Have you ever set out to do something difficult but important and expected it to take a lot of time and energy, but then it ended up being much more hard work and taking far more time than bargained for?

That’s how I sometimes felt writing this book. However, this is NOT how you should feel when making dietary and other lifestyle changes!

Foods for Thought started with an idea in December 2018. This is when I began to really appreciate how significantly linked food choices are with mental well-being. I also better understood how a poor diet increases likelihood of developing certain mental health disorders. Or at least, how a poor diet can contribute to underlying, pre-existing mental illnesses.

As a clinical dietitian, this didn’t become really clear to me until about my third year working as a dietitian. This was my first year working for an integrated, behavioral healthcare company.

Foods for Thought was written for a few key reasons

First, I wrote this book to help more people realize the critically important link between food choices and mental well-being. I want to help elevate the conversation and fight the stigma around mental health.

Secondly, even dietitians don’t get trained much on this important specialty during traditional schooling. I was motivated to research more and write on this topic. Being the first and only dietitian in one of the largest behavioral health-led, healthcare organizations in Arizona, I was in a unique position to learn more and write such a book.

Lastly, many of the research links I discuss are relatively new. Considering the coinciding rise in mental health disorders, there’s no better time than now to help discover the true healing potential of foods.

Not just for the body and physical health. But, the healing power of foods for helping with brain health and mental health conditions as well as physical conditions. This requires researchers, doctors, and other specialized healthcare providers such as dietitians, to focus more on this developing area of science. So I signed up for this. 

What’s in this book? How might Foods for Thought help benefit your mental health?

Mental health can be a difficult topic to talk about for many. Also, nutrition can be a hard topic to write about and offer solutions that work for all or most people. Now, let’s merge the two. I’ll try and do my best.

As I say throughout the book, “there’s no one-size-fits-all approach” here. So, I’m here to help offer a more nuanced look at such a complex matter. Backed by science all along the way.

As you better understand the link between gut health and brain health, solutions for you should become clearer over time. As I stated in the book, dietary (and other lifestyle) changes are not necessarily the answer, but they are an answer. Or, a piece of the puzzle to help you find lasting relief.

We’re talking potential solutions for complex digestive and/or mental health conditions that may be directly related to your diet.

Foods for Thought is organized into three different parts:

• Part I – introduces you to key links between specific mental health disorders and certain essential nutrients. It also helps you understand the “food-mood link” in more detail, and learn to appreciate just how critical controlling chronic inflammation is to protecting your brain health and mental well-being.
• Part II – Takes a deeper dive into gut-health, the “gut-brain axis”, and explains the critical link between the health of your brain and your digestive health. Furthermore, Part II explores popularly used dietary tools that may prove either helpful or hurtful for you and your efforts for better digestive and mental health. Get to know more about the potential advantages or disadvantages of intermittent fasting, ketogenic diet, and dietary supplements.
• Part III – Crafting Your Foods for Thought Game Plan is all about condensing all of Parts I and II and focusing on what matters most. Coming up with a game plan of actionable steps. As difficult as this might feel for some, the solutions might not seem easy to find at first, but can be life-changing once you find YOUR OWN path to sustainable, successful lifestyle changes. Your Foods for Thought Game Plan.

Afterword – Self-Care & Wellness (All That Other Important Health Stuff)

Though the specific answers for lifestyle changes are not always that clear at first, the solutions are relatively simple. You should do any necessary reflection or research and find YOUR specific and most important areas for improvement. This should take into consideration your own unique abilities, limitations, and motivations for making healthful changes.

Your Foods for Thought Game Plan may also include setting SMART goals for improving your sleep quality and stress management. This is not ALL about the diet! Hence, why I felt the need to cover most of these self-care/wellness topics in the Afterword section of this book.

At the end of the book you will find the Resources section to help jumpstart your journey. Consider these resources as a toolbox for planning and practicing your Foods for Thought Game Plan and overcoming any obstacles you may experience along the way. Use the right tools you need to accomplish your goals. From recipes to meal plans to inspirational stories, more in-depth instructions about whichever dietary pattern you choose to follow, and much more.

Finding the right resources can even help you develop a support system on your journey. All the while building confidence, adopting lifestyle changes, and ultimately, achieving better results towards your desired health outcomes.

“Slow But Steady Wins the Race”

Finding what works for you and what doesn’t work is a personal matter. Hence, no easy answers here.

But one of the most promising lessons to take home from this journey in improving your health and mental well-being is that change and progress are possible and within reach regardless of where you’re at in your journey today. I say that with confidence after helping thousands of people.

Remember that lifestyle changes are an ongoing process and you are stronger than you give yourself credit for! The hard part is just learning what this really means to you and determining your path.

Be kind to yourself and be humble. All of the greatest journeys, discoveries, and inventions in history had one thing in common: The exact path forward was unknown. Every pioneer, leader, or discoverer started their journey one step at a time.

So don’t be intimidated, however grand or minimal you might consider your journey. Develop your Foods for Thought Game Plan and take that first step. Learn to re-strategize over time and keep stepping forward, regardless of what stands in your way.

Thanks for stopping by today!

-Jason