Andy De Santis, RD,In honour of Mental Health Awareness Week earlier this month, I’ve been thinking about the connection between nutrition and emotional wellbeing.
What I found was a pretty clear theme: anti-inflammatory food components can, potentially, be protective against issues like depression and anxiety. There’s a growing level of interest around neuroinflammation — excessive inflammation within the brain cells — as a potential risk factor for poor mental health. Scientists are curious about whether or not so-called “anti-inflammatory” dietary components may be the new frontier in this area of research. Here’s what we know so far.
EPA and DHA are part of the family of omega-3 fatty acids found in rich supply in fish such as salmon and trout as well as seafood such as clams and oysters. People who don’t eat fish can take a wide variety of supplements, including vegan-friendly algae-based products to get these essential nutrients.
The other food group high in both these nutrients? Again, pulses: lentils, kidney beans, black beans, and so on.When we’re looking at supplements, curcumin is among the most well-studied and popular compounds with a strong anti-inflammatory potential. It’s also currently one of the