Episode 114: How Nutrition Affects Mental Health And Brain Function In Children

My guest this week is Dr. Julia Rucklidge, a Professor of Clinical Psychology in the School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing at the University of Canterbury, the Director of Te Puna Toiora, the Mental Health, and Nutrition Research Lab, and co-author of The Better Brain.

Julia completed her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Calgary, in 2000, she immigrated to New Zealand. Over the last twenty years, Professor Rucklidge has become well known for her research investigating the interface between nutrition and mental health and has published over 140 scientific papers. Julia is also the recipient of numerous local and international awards, including named as one of the top 100 influential women in New Zealand, and is frequently featured in the media discussing her work. Her TEDx talk, “The surprisingly dramatic role of nutrition in mental health” has been viewed over 1.7 million times. She recently created a free EdX online course for the public on mental health and nutrition. Having witnessed conventional treatments failing so many people, Julia is passionate about helping people find alternative treatments for their psychiatric symptoms. Through her focus on translating research into practice, she hopes to help make nutritional interventions mainstream. 

In this episode, Julia and I discuss the compelling research on the connection between nutrition and mental health challenges such as ADHD, anxiety, depression, and mood disorders. There is definitive research that supports food and nutrition as a natural treatment for these issues and for too long this research has been dismissed. Julia is committed to ongoing research in this area and gives parents good reason to consider micro-nutrient therapy first before pharmaceuticals.

Learn more about Julia Rucklidge... 

• Book - The Better Brain
• Instagram - @ucmentalhealthandnutrition
• Facebook - @mentalhealthandnutrition 
• Twitter - @JuliaRucklidge 
• Website 

Connect with Dr. Nicole Beurkens on...

• Instagram
• Facebook
• Drbeurkens.com

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