Unprocessed: How the Food We Eat Is Fuelling Our Mental Health Crisis

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The brain continues its rapid growth and development during infancy and childhood. Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly one called DHA, make up a significant proportion of the membrane of brain cells. DHA is considered irreplaceable for brain development and evidence shows it may be especially important to ensure that children are getting sufficient amounts through regularly eating oily fish. A recent survey found that less than 5% of UK children are meeting the fish consumption recommendations. This course has now passed, but you can be the first to know about the next one - and other workshops like this - by signing up to our newsletter here. The high-profile SMILEs trial (“supporting the modification of lifestyle in lowered emotional states”) published in 2017 found that, among a group of 67 people with depression and a poor diet, those who switched to a Mediterranean-style diet were four times more likely to recover and also experienced reduced anxiety symptoms.

Eat more beans. Believe me, they’re the answer to most of your, and the planet’s, most pressing problems. You can’t have good mental health without a well-functioning brain, and you can’t have a well-functioning brain without good nutrition. What changes (if any) will you make either personally or professionally as a result of reading ‘Unprocessed’? How will you maintain these? What role do educational psychologists play in supporting children, young people and their families around the issue of diet? Should this be within our remit? Think Mediterranean: lots of vegetables (especially of the leafy green variety) and fruit, protein, fibre, healthy fats from oily fish and olive oil, plus plenty of nuts and seeds. Limit processed foods, added sugar and alcohol (which Wilson says is a “neurotoxin” that kills and damages brain cells). Another study found a direct relationship between diet quality and hippocampal size (the brain’s memory centre, which is damaged in Alzheimer’s disease).

A powerful book that breaks down the dangerous beliefs that food is just fuel and delivers an important message we can all get behind... the evidence Kimberley presents in this book will change lives and hopefully policy' - Professor Tim Spector How Emotions are Made by Professor Lisa Feldman Barrett. As professionals who proclaim to help people understand their emotional worlds it is incumbent upon us to have up-to-date knowledge, even if it challenges our personal beliefs and training… Which work of fiction amazed you with its psychological insight? Like most other books of this genre, every chapter focuses on a different aspect of a healthy diet, like for example Omega 3s, Alcohol or Fats and gives a thorough scientifically driven overview of these topics. Because of the authors motivated approach to properly educate her readers, the book was mostly an entertaining and informative one to read. Even I, who by no means is an expert, but is by now sort of versed in nutrition altogether had a few interesting take-aways from this one. I’m incredibly conscious of the shortness of life. It’s why I take risks and try new things: I’ve done parachute jumps, paraglided solo in Nepal. I want to taste the whole human experience. I want that for my patients, too. To help them repair what is damaged, move on from what is ended, heal from pain, but also to see the opportunities in the here and now, and to make fun a key part of living.

We all know that as a nation our mental health is in crisis. But what most don't know is that a critical ingredient in this debate, and a crucial part of the solution - what we eat - is being ignored. Eggs are another good breakfast choice: as well as being protein-rich, egg yolks are a good source of choline, the nutrient the body uses to produce neurotransmitters that help regulate memory and mood. When your gut microbes ferment fibre, they produce short-chain fatty acids. And one of the key functions [of these] is to support the integrity of your blood brain barrier, which is a very selective barrier that prevents neurotoxic compounds from the bloodstream from crossing into the brain,” says Wilson. I rather like food, as I imagine many of you do too. As a result, the bold title of Kimberley Wilson’s book, ‘Unprocessed: How the food we eat is fuelling our mental health crisis’ caught my attention. Kimberley Wilson is a British psychologist (and Great British Bake Off contestant) with an expertise in nutrition who has written a fascinating book about the influence of food on our mental and physical health. However, Wilson doesn’t limit herself to the issue of health. The pursuit of social justice is also a significant motivation as the relationship between diet and socio-economic disadvantage frequently feature within her book. Wilson is unafraid to display her political views, with damning polemics accompanying her well researched and constructed arguments. Appetiser: What should we be eating? This class will include practical exercises, and offer straightforward pieces of advice to help you start protecting your brain health. Course contentIt was formulated to slow brain ageing: rich in wholegrains, leafy green vegetables, fish, olive oil and fruit, combined with limited consumption of fried or fast food, confectionery, butter and red meat. In a study of 923 older adults, the closer they followed the diet, the lower their risk of developing Alzheimer’s. Lunch could be a sandwich made with organic bread (unprocessed), or soup and a roll. Wholegrain varieties are better than white bread or refined products (like bagels), as they’re more nutrient-dense. There is also a direct link between diet and depression. A paper published in the journal PLOS One in 2019 found that a reduction in processed food intake and an increase in fruit, vegetables, fish and olive oil consumption reduced depression in young adults.

We all know that as a nation our mental health is in crisis. But what most don't know is that a critical ingredient in this debate, and a crucial part of the solution— what we eat—is being ignored. The idea that your diet affects your brain is not ground-breaking. But Wilson argues that what we eat not only has an impact on our mood, but affects our brain function at every stage of life: from before life begins, in pregnancy, to reducing the impact of cognitive decline in old age. People don’t tend to give me advice. I come across, almost certainly, as a bit of a know it all. But I do appreciate it. Once, someone told me I always had my shoulders up, and a manicurist moisturising my hand once said: “You don’t know how to relax.” These things helped me realise how tightly wound I was. A brain-healthy diet doesn’t have to be complicated. Wilson’s go-to is porridge for breakfast: “I use a few different grains in it and top it with raisins and cranberries or chopped apple.” Oats are rich in fibre and nutrient-dense. As recent research suggests, you should be aiming for 30 plants per week – fruit, nuts and seeds all count towards that target. Memories are often fallible. We often forget difficult times. Part of therapy is re-evaluating and reframing memories in light of new information. It’s less about what happened and more about how we understand it.

One way that she deconstructs this behavioural tension between short and long term decisions is by adopting a lifespan perspective. This perspective extends from the prenatal phase of life by exploring the need for (and the barriers to achieving) good pre-natal nutrition to old age, where she considers the relationship between diet and the increasing prevalence of dementia. Never look. It’s like skipping to the end of a movie to find out the twist. Why would I spoil it for myself? Because adequate thyroid hormone is required from the moment of conception, women need to ensure sufficient iodine intake for several months before conceiving. This can typically be achieved by eating a balanced diet that includes a variety of dairy, fish and seafood. However, those who do not eat animal foods may need to consult a health professional about taking an iodine supplement. Too much can be a problem too, with an excess causing iodine poisoning or hyperthyroidism, so it is important to get the balance right. The NHS suggests that a supplemental dose of 0.5mg or less per day is unlikely to cause harm. So much of our diet is ultra-processed, but we just consider them normal foods: I think very few people would recognise baby formula or baby rusks as UPF, but by definition, they are,” says Wilson. In conclusion, ‘Unprocessed’ is a thought provoking book with both personal and professional implications. I’ve certainly found myself thinking more about what I eat as a result of reading it, and it has helped expand the horizons of my psychology practice too.