Take Action: How Nutrition and Lifestyle can Support Your Mental Health

Stress and mental health can manifest physically.  You may have experienced this through nerve-related nausea, changes in appetite, or digestive discomfort.  This is largely due to the gut-brain axis, a complex biological network involving, the vagus nerve, the hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis, immune system and metabolism.

Further, your gut and brain are believed to be in constant communication due to the microbes in your gut.   A 2026 study by Ataei, et al, looked at the growing evidence that our “microbial communities influence neurodevelopment, neurotransmission, and behaviour”.  The authors looked at links to neurological conditions including depression and anxiety.

While the gut does produce the mood hormone serotonin, this is separate to the serotonin used by the brain.

As well as supporting biological networks in your body, you can also support your mental health by supporting your brain health directly.  Nutrients that play a role in brain health and emotional regulation include:

• Omega-3 (particularly EPA and DHA fatty acids): Supports the function of neurotransmitters (the nervous system messengers), and may support learning, memory and the general wellbeing of the brain.
• Iron: Helps to transport oxygen to the brain, helps the brain to make neurotransmitters and DNA, and supports energy production.  Low iron levels may affect your mood, while excess has been associated with neurodegenerative diseases (especially in older people).
• B Vitamins: Important for energy, production of neurochemicals, and the health of the tissues and nerves within the brain.  They also have roles in our use of fatty acids and iron.
• Antioxidants (including flavonoids and vitamin E): Believed to protect the brain from oxidative stress, a by-product of the brain’s daily processes, that if left unchecked can lead to cell damage.
• Choline: Essential for your nervous system and is needed to produce a neurotransmitter that supports memory, thinking and learning.
• Magnesium: Important for metabolism, the maintenance of brain tissue and nerve signal transmissions.  Unfortunately, being under stress depletes magnesium levels which could potentially result in a vicious cycle.  (Read more about magnesium in my previous post)
• Zinc: Important for cell maintenance.

Deficiency in, or low levels of, several of these nutrients has been associated with degeneration, neurological disease and reduced cognitive function.

So, how can you get these nutrients?  Here, are some simple nutrition habits that you can implement to support your wellbeing:

• Eat a diet rich in whole foods: base your diet around vegetables, legumes, pulses and wholegrains, and include oily fish. The Mediterranean diet has been linked to lower rates of depression.
• Reduce your intake of sugar: keep sugary foods to a minimum and eat them as a dessert after a fibre- and protein-rich meal rather than as a snack. Sugar may give you an energy boost but this can put you on an ‘energy rollercoaster’, which is not good for your mood.
• Make the most of leftovers by using cooked and cooled potatoes and rice (ensure you practice good food hygiene).
• Add some probiotics with sauerkraut (unpasteurised), tempeh, kimchi, natural yoghurt, kefir or kombucha.
• Eat regular meals to avoid getting ‘hangry’. If you need to snack choose protein and/or vegetable-based snacks such as nuts and seeds, or veg sticks with a dip.  Alternatively, enjoy a couple of squares of good quality dark chocolate (70%+) for a treat.
• Keep hydrated (keep an eye on the colour of your urine to help monitor this – pale yellow is good) as dehydration can affect your focus and mood.
• Delay your first coffee of the day until at least an hour after getting up. Drinking coffee first thing has been linked with increased anxiety later in the day due to its impact on stress hormones.

Lifestyle can also influence your mental health through its effects on the vagus nerve, HPA axis, brain health and hormones.  Here are some simple habits you could adopt to support your wellbeing:

• Rest and relaxation – take some time out for yourself to relax or enjoy your hobbies, even if only for 10 minutes a day to help lower stress hormone levels.
• Nurture supportive friendships and relationships that provide an opportunity to share, temporarily forget, or resolve your problems. Set boundaries around those who drain your energy.
• Move daily. Exercise triggers the release of dopamine and endorphins, your happy hormones.  It doesn’t have to be strenuous exercise or an hour-long yoga session; a short daily walk can be enough.  Find an activity that you enjoy to get the most benefit.
• Get outdoors in daylight to support your circadian rhythm which supports digestion and sleep.
• Sleep allows the body and mind to rest and repair making it easier to handle daily stresses.
• Getting up at the same time each day supports your circadian rhythm, and therefore sleep and digestion.

Unfortunately, when we are struggling with our mental health we may struggle with overwhelm or struggle to think clearly enough to take any of these actions.  If you recognise this as a current or developing problem for you, you may need to seek professional support.

If you have concerns about your mental health, it is important that you seek out appropriate care.  This may be:

• Your GP
• Support groups like Mind (there are local Mind groups that operate independently of the main charity), Men in Sheds, Samaritans, and many, many, more.
• Treacle can be helpful to find help for financial issues, health issues, relationship problems, and more.  The directory focuses on Bolsover District and Bradford, although some of the organisations listed are available nationally.
• A counsellor or mental health therapist – check that any you choose have appropriate, recognised qualifications and professional body membership. Some counsellors and therapists specialise in particular support, and some offer trauma-informed support.

While professional mental health support is crucial to help you understand and overcome specific concerns, nutritional therapy can help you identify and implement the support your body and mind need to thrive.

Nutritional Therapy offers personalised support based on your lifestyle, diet, health history and needs.  And, if you think you are doing all the right things but still not getting the results you want, we can look at what may be getting in the way.  All on a one-to-one basis with total confidentiality.

As a BANT Registered Nutritional Therapist, the support I provide is evidence-based meaning I review scientific data to ensure the reliability.    If you’d like to explore how nutritional therapy could support your mental health, book a complementary consultation with me.  You’ll be able to talk to me about your health concerns and find out more about how I can support you during a free, 30-minute, no-obligation chat.

Overwhelm can occur when we try to fit too much into our lives, when we feel pressured to achieve too much, or when we simply have too many things influencing our daily lives.  And, if you are prone to overwhelm, you may be concerned about the number of suggestions in this article but there is no need to be – you don’t need to attempt every idea, certainly not all at the same time.  Choose one that you feel is manageable and work from there.  If you can, break down tasks into their components and tackle each one individually.

• Magnesium and the Brain: A Focus on Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration – Maier, et al (2022) – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9820677/
• Magnesium Status and Stress: The Vicious Circle Concept Revisited – Pickering, et al (2020) – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7761127/
• Zinc in the Brain: Friend or Foe? – Choi, et al (2020) – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7728061/