Here’s What to Eat for Mental Health By: @ericabassotherapy (Link in bio for full article) Stressed? Did you know that what we eat directly affects your mood? One of the reasons anxiety and depression are on the rise in the U.S. is due to the standard American diet. In my practice, I’ve found that most people aren’t as aware of the connection between their diet and the state of their mental health as they are of the effect it can have on one’s physical health. Why is this? It’s simply not talked about enough! As a psychotherapist who practices with a mind-body approach, I am eager to make this information and additional resources accessible to all because we all deserve to be in good health. We’ll discuss various possible mechanisms that have been proposed for the effects of diet on mental health including the role of inflammation, key micronutrient deficiencies, and glycemic balance. We once thought that mental health diagnoses like depression and anxiety were caused by a genetic chemical imbalance in the brain. While genes do place a role in predisposing an individual to developing mental health diagnoses, I’m here to say that this isn’t anywhere near the whole picture. Furthermore, the chemical imbalance theory is not as evidenced-based as the pharmaceutical industry has led us to believe all these years. Today a growing body of evidence is discovering the connection between inflammation and depression. The Inflammation Theory (cytokine theory) of depression is an important discovery as many patients remain treatment resistant to traditional pharmacotherapy.