Food and Mood: Where So Many Are Missing the Mark

While research is underway, the opioid epidemic rages on, the suicide rate continues to climb, and media attention has finally started to narrow in on the relationship between food and mood. But this important piece is missing from the conversation: the food we eat matters but the point isn’t to shame those suffering from mental illness.

I’ve been seeing more articles discussing the role that good nutrition plays in mental health and addiction recovery. At least, I’m giving the benefit of the doubt by stating that as the intention because these articles often are a big swing and miss.They end up saying that if you eat this one food, or this single nutrient, you’ll be cured of depression/anxiety/etc.

That is an insidiously harmful message in two ways:

1. **No single food will be the magic pill** that cures what ails you. All whole plant foods are superfoods. We need a variety of nutrients that come from a wide-variety of (mostly plant) foods to keep the body and mind in balance.

2. **Nutrition is one part of a balanced lifestyle** that can be crucially important but not the ONLY important thing to treat mental illness and other brain disorders.

### Why does this matter?

It matters because not only are these articles sensationalizing the role of nutrition and mental health (though yay it’s getting mainstream attention) but they are shaming people who are suffering. By stating that there are "5 foods that will relieve mental illness" individual biological needs are removed from the equation in favor of broad sweeping statements that may make individuals who are already eating those 5 foods but **still struggling** with mental illness feel ashamed, feel hopeless, and feel like you OBVIOUSLY can’t understand them because they’ve *already tried that and it doesn't work*. It's unhelpful at best and degrading at worst.

If eating fish could cure depression for everyone, no one would be depressed. Right?

Don’t get me wrong, eating fish (or taking omega-3 supplements) can help relieve symptoms for many people and there is good research to support this. However, effects will be dose-dependent based on the individual and their unique biology. And while some individuals may benefit from foods or supplements containing more omega 3s, others will benefit from more vitamin B6, and others still may benefit from lithium orotate, or methylated vitamin B12, or.... the list goes on and on **precisely** because nutrition recommendations **must be** individualized to meet each person’s needs.

To continue reading visit: https://spectrumwellness.guru/food-and-mood-where-so-many-are-missing-the-mark/