I recently sat down with my colleague Ali Sweatman — host of the “Oh, So Extra!” podcast — to talk all about nutrition and mental health. Check out the recording of the episode here:
Nutrition for Mental Health with Holly Higgins, NTP
Skim through Ali’s show notes below to get a taste for what we talk about!
The Fascinating Connection Between Stomach and Brain
Allison interviews Holly Higgins, a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and Whole30 Certified Coach about the important connection between nutrition and mental health. They discuss gut health, blood sugar regulation, and food sensitivities in a way that is fun and accessible. Enjoy!
What We Cover
- What is the relationship between nutrition and mental health?
- How did Holly get started learning about mental health?
- Why you shouldn’t focus solely on weight loss when you do a Whole30
- How Allison’s mental health was affected when she first did a Whole30
- Why psychiatric medications can hinder weight loss
- The importance of balanced blood sugar
- How blood sugar affects mood and mental health
- How Whole30 affects blood sugar
- How diet affects children who have been adopted
- How diet affects people with ADD and ADHD
- How digestive health / gut health affects mental health and the gut-brain connection
- How our culture reflects the truth of the gut-brain connection
- Holly’s recommendations for good gut health
- Food sensitivities and mental health: gluten, dairy, sugar, caffeine, alcohol
- How nutrition can affect depression
- How to tell if you have a food sensitivity
- The relationship between skin health and gut health
- How to look have a positive outlook on nutritional changes