Ep.175: Food As Medicine For Our Brain & Mental Health with Christine Coen

Can food affect anxiety and depression?

Food is the building block for neurotransmitters. These neurotransmitters in the brain have a direct effect on our memory, mood, and anxiety levels. When certain neurotransmitters are deficient the symptoms of anxiety and depression increase. By adjusting your diet and taking in foods that heal our bodies we can combat these symptoms.

Do not miss these highlights:

07:00 When you’re in that state of chronic stress, dieting, under-eating, and exercising more intensely, can add more stress onto your system, keeping you in a perpetual state of that chronic stress.

10:02 Nutrition and movement are a huge foundational part of our mental health. But the perspective shift is everything, meaning you take the focus off of weight loss, you take the focus off of working out to gain muscle and look fit, and instead use it to heal.

11:44 All of those things that we put in our body that creates inflammation and ultimately more physical stress.

14:46 All these ingredients in every single place you look have a toxin or chemicals. Yes, the effects might not happen overnight, but these are slow decades or over a decade of breakdowns on your body.

18:40 Helping people with their mental health through nutrition and other holistic methods.

21:33 How does dopamine being off affect our desire to want to eat and then directly affect our mood?

24:23 If we’re not eating enough protein, that can be a huge detriment to building these neurotransmitters.

27:25 Start to do those very simple somatic practices to start to shift the nervous system out of that fight or flight or freeze mode, which is where we experience anxiety, or depression, and get back into the safety mode or the parasympathetic nervous system.

31:45 Start to trust yourself, start to trust your body, start to trust yourself to be able to handle when things get a little bit rocky or low.

32:52 Focusing on protein, vegetables, healthy fats and making small shifts to just eat primarily whole foods, foods that aren’t processed or minimally processed, are going to be really helpful.

35:53 The brain has the ability to grow and change throughout our lives. Neuroplasticity, foods, as well as exercise help increase our production of BDNF, which is like miracle growth for the brain.

Resources Mentioned

Whether you are recovering from an illness or just looking to maintain your current overall health, schedule a consult with us at Serenity Health Care by calling (262)522-8640 or visit https://www.serenityhealthcarecenter.com

About our Guest:

Over the last 11 years as a NYC based Registered Dietitian & fitness professional, Christine Coen has transformed her practice from a traditional weight loss & fitness focus into a convergence of the powerful impact of movement & nutrition on mental health. Christine’s own battle & eventual overcoming of depression, anxiety, & emotional eating sparked this change, as movement became her “anti-depressant” and was a major catalyst in her recovery.

Today, she serves people as a Mental Health Nutritionist & Coach, helping them resolve the physical causes of depression & anxiety using Natural Solutions. She works with her clients through online programs coaching them to take empowered action on their mental health through optimizing nutrition for mental health, healing metabolic issues, supporting gut health, and nervous system regulation techniques to enjoy optimal wellbeing, energy and feel alive in their life!!

www.wakeupyourwarrior.com

https://www.instagram.com/christine.coen/

Free Masterclass: How to Naturally Improve Mental Health with Nutrition, Nervous System Regulation & Natural Methods https://christinecoen.samcart.com/products/naturalmentalhealth