mental health & food: how eating healthy helps me manage anxiety & ptsd

By Nikki Lynette, AFROPUNK Contributor *

The recent loss of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade, alongside the debut of new music from Kanye where he opens up about his psychiatric issues, is causing people to think about the seriousness of depression. I think it’s awesome that so many major figures in the media are encouraging people to reach out to their loved ones who might be struggling. Compassion is important. But those of us who live with this stuff daily know that mental health issues aren’t always about having breakdowns, crying spells, or suicidal ideation. Sometimes your anxiety or eating disorder or depression or PTSD is just a dark cloud looming over your head everywhere you go, making it harder to see the sunlight that seems to be shining on everyone else. Learning healthy ways to manage our issues before they become a crisis is possible. And I know that because I am doing it. By changing my diet and lifestyle, I am able to manage my anxiety disorder and PTSD without meds. It ain’t easy.

When I first got diagnosed with my mental health issues, after a brief period of being in denial, I decided to empower myself my learning everything I possibly could about it. So over the past 2 years I have been immersing myself in the work of scientists and medical professionals, and the stuff I have found has been really helpful for me. Maybe it will be for you, too.

If you Google “food and mental health,” you will find dozens of articles explaining the connection between eating unhealthy foods and feeling like trash. That Google search would yield countless scientific studies, news reports, and opinionated think-pieces on how eating fruits, vegetables, healthy fats and whole grains has been found to lower risk of depression and even suicide. Anyone with common sense can understand a concept as basic as “eating healthy is healthy.” Duh.

But what most of those articles don’t explain is why we crave unhealthy food in the first place.

I’m an indie musician. When I’m in the studio late at night and we decide to make a snack run… when I have to choose between buying a healthy bag of almonds or some crunchy ass sea salt and vinegar kettle chips, I have an entire moral crisis. It makes me think of that line from a song by The Old Kanye that goes, “Why does everything that’s bad make me feel so good?” I know that junk food isn’t good for me. I know that eating processed, salty, and/or sugary stuff can actually increase depression and anxiety in people. But why doesn’t that knowledge stop me from craving french fries? Why doesn’t it make cake and cookies taste less bomb? If the human brain is oriented toward our survival, then why the hell do we crave food that is bad for us?

As it turns out, there are 2 major factors that make us crave certain foods: The sensation our brains associate with that particular food, and the actual nutrients that are inside of the food. According to Fernando Gómez-Pinilla, a UCLA professor of neurosurgery and physiological science, “Food is like a pharmaceutical compound that affects the brain.” Nobody knows that better than the companies who manufacture the food we eat.

Companies invest huge amounts of money into finding out what can make their products addictive and literally trick our brains’ reward system to create compulsive behaviors. There are countless chemical additives used by the food industry. They also study what their customers will consider to be the ideal amount of crunchiness in a potato chip or the perfect combination of salt, sugar, and fat in a cookie that will keep you hooked and coming back for more. Because junk food isn’t nutritious, you can eat a ton of it and it’ll still send a signal to your brain that you haven’t eaten enough.

So yeah… The brain is dumb. It’s impressionable and vulnerable and influenceable as hell. But that’s actually a really good thing. One of the most beautiful things about the human brain is the fact that it is extremely adaptable, due to a lil something called neuroplasticity. You’ve heard the phrase “If you don’t use it, you lose it,” right? Neuroplasticity is why people literally become stronger at the things they do often, while the skills they don’t use fade away. The National Library of Medicine explains neuroplasticity as “the capacity of brain cells to change in response to intrinsic and extrinsic factors, which can have a negative or positive influence at any age across the entire lifespan.” That means our brains are constantly being shaped by our experiences. And that is why the less unhealthy food you eat, the less you crave it. You can legit teach your brain to crave healthy eats by consuming more fresh foods and gradually eating less processed food, refined sugar, artificial sweeteners, hydrogenated oils, foods high in sodium, alcohol, and caffeine. You don’t even have to do it all at once. Baby steps eventually add up to grown ass can’t-nobody-tell-me-nothing steps.

Within the past couple years, a lot of really exciting research has been done about the connection between the health of our gut and the health of our brain. This is currently my favorite thing to research because so much new info is being discovered on this subject right now. An article from Harvard Health titled “The Gut-Brain Connection” breaks it down really simply:

“The brain has a direct effect on the stomach. For example, the very thought of eating can release the stomach’s juices before food gets there. This connection goes both ways. A troubled intestine can send signals to the brain, just as a troubled brain can send signals to the gut. Therefore, a person’s stomach or intestinal distress can be the cause or the product of anxiety, stress, or depression. That’s because the brain and the gastrointestinal (GI) system are intimately connected.”

Most folks don’t know that many mental health issues have a chemical and/or hormonal factor. Eating healthy can help counteract the affects of these issues. This is how I’ve been able to manage my PTSD and anxiety disorder without medication for over a year now. And although I still occasionally get panic attacks or depressive episodes, it is nowhere near as bad as it was when I was eating my feelings and having fast food everyday. And the thing is, sometimes I still do eat my feelings. Why not?!? Food is comforting. And it’s safer than getting wasted or hopping in bed with a rando just for a sense of comfort. Food is life. But nowadays, when I eat my feelings, I make a bomb ass stir fry. Or a big smoothie with gluten-free granola. Or an alkaline vegan recipe from the Dr. Sebi Facebook group. And it helps.

If you wanna learn more about using diet to transform your life, I recommend checking out The Model Health Show. Watching his Youtube videos has changed the way I view diet and exercise, and I think it could do the same for you. Of course, if you are currently in treatment for a health issue you might need to holler at your doctor before making drastic changes to your diet. I felt like I needed to say that just in case somebody decided to go on a kale juice diet tomorrow against their physician’s wishes. Nah. Don’t do that.

When it comes to mental health, there are so many different schools of thought on the best way to address it. Some people are totally against medication and the side affects from it, while others appreciate that meds exist that can relieve them of their symptoms and improve their quality of life. Some folks can’t stop talking about how amazing it feels to speak to a therapist while others don’t connect with the idea of that at all. None of them are wrong. It all boils down to what works for you. But no matter what approach you take to your mental hygiene, eating healthier can play a big part.

As we watch the world mourn the loss of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain, please let it be a reminder… hurting yourself doesn’t fix your pain. It just spreads it to everyone who cares about you after you’re gone. It’s important for us to do everything we can to prevent a mental breakdown from happening. I know it isn’t always easy. But isn’t your life worth it?

* Nikki Lynette is a rapper, singer, producer, songwriter, visual artist, blogger and on-air personality. And a goddess with real locs. Follow her on Twitter & Instagram @NikkiLynette