Dr. Uma Naidoo, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist and professional chef, dives into the fascinating connection between food and mental health. She discusses how our dietary choices directly influence our emotions and offers insights into nutritional psychiatry. From managing anxiety and depression with specific foods to the importance of gut health, she emphasizes intuitive eating without the risk of orthorexia. Dr. Naidoo also shares practical tips for improving mental well-being through mindful nutrition, blending personal experiences with clinical expertise.
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insights INSIGHT
Nutritional Psychiatry Definition
Nutritional psychiatry uses food and nutrients to improve mental well-being.
It works alongside therapy and medication, not as a replacement.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Uma Naidoo's Journey
Uma Naidoo's interest in food stemmed from her upbringing and observing her grandmother cook.
She later noticed a gap in medical training regarding nutrition's impact on mental health, inspiring her to pursue culinary and nutritional studies.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Cancer Treatment Experience
Uma Naidoo used nutritional psychiatry during her cancer treatment.
By focusing on clean eating and mindfulness, she experienced fewer side effects than expected, surprising her doctors.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
In this book, Dr. Uma Naidoo draws on cutting-edge research to explain the many ways in which food impacts our mental health. She shows how a sound diet can help treat and prevent a wide range of psychological and cognitive health issues, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, ADHD, and more. The book is packed with fascinating science, actionable nutritional recommendations, and delicious, brain-healthy recipes, making it a go-to guide for optimizing mental health with food.
Crying in H Mart
Michelle Zauner
In this memoir, Michelle Zauner recounts her life growing up as a Korean-American, her complex relationship with her mother, and the impact of her mother's death from pancreatic cancer. The book explores Zauner's struggles with her mixed-race identity, her experiences with cultural heritage, and the significant role food played in her life and her connection to her Korean roots. It also delves into her rebellious teenage years, her career in music, and her journey of self-discovery and reconciliation with her identity after her mother's passing[3][4][5].
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Most of us have an intuitive sense that there’s a pretty serious link between what we eat and how we feel. Today’s guest is here to explain the science behind that relationship.
Dr. Uma Naidoo is a pioneer in the field of nutritional psychiatry and an expert on both the gut-brain connection and the food-mood connection. She is a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, a professional chef, and a nutrition specialist. She is the Director of Nutritional and Lifestyle Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and serves on the faculty at Harvard Medical School. And she is the author of a book called This Is Your Brain on Food: An Indispensable Guide to the Surprising Foods that Fight Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, OCD, ADHD, and More.
In this episode we talk about:
What the gut-brain connection is, how it works, and why it’s so important
Her contention that “we are in control of how we feel emotionally through the food choices we make every single day”
How to leverage nutritional psychiatry to help you handle:
---Anxiety
---Depression
---Sleep disorders
---Dementia
---PTSD
---ADHD
---OCD
Her thoughts on taking in all of this information without developing orthorexia (an unhealthy obsession with healthy food)
Her thoughts on intuitive eating
How to understand vitamins vs. supplements (and her advice on taking supplements)
10% Happier with Dan Harris 
