Which Foods Are Good (And Bad!) For Your Mental Health?

Alicia Sparks, Mental Health Notes — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:00:43 +0000

Back in June, I entered a giveaway at Hope Wilbanks’s Weighting Line and won a copy of Chef MD’s Big Book of Culinary Medicine by John La Puma, M.D. and Rebecca Powell Marx. (I also won some chewing gum from Extra thanks to my random knowledge about The Biggest Loser, but, I digress.)

I initially entered the giveaway thinking that if I won I’d give my copy of the book to a certain family member who’s trying desperately to eat better for both health and weight loss reasons. I figured she could really use the book because it probably wouldn’t have too many recipes to offer me, a vegetarian.

I was wrong. The book has quite a few things to offer me (some of those things are even related to vegetables!) and may have some good information for many of you, too.

For example, Chapter 7, “What Do You Eat For That?” La Puma offers “Culinary Medicine” (foods to eat more of and foods to avoid) for a variety of mental health conditions.

I found out that a French study noted that drinking three or four five-ounce glasses of red wine each day could decrease the risk of dementia, while avoiding foods high in saturated and trans fats can cut the Alzheimer’s risk by almost half.
I learned that because a high percentage of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have low levels of iron, it’s beneficial for them to eat foods rich in iron and to avoid food preservatives and foods with artificial coloring and additives.
I read that dark chocolate has been known to elevate the moods and decrease the feelings of loneliness in people with depression, and that (much to my horror), caffeine may actually contribute to depression.
I discovered that, in addition to tryptophan (you know, the mystery behind why turkey makes everyone sleepy), people who suffer from insomnia can eat carbohydrates with high glycemic indexes a few hours before hitting the sack in order to fall asleep faster, and avoid, naturally, tea, coffee, and spicy foods.

Interesting stuff, huh? Though it’s important to note that while red wine might be a good thing for folks trying to avoid dementia, alcohol is generally a bad thing for folks who have depression (or a variety of other mental illnesses).

To learn more about John La Puma, M.D. and his book, find free recipes and shopping lists, and even watch him on Lifetime’s Sunday morning show, Health Corner, visit ChefMD.