Article 1: Mindful Eating

“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.”

How to eat for better mental health

It’s common knowledge that food impacts your physical health, but did you know food — both what you eat and how you eat it — can have a significant effect on your mental health, too?

We all know the adage “you are what you eat,” and it’s true: eating well is linked to improved mental health. In fact, 90% of feel-good serotonin is created in the gut and sent to the brain. But an increasing amount of research shows us it's also how you eat that matters, not only for physical health but for mental health. Introduced in 1995 by dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch in their book “Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach,” intuitive eating means eating what you like to eat when you’re hungry and stopping when you’re full. “Intuitive eating is about mind and body attunement, approaching health by listening and responding to direct internal hunger and satiety cues while giving the self unconditional permission to eat,” says Jean Liu, MS, RD, LDN of Boston-based Kara Lydon Nutrition, which offers nutrition counseling through the lens of intuitive eating. “It is about eating for your needs, whether physical or emotional, without the baggage of guilt, shame, and food rules.” This concept also extends to incorporating physical activity into your life for the sake of feeling good, rather than losing weight, Liu notes. The proof of benefits is in the intuitively eaten pudding: Liu points to over 200 studies showing how intuitive eating offers a myriad of positive physiological and psychological health outcomes. Key among these? Improved self-esteem, improved body image, decreased blood pressure, and decreased cortisol production, aka “the stress hormone.”

How you eat matters: The intuitive eating revolution

Honor your food. When you eat, only eat. This means no phones! Stash them in your bag or better yet, put them in another room. Also, no eating in front of the TV — save that Netflix marathon for later.

Serve with modest portions and minimize waste. Take only the amount that you would eat.

Last but not least, eat a more plant-based diet for your own health and the health of the planet.

Savor small bites and chew thoroughly to taste your food. To really savor the food, before you eat: give thanks. Then slow down and really enjoy it. And afterwards, give thanks. Consider who and what brought your food to you.

Eat slowly to avoid overeating. It takes about 20 minutes for the gut signal to go to the brain to let you know you’re full.

Engage all your senses.

Lilian Cheung, D.Sc., R.D. and author of the book “Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life,” shares the six steps of mindful eating, as shown in this scene:

Due to the inherent nature of intuitive eating, a day in the life of someone practicing it will look drastically different from person to person. Take this fictional Canton, Mass.-based couple’s schedules, inspired by Corinne Crossley, a licensed mental health counselor who teaches intuitive eating, and her husband.

HERS

HIS

8:30pm

I pop a bag of microwave popcorn to share with my husband, since it’s time for our favorite TV show while I wind down from the day. I end up just having a handful — and leaving the rest to him — since I realize I’m full.

7pm

Dinner tonight is meatloaf and mac-and-cheese: one of my favorite fall comfort meals since it’s getting colder now and darker earlier. (I wanted to make something warm and hearty.) I eat a second serving of mac-and-cheese because I don’t make it often and it’s delicious!

5:30pm

Home for the evening and I’m back in the kitchen. I pour myself a glass of wine to enjoy while cooking dinner and then realize I’m too hungry to hold out until dinner is done. (I probably should have had that granola bar in my bag between lunch and now.) I grab a pre-dinner snack of carrots and hummus, plus I take out some chips for the kids and help myself to some, too.

12:45pm

Lunch time! I have a salad leftover from dinner last night with kale, cherry tomatoes, and onion slices. I add half a can of tuna to that and pour some dressing over it from the staff fridge.

11am

Breaking for a mid-morning snack at work, but later than normal. (Usually, I have a snack around 10 a.m., but I wasn’t hungry then.) I have an apple and granola bar packed in my lunchbag, but the staff kitchen is conveniently near my desk and someone brought in zucchini bread. I cut a slice of that and have my apple, too.

7:15am

My morning workout was tougher than usual and I realize I’m still hungry. I slice up a banana and eat it with peanut butter.

6:30am

Back in the kitchen: the kids are up and I’m toasting them whole grain freezer waffles (taking out some for me, too) as I drink a cup of coffee. I eat two waffles after the kids are out the door and I pour myself a second cup of coffee.

5am

I’m up and ready for my morning Pilates workout. First, I head to the kitchen for water and a light snack: some berries will do (conveniently, they’re what I see on the top shelf of the fridge).

10pm

I usually stay up late working on some side projects and tonight is no different. After working for half an hour, I realize I’m hungry again. Back in the kitchen, I pour myself a bowl of cereal with milk. This will be my last snack of the day.

8:30pm

I’m enjoying most of the bag of microwave popcorn that my wife gave me while she winds down from the day and we watch our favorite TV show.

7pm

Mac-and-cheese and meatloaf is one of my favorite dinners. I have an extra helping of meatloaf and mac-and-cheese since it was all so good.

5:30pm

My wife is home and when I head to the kitchen to say hi to her, I see she’s having a glass of wine with carrots, chips, and hummus as a snack. I decide to crack open an IPA and join her, but skip the snack (I’ve never liked hummus) and we catch up about our days.

3:30pm

I just took a work break at 3 p.m. and went outside for a 30-minute jog. Back in the kitchen, I get myself some water. I also take a vanilla yogurt from the fridge. And I forgot: we have Oreos in the pantry. I take three back to my desk.

2pm

Lunch time! I make myself two turkey sandwiches and fill my plate with some chips and an apple. I bring it all back to my desk to eat while checking emails.

11am

Definitely hungry for breakfast now. I don’t have any Zoom meetings this morning, so I take my time and whip up an omelet. I add cheese, onion, mushrooms, and some ham. I also decide to break out an (almost empty) box of whole grain freezer waffles and toast two.

9am

Coffee is all I need to start my day. I’m not usually hungry in the mornings and today is no different. Since I work from home, I take my first cup to my desk. I’ll refill it at least once since I was up late last night again.

Before there was intuitive eating, another philosophy of food existed, and it has recently regained the spotlight in Western culture and scientific research. This philosophy is the ancient Buddhist practice of mindful eating, or purposefully paying attention to your eating experience. In other words, “when you eat, only eat,” says Lilian Cheung, D.Sc., R.D., lecturer at Boston’s Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and editorial director of The Nutrition Source. “Mindful eating is also about being able to appreciate your food and being grateful to everything that’s contributed to the food in front of you,” says Cheung, who co-authored “Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life,” with Zen Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. “Take an apple. If we don’t have the rain and the sunshine and the manpower to harvest it, we’re not going to get our apple.” Consequently, Cheung says, mindful eating is an environmentally friendly practice: “The Buddha’s teaching is that you have to eat in such a way so that there is enough food for future generations.” Mindful eating has a great deal of research behind it. “The number of scientific publications on mindful eating now is shocking — even to myself,” says Cheung. “There were only two scientific publications up to the year 2000 on mindful eating. From 2010 to this year, 2021? There were 674.” Standout benefits for mindful eaters include the tendency to make healthier food choices, experiencing greater satisfaction with smaller amounts of food, and experiencing greater enjoyment of food. And, similar to intuitive eating, mindful eating can help reduce stress.

How you eat matters: Increasing evidence for mindful eating

You won’t find proponents of mindful and intuitive eating recommending a diet of Oreos. (Though they’d certainly say you could eat some mindfully or enjoy them — if that’s what you want.) Eating enough of certain beneficial foods is key to both philosophies and is proven to impact your mental health. “An increasing amount of research has been revealing how influential gut health is on mental health,” says Uma Naidoo, M.D., author of “This is Your Brain on Food,” a nutritional psychiatrist, professional chef, and director of nutritional and lifestyle psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. “Many of the receptors for the various mood-influencing neurotransmitters in the brain, like serotonin and dopamine, are located in the gut. A healthy gut promotes uninterrupted function of these neurotransmitters and optimal levels of mood-regulating chemicals, while an unhealthy gut has the opposite effect.”

What you eat (still) matters

Intuitive eating sample schedules

Mindful eating guide

For Boston-resident Sofia Mankin, 25, dividing foods into “good” and “bad” categories and meticulously planning her meals down to the calorie left her anxious and stressed out. “I was deeply unhappy and engaging in negative self-talk," Mankin says. That is, until she met with a nutritionist who introduced her to intuitive eating: “It changed my life.”

Mankin is a case in point. After working with Liu to embrace intuitive eating, Mankin says she saw a “very dramatic change” in her mental health, evidence that this way of eating, for her, really works. “I have much less stress around food,” she says. “I'm cooking and eating the way that I want, and that makes me feel good. I’m so much happier.” Check with your health care provider for more information about how they might support your healthy eating. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan, in addition to covering a range of nutritional services, offer live webinars for developing healthier eating habits and health coaches who can help you keep up the practice.

The bottom line: Listen to your gut

Lucy M. Clark

So, what does one eat to improve gut health and thus boost mental health? Here’s a brief list from Naidoo to get you started, using the acronym S-T-R-E-S-S:

SELECT THE LETTERS BELOW TO LEARN MORE

Keep in mind, Naidoo concludes, everyone reacts to food differently. “Because of this, I encourage individuals to mindfully select the foods that make you feel physically and mentally well,” she says, “while avoiding the foods that induce depression or anxiety or other uncomfortable emotions.”

Salads with an abundance of greens

“Folate, the essential nutrient found in green vegetables like spinach, romaine, and arugula, is key when fighting off anxiety and stress. Its deficiency contributes to a loss of brain cells and is highly linked to anxiety, memory loss, chronic fatigue, stress, and more mental health conditions.”

Spices and Herbs

“Turmeric is my go-to anti-stress spice. Curcumin, its active ingredient, decreases anxiety. Adding a pinch of black pepper makes it more bioavailable to the brain and body. I add it to smoothies, salads, soups, and even tea. The herbs lavender and passionflower can also be used as tea to promote feelings of calm.”

Eat Berries

“Blueberries, strawberries, black raspberries, and blackberries are filled with antioxidants and fiber, which decreases inflammation and feeds the ‘good’ bacteria in the gut.”

“The biodiversity of plant foods helps the health of the gut microbes. The more variety you bring to your plate, the better.”

Rainbow of Veggies

Sold as pure powder or in supplement form. (Just get the OK from your doctor first.) “Studies show this adaptogen is highly effective to improve anxiety and stress.”

Try Ashwagandha

Find an unsweetened and raw version with 75% cacao or more. “It’s rich in probiotics and cacao flavanols are super antioxidants that beat oxidative stress in the brain, thereby fending off stress.”

Super Dark Chocolate