We know how vital what we eat is for our physical health. What’s less widely appreciated, despite a wealth of evidence, is just how important the right foods are for our brain and mental health. But my guest today is here to turn the science into easy steps we can all put into action.
Dr Drew Ramsay is a psychiatrist and a leader in the emerging field of nutritional psychiatry. He’s assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Colombia University and founded The Brain Food Clinic in New York. Drew’s book, Eat To Beat Depression And Anxiety: Nourish Your Way To Better Mental Health In Six Weeks is a powerful prescription for optimising your mental health through diet. His clinic incorporates evidence-based nutrition and integrative psychiatry treatments with psychotherapy, coaching, and responsible medication management. He believes everyone working in the field of mental health should be talking about nutrition – and I couldn’t agree more.
Over his 20 years as a practising doctor, Drew became frustrated that the robust data confirming a relationship between food and mental health wasn’t making it through to doctors, let alone patients. With depression being the most disabling illness in the world, he’s made it his mission to bring the evidence on nutritional prevention and cure to the masses.
The trick, he says, is to find foods that do one of two things. They either feed your gut microbes and fight inflammation (linked to both depression and dementia) or they put your brain in ‘grow mode’. And which foods do these things? Drew reveals his ‘power players’ in our conversation, giving specifics on different nutrients and how they work in the body. He simplifies the research on foods that can treat depression – such as the famous SMILEs trial. And he provides a super-helpful, realistic guide to changes you can make right now (that don’t have to be expensive).
Mental well-being is such an important topic and Drew’s work is so valuable. This episode is a must-listen for anyone who wants to do the best by their brain.
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