Category Archives: Nutrition

Nutrition Guide

Depression affects many people worldwide, so it’s vital we start looking after the health of our brains. Nutrition plays a major role in brain health, so we should be selecting foods that specifically nourish the brain. Certain types of food actually contain essential nutrients for good mental health, and deficiencies can worsen mental disorders such as depression. We need mood-boosting fatty acids, proteins, and a full range of micronutrients. The following are the important essential nutrients that helped keep me mentally well.  

1. Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Increase your omega-3 intake. Our brains are about 60 percent fat, so eating plenty of healthy fats (including anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids) can help look after our brains. I believe this could be the number one nutrient for healthy brain function. I experienced a definite lift in my mood after two weeks of taking a tablespoon of cod liver oil daily and having seafood twice a week. Sources: oily fish such as salmon, flaxseed oil, chia seeds, walnuts, cod liver oil  

2. Zinc

Zinc has a calming effect on the brain, as it enhances GABA¹ activity, but it can be depleted by high stress. Low levels can lead to mood swings, irritability, and depression. This mineral is important in the development of new brain cells and is necessary for the production of melatonin, the hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. Sources: eggs, beef, spinach, flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, cashews, oysters ¹ GABA is an amino acid that acts as a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. It inhibits nerve transmission in the brain thus calming activity.  

3. Folate

Vitamin B9/folate is instrumental in preventing depression and is crucial for a balanced mood and memory. Folate helps synthesise a molecule that protects the brain and maintains a healthy nervous system. Sources: dark leafy greens, asparagus, okra, seeds, nuts, beets, avocados  

4. Iron

This essential element is responsible for carrying oxygen in your red blood cells and has a vital role in regulating mood. Lack of iron can cause irritability, fatigue, brain fog, and mood swings. Sources: beef, pork, poultry, seafood, beans, spinach, dried apricots, prunes  

5. Magnesium

This mineral helps promote the growth of new brain cells and plays a key role in the formation of neurotransmitters, the chemicals that send messages between brain cells. A deficiency in magnesium weakens the brain and impacts many systems in the body, which can result in depression, apathy, fatigue, anxiety, and insomnia. Sources: dark leafy greens, brown rice, oatmeal, cacao, almonds, pumpkin seeds, fish, beans, wholegrains, avocados, bananas, dark chocolate  

6. Vitamin B12

This B vitamin helps create neurotransmitters that are essential to positive mood. We can become deficient in B12 as we age, and low levels of this vitamin can put you at risk for depression. Sources: fish, prawns, liver, eggs, red meat, vegan nutritional yeast  

7. Vitamin E

Getting enough of this antioxidant vitamin is vital for our brains to function well. Vitamin E protects our brain cells from damage due to inflammation, which can contribute to depression and age-related disease such as dementia. Sources: dark leafy vegetables, almonds, sweet potatoes, avocados, sunflower seeds, pumpkin  

8. Water

This is a big one. Our brains need plenty of water to function properly. Even mild dehydration can quickly affect your mood. A sustained period of not drinking water can make us irritable, slow, lethargic, and depressed. Drink one and a half to two litres of water every day. Make it a priority.   Here are some of the top foods and ingredients to help you eat yourself happy:

• Vegetables, especially leafy greens like kale, spinach, silver beet, and rocket
• Fruit, especially berries such as blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries
• Nuts such as walnuts, almonds, cashews, and Brazil nuts
• Seafood, such as salmon, prawns, shrimp, and oily fish
• Sustainable and organic meat and poultry
• Eggs (organic)
• Healthy fats such as coconut, olive, and flaxseed oils, as well as nuts and avocados
• Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi, and kombucha (or take a high-quality probiotic)

  What to Avoid What we eat has a big impact on us, mentally as well as physically. There are foods that we might not even be aware of that are having a big impact on how we feel, and this can be more serious than just getting grouchy from overdoing it.   Refined Sugar Have you ever eaten something made with sugar and “crashed” afterwards? Eating sugar puts you on a roller coaster of highs and lows from the excess amount of glucose in your blood, which is bad news for the brain. Symptoms of too much sugar can include irritability, insomnia, fatigue, night sweats, poor concentration, and low mood or depression. Lots of refined sugar depletes the mood-boosting B vitamins and offers very little nutritional value. This kind of sugar from sugar cane is found in processed foods like cookies, cakes, candy bars, ice cream, and so forth. Eat a little natural sugar from fruit and natural alternatives—for example, honey, dates, maple syrup, and stevia.   Processed Foods If it comes in a box with a huge list of ingredients, don’t buy it! You were born to eat real food, so eat one-ingredient foods. Load up on vegetables, non-sugary fruits, nuts, seeds, seafood, good fats, and sustainably reared meat and poultry.   Gluten Gluten can trigger inflammation in the body and brain. Removing gluten from your diet could help to improve your mood. In some people, gluten can also damage the gut lining, which means that you might not be absorbing essential nutrients critical to mood, like B vitamins, vitamin D, and zinc. I (Holly) removed gluten from my diet, and in less than three weeks, I noticed a substantial improvement in my mood. Now that I no longer have gluten, I’m more sensitive to it, so if I accidently have some, I feel the effects instantly: depressive feelings, anxiety, brain fog, and a sense of dread.   Dairy A primal connection exists between your gut and your brain. Inflammation in the gut can be caused by food intolerances. Receptors in your gut and brain may react to the casein in dairy and create strong depressive symptoms.In saying this, dairy was a problem for me, but it may not be a problem for everyone. Our advice is to try eliminating dairy for one month and see how you feel. After that month, reintroduce some dairy and you will soon see if it has an effect on your mood or not. You might want to remember Hippocrates’s advice to “let food be thy medicine”. Be proactive and make your diet a priority every day so you can fuel your mind and body to its greatest potential. Our brains use a lot of energy and need sustained fuelling from good real food. While depression is not just caused by one factor, only doing this one thing (eating wholefoods) can make a huge difference to your brain health. What we eat has a lot of power in changing how we feel, look, and think. If you suffer from anxiety and depression, we encourage you to look at your stomach, not just your head. We recommend eating a diet made up of foods as natural and unprocessed as possible. Refer to the recipes on the Her Mind site for inspiration and good mind health.        

Preparation

Be Prepared   Prepare, Prepare, Prepare The key to success is having a plan and being prepared. Take some time out once a week (Sunday is a good day) and prep some food. Look ahead at your week and think about what you may need and plan your meals. Take an hour each week to chop up vegetables and prepare some salad ingredients or cook a meal and freeze.  You could also do some baking for the week and prepare some cooked protein sources.  Roast a chicken or slow cook it in the crockpot (slow cooker).  When cooking dinner make twice as much and freeze for another meal or have for lunch the next day. It sounds like work I know, when you want to relax on your weekend or are busy with kids sport or fun stuff.  Schedule it in and your week with run a lot smoother.  Time spent on that Sunday will mean more time during the week for the things you enjoy ☺ Plan to succeed.  Don’t be caught hungry, that’s when you eat the wrong thing, like a bagel or a whole packet of chocolate biscuits.  (you won’t have these in your house any more of course.) :)  Make sure your fridge and pantry are full of good food for you to eat. Preparation is the key. Get in touch if you need help with your planning.

Grocery Bill

It can be challenging to keep your grocery bill down, but you can eat healthily and organically with smart shopping, baking and food planning and preparation.  

1. Shop around the outside edge of the supermarket as this is where the healthy natural food is.  The processed packaged stuff is in the middle aisles.
2. Shop at farmers markets.  I find the cheapest way to keep your food bill down is to buy your fruit and vege locally at farmers markets and in season. Great for you and great for the planet.  Markets are great places to go to as well, especially in summer with live music and a nice community feel.
3. Head to the butcher or fish market for protein.
4. Once a month head to the supermarket and stock up on your other items.
5. Another great way to keep your food bill down is to grow your own veggies/herbs. Get into the garden with the kids, they get a kick out of eating something they have helped grow.
6. Buying online is also a great option. Butchers usually deliver and so do supermarkets. No temptation to buy what you don’t need.
7. Check out organic fruit and vege delivery, its very exciting to get a box of goodness delivered to your door.
8. Shop smart and buy items in bulk that can be stored.
9. Buy and freeze any meat and vege on special.

Use these tips to eat healthy and smart and save $$  

Nutrition Introduction

Lets learn how to fuel your body for good mind health. Your body is like a car, we need to put in good quality fuel for it to run optimally.  What you put into your body directly affects how you feel and how you look. You are about to discover why eating real natural food, is the best thing you can do for your mind health and well-being. Every molecule of your physical being is made of what you consume – nothing could be more real than that. What if you could eat your way to good health? What if you could boost your mood and help overcome depression naturally? It might sound strange to link your depression to what you eat, but the foods you consume can have a big impact on your mental health. We often hear about the physical benefits of eating a good diet, but did you know that eating a healthy diet could also have a positive impact on your mood? A diet high in plant foods, with sustainable meat and seafood, nuts, and good-quality fats, could help stave off depression. The bacteria in our guts coexist in a delicate balance, so if our diets are poor and we have lots of stress or get little sleep, we upset the balance and create an environment for less healthy or potentially harmful bacteria to grow. Many different symptoms can present themselves when the bacteria in our digestive systems become imbalanced. Our bodies are systems of systems, and everything is interlinked. I believe that what we eat is directly related to our moods and energy levels. To help depression, we need to embrace real wholefoods and eliminate processed foods that cause inflammation in our bodies and brains. There is a correlation with how healthy our guts are and how we feel—and therefore a connection to mental health problems such as anxiety and depression. I am excited about the idea that our diets can have such a big effect on our mood and emotions. I think it is fascinating that the microorganisms in our guts can influence our minds. I believe that over time and with more research, we will connect many of our modern diseases and mental health problems to gut health. We truly are what we eat, and food is a powerful medicine. I encourage you to truly listen to your body and pay close attention to how you feel when you eat or exclude certain foods. Notice your mood. Notice what foods make you feel good and help you sleep better. In this book, I show you the specific nutrients and foods that worked for me and that I believe will work for you too, but we all have biochemical individuality, so tweak your meals to suit your unique requirements. I experienced major upheavals in my life, and I got really sick and depressed for a few years.  I began to take a closer look at what I was eating and the effect it was having on me.   The phrase “you are what you eat” began to ring true for me and I realised the real truth of it as I changed my diet to clean eating real food and my energy levels and positivity began to increase. I am on a journey just like you, to the level of fitness and health I once had and beyond that to be the best I can be.  Lets do it together :) Holly