The mindbodygreen Podcast

517: Sneaky foods giving you anxiety | Nutritional psychiatrist Uma Naidoo, M.D.

Dec 26, 2023

"The mindbodygreen Podcast": Uma Naidoo, M.D. discusses shopping recs, brain-healthy grains, common vitamin deficiencies impacting mental health, seed oils & gut-brain connection, best foods for anxiety, hydration & mental health, and the future of psychobiotics.

51:30

Episode guests

Uma Naidoo

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Nutrition plays a significant role in mental health, and considering the food-mood connection is crucial for well-being.

Hydration is essential for mental health, but electrolyte consumption should be moderated.

Deep dives

The Importance of Clean Coffee and Mycotoxins

The speaker discusses his obsession with coffee and the discovery that many coffee beans contain mold and mycotoxins. He emphasizes the importance of finding a coffee that is free from mold, mycotoxins, pesticides, and heavy metals. The speaker shares his experience in creating a clean coffee product that is rigorously tested for contaminants to provide confidence in its quality.

Introduction

4min

Nutritious Breakfast Options for Optimal Mental Health

22min

Fortifying Foods: Marketing Gimmick or Good Nutrition?

7min

Incorporating Nourishing Foods to Manage Anxiety

2min

Exploring the Impact of Fruits on Blood Sugar Levels and Nutrition

3min

Maintaining a Healthy Relationship with Food and Avoiding Social Media Influences

5min

Exploring the Importance of Hydration and Electrolytes

2min

The Effects of Weather on Hydration and Mental Performance

6min

“You have the power at the end of your fork to help calm your mind,” says Uma Naidoo, M.D.

Uma, a Harvard-trained nutritional psychiatrist, nutritional biologist, and professional chef, joins us to discuss shopping recs, expert-approved recipes, and meal plans to optimize your gut-brain connection, plus:

- Uma’s go-to breakfasts for brain health (~00:33)

- The best nutrients for your brain (~02:57)

- The best brain-healthy grains (~04:46)

- Uma’s CALMS grocery list (~06:45)

- Can nutrition help solve our mental health epidemic? (~10:42)

- The role of blood sugar in mental health (~15:50)

- Common vitamin deficiencies that impact mental health (~20:05)

- Are fortified foods actually bad for you? (~23:04)

- Seed oils & the gut-brain connection (~24:35)

- Uma’s take on coconut oil & coconut milk (~26:31)

- The most updated research on saturated fats (~28:09)

- Best foods to eat when anxiety hits (~30:20)

- The best fruits for anxiety (~32:41)

- The nutrition trend that makes Uma cringe (~38:07)

- The link between hydration & mental health (~40:18)

- The future of psychobiotics (~43:41)

- The best bacteria strains for anxiety (~45:00)

- How to amplify the flavor of healthy foods (~47:14)

Take 20% off clean coffee+ by visiting shop.mindbodygreen.com/coffee20. Cannot combine with gift cards or other discount codes.

Referenced in the episode:

- Uma's book, Calm Your Mind With Food.

- mbg Podcast episode #246, with Uma.

- A study on metabolism & anxiety.

- A study reassessing saturated fats.

- A study on bacteria strains for mental health: Lactobacillus Rhamnosus, Lactobacillus Reuteri & Lactobacillus Helveticus.

- Sign up for Uma's newsletter.

We hope you enjoy this episode, and feel free to watch the full video on YouTube! Whether it's an article or podcast, we want to know what we can do to help here at mindbodygreen. Let us know at: podcast@mindbodygreen.com.

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