Lean muscular legs, a chiseled abdomen and toned arms were her goals, and she accomplished them; however, in the process Barbara Blank learned that mental health overpowers physical health.
“Most people associate a bad diet with the way they look,” Blank said. “But what a lot of people don’t realize is how a poor diet can affect your brain.”
A diet rich in processed foods, refined sugars and fast foods is proven to harm your brain more than your physical appearance, Blank said. Studies show that these types of foods contribute to brain fog, anxiety, depression and stress. They are proven to cause inflammation in your body which can alter how you feel and behave daily.
Barbara Blank is the owner of Clean Creations, a healthy meal delivery service in New Orleans. Her business is centered around helping people maintain a healthy lifestyle through their eating habits.
“People underestimate how much highly processed foods can affect the brain and mental state of mind,” Blank said.
Blank talked about a neurotransmitter called serotonin when explaining the science behind this concept. Serotonin helps the human body control its appetite, regulate sleep and switch between moods. Blank said 95% of serotonin is produced in the stomach to help digest food and direct your emotions.
“The correlation is that the type of foods you eat will influence your Serotonin levels,” Blank said.
LSU graduate Jade Palmisano studies holistic wellness and gut health at Tulane University.
“Having a healthy gut is key,” Palmisano said.
Palmisano said many American foods are banned in other countries because of how bad those foods are for the body
The traditional Japanese diet contains mostly fish, seafood, fruits and vegetables, and barely any dairy. On the other hand, the conventional Western diet is high in refined sugars and processed foods.
Studies show that the risk of depression is 35% lower in people who stay true to the traditional Japanese diet, Palmisano said.
Blank described a study published in 2002 to emphasize the tie between food and mood. The study included 231 male prisoners. Some of the prisoners took a daily multivitamin supplement and some took a placebo. As a result, prisoners who took the multivitamin supplement had a 70% decline in bad behavior and violent incidents.
The multivitamin they took is equivalent to eating a diet rich in omega 3 fatty acids, Blank said. While based on a statistically small subject group, the study indicated that when people improve their nutritional intake, they can behave better.
“Right now, we need to be doing everything we can to promote good brain health and mental clarity,” Blank said.
For years, functional medicine doctors didn’t associate behavioral disorders with diet, Blank said. Now, most of them will tell you that brain and gut health are linked together. Blank tells her clients to pay attention to how eating different foods make them feel, explicitly cutting out processed foods and sugars.
“My motto is to change your diet to change your life,” Blank said.