder Sleep: An imbalance in the gut microbiome can cause sleep disorders. It’s only natural, then, that the opposite is true. A healthy functioning gut produces the hormones and bacteria that regulate sleep. If 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep has been elusive, healing your gut may be the key to finally feeling well-rested in the morning.
Better Concentration: Brain fog is real. If focus and feeling clear-headed are an issue, it may be a result of inflammation. An inflamed gut means inflammation in the brain, which can slow down conductivity between hose busy neurons that help you think on your feet. Reducing inflammation in the brain often helps lift the fog and gives you back the ability to concentrate.
Less Stress: Did you know that intestinal distress can actually be the root cause of some mental health disorders? Research shows that improved gut health is linked to lower risks of stress, anxiety, and depression. If you find yourself perpetually stressed, overly anxious, or mildly depressed, take a close look at functional nutrition and see if that can alleviate the root cause.
More Happy: A whopping 90% of our body’s serotonin is produced in the gut. Serotonin is the “happy hormone” that creates a long-lasting feeling of well-being and plays a key role in many of our essential functions: sleep, digestion, bone health, and even sexual desire. It’s also found in dark chocolate – which might explain a few things about why we love chocolate so much!
It’s nearly impossible to understate how intricately connected our gut health and mental health are and how damaging gut inflammation can be to our overall health. The great news is that there are steps you can take immediately to start repairing your gut, getting you on the road to better wellness.
If the stigma of asking for help is holding you back, I challenge you to be brave today. Enter our safe space here at Holistic Physiotherapy & Wellness because your wellness is the most important thing. If poor gut health is causing any harm to your mind or body, we can get to the bottom of it - together.
Barb Beavis
Functional Nutritionist