Is There a Link Between Food and Mental Health?

We drink pressed juices and load up on whole grains to better our bodies, but what we eat and drink can nourish our brains too. That’s according to the rapidly growing field of nutritional psychiatry, which explores the benefits of food on cognitive well-being. On episode two of our three-part mental health miniseries, Uma Naidoo, MD, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist and Michelin-star chef, tells us how meals can impact our mood. She also offers guidance on building out our grocery lists with nuts, fish, turmeric and other foods that can help fight anxiety and depression, and she breaks down the surprising connection between the brain and the gut. By following Dr Naidoo’s six pillars of nutritional psychiatry, everyone can fill their plate with mood-boosting food.

Learn More

• Get Dr Uma Naidoo’s research and recipes in her book, This Is Your Brain on Food.
• Want to hear more about the power of fermented foods? Read this Stanford University study.
• If you missed episode one of our miniseries, hear Dr Jennifer Heisz tell us about the important link between movement and mental health.