Mental health – Let’s Talk
It’s Bell Let’s Talk day. A day to break stigma and have conversations about mental health. I want to give a big shout out to a recent Netflix documentary, Stutz, for doing just that. It was created by actor Jonah Hill as a tribute to his psychiatrist, by the same name. The film intimately documents the psychiatrists’ approach to mental health care with the hope of giving a wide audience access to the tools and strategies that helped Jonah profoundly with his own mental health.
Early in the film, one of the keys to improved mental health that they discuss is taking care of the physical body through diet, exercise and sleep. Jonah mentions that as a child, healthy eating and exercise were positioned as a way to lose weight and a way to fix something that was wrong with him rather than a way to positively impact mental health, which was a missed opportunity. Healthy eating can be about changing your body in some cases. But for EVERYONE, eating nutritious foods is a way that we contribute to our mental wellbeing.
Jonah’s personal story is corroborated by an increasingly large amount of scientific evidence that shows that diet and lifestyle factors play an important role in mental health. Certain eating patterns can impact our risk of developing a mental health condition and also, certain eating patterns can be used to improve mental health among individuals experiencing difficulty. There are now several clinical trials demonstrating this effect. However, the use of nutrition in mental health care is limited.
Currently, if you had a heart attack, someone on your health care team would ask you a question about your diet habits. But unfortunately, if you were to experience a depressive episode, it is unlikely that you would be asked this question. I am delighted that Jonah Hill made this documentary to spark further discussion on mental health and hope that it will generate more conversations on the highly impactful and often overlooked topic of nutrition. There are simple eating strategies, like eating enough fiber and protein and limiting simple sugars, that can promote improved mental health. If you are concerned about mental wellbeing, connect with a qualified professional for guidance and support and consider including nutrition in that approach.