"Essentially the gut and brain," she explained. Naidoo says a healthy brain begins with a healthy gut. "Not that a person shouldn't see their doctor and take medication if they need it," she explained, "But we also can start today at the end of our fork by making healthier choices in how we eat."ĭr. Naidoo is one of a growing number of psychiatrists and other mental health professionals using healthy foods to treat their patients.
"The foods that we call comfort foods are actually discomforting for our brain," she said.Īs a result, Dr.
She is the author of the book, This is Your Brain on Food: An Indispensable Guide to the Surprising Foods that Fight Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, OCD, ADHD, and More. She is the Director of Nutritional and Lifestyle Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital while serving on the faculty at Harvard Medical School. Naidoo founded and directs the first hospital-based Nutritional Psychiatry Service in the United States. The same foods that trigger weight gain can also lead to depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.ĭr. As it turns out, there's a link between the skyrocketing weight gain and the sharp increase in mental health problems, according to Naidoo and a growing number of mental health experts. Meanwhile, three out of four Americans are either overweight or obese – the highest level ever. Harvard Psychiatrist Uma Naidoo told CBN News, "We need to understand that the silent pandemic going on is one around mental illness – people feeling more depressed, bluer, not sleeping well, feeling extremely stressed and traumatized by everything that's going on," she said. In fact, 40 million Americans deal with mental health concerns. That's more than the populations of New York and Florida combined. These disorders make the list of the most common causes of death and disability. Suicide scores as a leading cause of death no matter the age group. While much of that can be blamed on the pandemic impact, research shows mental illness has steadily increased for years. For example, it was up 93 percent in 2020 compared to 2019. The number of Americans seeking help for depression and anxiety has skyrocketed in recent years. Unfortunately, what's in these guilty pleasures can make blue moods and other mental health problems worse, not better, as researchers continue to discover a link between what we eat and how we feel. Macaroni and cheese, hot fudge sundaes, and other comfort foods are our go-to fixes to help brighten our days and soothe a lonely night.
*** The interview above took place in June 2021
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