Why diet is important

So, something I never really considered before in the past is how much diet really affects the body. From even the most basic understanding, it's clear our body needs nutrients to survive, but what about our mental health?

Most of the neurotransmitters, which play vital roles in mental health and are the action site of psychotropic drugs, are synthesized by our body. However the precursors are required from food. Specifically, tryptophan (found in chicken, eggs, cheese, fish etc.) is the amino acid that is the basis for serotonin -- a neurotransmitter associated with mood (and the site for many antidepressants), and tyrosine (found in similar foods as tryptophan) is the precursor for both norepinephrine and dopamine.



Serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine are the three big ones you work with when you think about mental health medicines (among other). Most medicines which come to mind are antidepressants (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors [SSRIs], Serotonin-Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors [SNRIs], Wellbutrin is a Norepinephrine-Dopamine Reuptake Inhibitor [NDRI]).


Anyway, staying on track here (it's hard for me not to add in bits of information I find fascinating that aren't exactly related to the topic) -- So the basic idea behind neurotransmitters are they are associated with specific thing (reward, mood, sleep, appetite etc) and act on receptors to cause some response in another neuron. Reuptake is a natural process of removing neurotransmitters from the synapse and back into cell (thus not acting on the receptors anymore). Inhibitors of this action makes the neurotransmitter stay in the synaptic cleft longer and act on the receptors more. That's the whole idea behind how those drugs work... but if you don't have the basic building blocks to create sufficient neurotransmitters....?

You see the dynamic issue with diet? I just found it incredibly interesting and something I've never really considered before in that way. I've always heard and understood "Eat right, you feel better" -- but this really does kind of put it into a mental health perspective of why it may be just that important.



Point being? You gotta give yourself every bit of credit you can to do the best you can and be the best you can be. I for one will try to ensure I'm getting adequate nutrition not only for my mental health, but physical health too!

[and maybe I'll go on a rant on sleep hygiene another time. lol]

Hope someone found this helpful or at least interesting. I know I did!


To be clear -- I don't know how easily one obtains said amino acids in a diet (It could be for all I know like how no one really has to work at getting their sodium intake for a day, it may be the same here -- but it's just putting into play the actual reason why our body needs food. Why we utilize the energy it provides. I find it fascinating). I'm just saying a healthy diet is beneficial all around, and makes sense that all parts of your well-being are dependent on it!

Mum and I get meals on wheels now, very healthy, small portions. So we get one very balanced meal m-f. It does make a difference.

I absolutely feel better when I eat a well-balanced diet. Generally I do, but sometimes I also add some not so healthful stuff that I'd do best not. I've always had a "two vegetable (or fruit) per meal" policy, especially for lunch and dinner. I'm not a picky eater, so I am happy to eat a wide variety of foods. I like to cook and bake, and have usually focused on "lighter" preparations. Not that I dislike the occasional fried food, but they are not my norm. My cooking is a bit more "gourmet" than the average cook's.

I have to admit I eat horrible. I eat mainly processed foods, and junk. I'm going to really work on revamping my eating habits and diet to be more balanced, for sure. Also I am open to any tips or ideas for how to become a better, and less picky, eater.

Thank you for that info very very interesting

Being diabetic has really changed portion size and what we eat. Altho I have stalled losing more weight but portion size carbs are very small. I do feel much better by cutting out carbs in general.

The in thing is going Keto but the down side is it can be too hard on kidneys protein wise and the amount of fat is just not healthy for heart or Liver. ( I have fatty liver)

Choosing foods seems so complicated anymore

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Focus on the plate system. 1/4 protein 1/4 carb and 1/2 plate veggies and fruit

For instance.

Chicken breast
1/2 cup rice or pasta, small potato
Veggies cooked or fresh/salad

Watch condiments and salad dressings they often have lots of sugar and carbs.

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Thanks for the tips, Christina!!

My diet is so bad at the moment I’ve been eating frozen meals for dinner.

I want to start cooking again this week. Fresh veg. I don’t do fruit much.

I want a list with foods of tryptophan,where and how to increase serotonin,dopamine,are there any vegan supplyments that worth ?

Look into the Carnivore diet. More and more every day people are saying it helps with mental health issues.. likely because of all that Amino acids in beef.

Personally I am pretty bad at making beef so I can't say but, I do know that I have been mostly a lower carb lifestyle for the past 20 years but when I tried eating a planet based diet a lot of anxiety and issues came back. It was substantial.

At the very least add more red meat.

Fun fact about my reading into neurotransmitters and your body's ability to utilize it. Tryptophan has to cross the Blood-Brain-Barrier (BBB) in order to be synthesized into serotonin. However, it has to compete with other large groups of amino acids to cross the barrier so the amount that makes it in is actually a ratio. Studies have shown that eating just protein-rich foods didn't increase tryptophan or serotonin in the brain, but here's a little trick.

Try a high tryptophan-rich diet WITH carbohydrates.

why?

When you eat sugars and starches, insulin is released to take care of the glucose (sugars) in the blood. When this happens, some portion of those large amino acids I mentioned will go along with it, but tryptophan is not affected by insulin. Result? More tryptophan to cross the BBB to make more serotonin!

But always eat a balanced diet -- don't overdo it. According to my book

" Modest increases in this ratio usually have no effect on mood or cognition, larger increases can positively enhance mood and cognition (e.g., memory or attention) "

Found this rather interesting. Maybe this is one of the reasons why comfort foods are so comforting, they help bring the ratio tryptophan up . Also, just for you @Sansiro here is a list of foods high in trytophan.

9 Foods High in Tryptophan and Why You Need It


Reference:

Meyer, J. S. (2019). Chapter 6: Serotonin. In Psychopharmacology: Drugs, the brain, and behavior. essay, Oxford University Press.

Since I've been back from my US trip, I've finally been able to eat the vegetables and fruit I love. Too often restaurants barely even give any. Same with family members, including my husband's. I always feel best when I eat tons -- especially veggies. I'm sure I eat way more than the average person, and I've never met a veggie I didn't like. Sadly, heavy vegetable and fruit eating gets expensive. What we have this week was mostly purchased at the farmers market downtown, which is far cheaper than in grocery stores. These are also important for mental wellness. The Mediterranean Diet in particular, which also includes fish and lean proteins. I try to eat fish at least twice per week, but it's harder in Czech Republic than it was in New Jersey. Heavy fruit and veggie eating is also known to slow the aging process. Maybe it has for me. I think I look younger than other 50 year olds. Hubby looks good, too.

I regularly eat most of the foods on that high triptophan list. Sometimes I eat sweeter pastry-like breakfasts, but I also love oats. I like to make overnight oats because I prefer them cold and they are immediately ready to eat in the morning.

My diet is not very good. I eat a lot of processed foods and I drink a lot of soda. But I do watch how many calories I eat so I am losing weight just by CICO (calories in calories out) I have been getting better I think at eating. But I've started eating Lunchables now. Sometimes for breakfast. My dinners are usually healthy, but are small.