When we think of mental health, we tend to think of what’s in our head acting alone, that it’s a set of issues that are purely affected and controlled by the brain. In truth, it’s a little more complicated than that, and your gut can also play a big role.
Nutrition plays a far bigger role in mental health care than many realise. Eating right is never going to be a cure-all for anxiety, depression, and other conditions, but it can work alongside other positive actions and medication to lighten the load and build resilience.
Here’s how it works.
The science: how nutrition influences mental health
Nutrition and mental well-being have a bigger impact on each other than many of us realise. It’s not as simple as eating more fruit and veg (although that’s rarely a bad thing), so it’s worth understanding this unique relationship between your head and digestive system.
Nutrients and brain chemistry
The gut is actually where many of the chemicals that we associate with mental health are created. Not only is it home to the enteric nervous system, controlling digestion, but it also produces large quantities of our serotonin, responsible for mood regulation, appetite, and sleep regulation.
There’s another link too. Dopamine helps to protect the gut as well as generating a pleasure response as a reward for completing challenges and tasks. In order to produce these chemicals, it’s important to keep supplying the gut with the nutrients it needs.
Dietary patterns and mental well-being
Part of keeping the gut working properly (and producing all those lovely endorphins and other chemicals that make our brains happy) is consistently feeding it all the good stuff.
Regularly including fibre and prebiotic-heavy foods in your diet will help to keep your healthy gut bacteria topped up, and the serotonin flowing. Bananas, apples, beans, onions, garlic, and seeds are all excellent sources of prebiotics and fibre that can easily be added to your daily diet.
The gut–brain axis: Why a balanced diet might help more than we realise
The gut and brain may seem like separate entities, but they influence each other quite heavily. Think back to any time you were stressed or anxious, and chances are your stomach or bowel were out of sorts along with your brain.
The Vagus nerve carries signals between your brain and your gut in both directions, so what we put into our bodies, via the gut, has a definite bearing on our brain chemistry and mental health. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of junk food in moderation, but a more balanced diet is always going to lead to better physical and mental health.
Nutrition as part of a preventive and therapeutic approach in mental health care
As we said before, eating well and monitoring your nutritional intake isn’t going to cure or immediately alleviate mental health conditions.
What it can do is build your body’s defences and resilience, ensuring you have the strongest, healthiest connection between brain and gut, and that you’re producing as many of the good chemicals and probiotics as possible. It’s never too late to start taking better care of your gut, either as a preventative measure or to help combat ongoing mental health issues. Healthy gut, healthier mind.
What nutrition-focused care looks like
With such a powerful connection between the digestive system and mental health, it’s no surprise that nutrition-focused care is becoming more prevalent.
At Elysium, we intentionally and carefully integrate nutrition into treatment plans. That means ensuring that meals are balanced to include the fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and lean proteins that the body and mind need.
Stable dietary patterns are also important, with complex carbs, fats, and proteins all working together with essential micronutrients. That way, we can keep blood sugar and energy levels within healthy parameters and support a positive mood.
Nutrition-focused care in practice
Of course, providing gut-friendly foods is only half the story; there’s also individual dietary requirements, as well as the small matter of personal taste. Neil Dowsett is Head Chef at Farmfield, a service for adult men with enduring mental health illnesses. He knows the importance of good food, as well as patient choice.
“I enjoy interacting with the patients and find including them in the menu choices really rewarding,” says Neil. “We have meetings with the patients about the food so that we can discuss what they like and what they don’t. We get to sit with them, chat, and actually ask them what they want instead of just serving whatever’s available.”
“When I update the menus—which we do two or three times a year—I make sure they have a say. For example, at Christmas, I ask them what they’d like instead of just defaulting to the usual turkey. Most people are tired of it anyway! Last time, they chose lamb, even though it’s the most expensive option, but giving them that choice matters as it helps them feel valued and included.”
By bringing food professionals together with mental health experts, we can make sure that nutrition is a key part of care plans, complementing the effects of medications and other treatments.
Why skilled chefs and catering staff are vital to Elysium
With our focus on providing good and balanced nutrition alongside clinical care, it should be no surprise that Elysium is always on the lookout for skilled chefs and catering staff.
At Elysium, food is not just a necessary fuel for the body; it’s part of a holistic approach. When the quality and composition of meals can have such a profound impact on patient mood, recovery and wellbeing, it’s important to treat food as part of therapy.
As Neil would tell you, catering at a mental health facility requires a level of awareness around nutritional science, as well as sensitivity to the needs of individual patients, and the ability to collaborate with clinicians. When you get it right, meals can provide a sense of comfort and normalcy, two things that are vital to a good and speedy recuperation.
Elysium is a great place for caring chefs and catering staff who want to make a difference
Because we recognise the importance of good food in the clinical environment, passionate chefs and kitchen staff will always have a place at Elysium.
As well as the job satisfaction and purpose that come from helping patients along their recovery journey, there’s also ample opportunity for professional development. With the chance to learn about the importance and benefits of nutrition, wellbeing, specialist diets, therapeutic feeding plans, and interdisciplinary cooperation, a kitchen job at Elysium is more than keeping bellies full. It’s about keeping patients well.
To find your place in an Elysium kitchen, take a look at our latest catering and chef jobs today.