Nutrients fuel the body, and the brain is not exempt.
The body and mind are, in many ways, two sides of the same coin. And if you decide to power an engine with low-quality fuel, it will cease functioning properly. It will age, erode, and eventually break down.
Quality food is not just for the body’s general maintenance either. Specific diets have also been shown to aid with mood disorders and even help those on the Autism spectrum.
Let’s examine how this occurs and how quality food may be the missing element in your blueprint for greater well-being.
Diet for Mental Health
Many studies prove that physical exercise benefits one’s mental health. Some even call it a “miracle drug.”
But what about diet? Is a consistently healthy diet more powerful in contributing to an individual’s mental health than a regular exercise regimen?
It just might be, and in more profound ways than we think.
Eating is one of the greatest joys of living. Unfortunately, most of us eat to cope, reduce stress, be bored, or even when we know nutrition is lacking.
Ultimately, poor nutrition choices catch up with us.
Let’s look at some reasons why and see how they can impact our mental wellbeing.
Inflammation
Inflammation is our body’s way of combating invasive microbes. Think of it as an army of white blood cells and heat rushing to alleviate infected or damaged areas. This is an essential process for healing and immunity.
However, chronic inflammation, which is often caused by poor diets — i.e., too many refined sugars (sodas/candy), high fructose corn syrup, and refined carbohydrates (white bread/ pasta) — is a highly damaging process that can affect the brain and contribute to neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s.
This means that you generally want to keep inflammation to a minimum. So, what foods support this?
Here are some examples according to Harvard Health:
“A study in the May 2016 British Journal of Nutrition found that polyphenols from onions, turmeric, red grapes, and green tea lowered a marker for inflammation in the body. All types of berries are also rich in polyphenols, such as cherries and plums, as well as dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, kale, and collards.
Olive oil, flaxseed oil, and fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel offer healthy doses of omega-3 fatty acids, which have long been shown to reduce inflammation. Omega-3s may even lower levels in the brain.”
Gut Biome
Surprisingly, your brain and your belly are linked.
Most of the body’s serotonin receptors — the neurotransmitter that helps regulate sleep, inhibit pain, and mediate moods — are produced through nerve cells in your gastrointestinal tract.
Again, according to Harvard Health, the bacteria that comprise your “gut biome” serve to…
“…protect the lining of your intestines and ensure they provide a strong barrier against toxins and “bad” bacteria; they limit inflammation; they improve how well you absorb nutrients from your food; and they activate neural pathways that travel directly between the gut and the brain.”
You can disturb the balance of your gut bacteria by filling it with poor-quality food.
Now that we have a general idea of how diet can impact your mental health, let’s look at how one particular diet, ketogenic, has been shown to benefit those on the Autism spectrum.
The Keto Diet and Autism
Under normal circumstances, for your body to use energy, it has to use the glucose it acquires from carbohydrates (grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits).
Ketosis is a special metabolic state in which the body switches from using glucose (sugar) for energy to fat. Specifically, it uses “ketone bodies” that the liver produces from stored fat.
This diet has been shown to greatly help with weight loss, significantly improve energy levels, and shield individuals against metabolic disease, heart disease, and Type 2 diabetes.
Driving your body into a state of Ketosis (Ketone production in the liver) involves consuming very few carbohydrates and high amounts of fat, with varying amounts of protein. Reaching a full state of ketosis typically takes 2 to 3 weeks of implementing the Keto diet.
So, how does this diet relate to Autism?
Autism Spectrum Disorder has no known cure, and what causes the condition is still being investigated. Behavioral interventions exist for treating symptoms like aggression, anxiety, and social difficulties. However, comprehensive treatments for treating Autism are still being developed.
In light of this, some have suggested that a nutritional approach to treating Autism would likely be a sensible place to start, and using a Ketogenic diet to treat Autism symptoms has actually shown early promise.
Studies have shown that a Ketogenic diet, when adhered to and implemented correctly, can help treat some correct symptoms of Autism, including low sociability, poor perception of social cues, and highly repetitive behaviors.
In a study of 30 children being treated with a ketogenic diet, seven could not tolerate the diet, and five discontinued it before the study was concluded.
However, those who adhered (18 of 30, or 60%) saw improvement in symptoms. Two saw significant improvements, eight saw average improvements, and eight saw minor improvements.
Clinicians have noted that the ketogenic diet, being so restrictive, may be difficult to stick with. Challenging workarounds and benefits of the Ketogenic dietary habit. According to the Charlie Foundation:
“Tasty beverages, ketogenic crackers, and breads can be prepared from nut flours and oils. In addition, the volume of food on these high-fat, low-carbohydrate diets is much smaller than typical servings, which assists with completion of meals.”
The number of studies completed has increased over time, offering hope for those looking to approach treating Autism from a different angle.
Mind What You Eat
The best way to think of healthy eating is that it cultivates an environment for mental health.
A challenging workout will not directly change the problems you may be experiencing, but it will give your mind a positive boost and a clear head for dealing with them.
Diet is much the same. It creates a healthy ecosystem within your body that serves as a foundation for your mental health to flourish and for boosting your brain’s ability to function.
