Is our diet driving us crazy? - importance of a balanced diet for good brain health

Healthy & Natural Journal, Feb, 2001 by Carol Simontacchi

It comes as no surprise to most of us that mental and behavioral disorders are increasing at exponential rates around the world. Experts predict that within the next few years, suicide will be the No. 1 cause of death globally. Currently, more than 25 percent of all visits to a healthcare practitioner are for mental complaints, and that figure is only the tip of the iceberg. Most people do not seek the aid of a professional when they struggle with mild forms of mental illness such as mild to moderate depression, learning and memory problems and social phobias. Most of us prefer to suffer silently, believing that if we just "buck up a little," we'll feel better.

According to cold, hard statistics, our mental health is rapidly eroding. These facts are grim:

* Since World War II, annual prevalence rates of depression have been soaring, especially in young men.

* More than 10 percent of the population has been diagnosed with some form of mental illness (schizophrenia, phobias, depression and anxiety disorders).

* Up to 24 percent of adults experience a mental health crisis in any given year.

* 7 to 14 percent of children will experience an episode of major depression before the age of 15.

* Children ages 13 to 18 used 148,000 prescriptions for Prozac in 1995 and 217,000 prescriptions in 1996 (up 47 percent). Prescriptions for other antidepressants, such as Zoloft and Paxil, are also on the rise.

* More than $7 billion is spent on antidepressants every year.

Suicide rates for U.S. teen-agers increased nearly 30 percent from 1980 to 1992, and in some states, suicide is now the No. 2 cause of death among adolescents and children. Psychiatric hospitals in creased inpatient admissions from 46.2 per 100,000 population in 1969 to over 156 per 100,000 population in 1988; during the same period, outpatient additions increased from 12.8 per 100,000 to 51.2 per 100,000. More than 20 percent of U.S. students have seriously considered suicide during the past 12 months.

These statistics scare us--and they should Our attempts to create a healthy, well-functioning society are clearly not succeeding.

A simultaneous trend

Let's examine another trend: the American food culture. Over the past century, the American food culture has gone through a transformation so pervasive that we have almost completely lost sight of what constitutes a normal, healthy diet. We no longer recognize real food.

Food used to be grown on the land. It used to swim in the rivers and oceans or walk through the forests. It was rich in vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fats and natural sugars, and these natural constituents of food fed our brains.

What do we currently eat? Consider these alarming food facts:

* The average teen-age boy drinks more than 50 ounces of soft drinks per day; the average teenage girl drinks just slightly less.

* The average child and teen-ager eat less than two servings of both fruits and vegetables per day, and a quarter of these is in the form of french fries.

* The average American eats more than 200 pounds of sugar and artificial sweeteners per year.

* The average American drinks more than 45 gallons of soft drinks, 26 gallons of coffee, 26 gallons of tea and 26 gallons (per adult) of alcoholic beverages per year, yet we drink less than 9 gallons of bottled water.

* The average teen-ager and child are deficient in magnesium, zinc, chromium, iron, vitamin B complex vitamin C and other trace elements. Each of these nutrients has an influence on the brain.

We eat sugary cereals for breakfast and home meal replacements for lunch and dinner. Less than 25 percent our kids eat a home-cooked meal at night Wee eat potato chips, hamburgers, pizza, fried chicken, french fries, soft drinks, canned soups, frozen entrees, infant formula, and canned baby foods--none of which are "real food." These pseudo-foods have had most of the nutrients processed out of them, and they contain artificial ingredients, such as flavorings and preservatives. These pseudo-foods influence the brain in two ways: they deprive the brain of the fundamental building blocks needed to construct brain tissue, and they contain materials that are toxic to the brain.

For 30 years we have discussed the role of nutrition in cardiovascular health. We talk about the influence of environmental toxins and food additives on certain types of cancer. We have not, however, engaged in a similar national conversation about the role of food in brain health. This discussion is long overdue.

Healing foods

Food can help destroy the brain, but it can also heal the brain. If a nutrient-deficient diet can rob the brain of the ability to think and feel appropriately, a nutrient-rich diet can help the brain respond in a positive way.

The first step toward healing the brain is abandoning the American food culture and adopting a more natural way of eating. Natural food is minimally processed. A natural, well-balanced diet contains fresh fruits and vegetables in abundance and moderate amounts of protein from both animal and vegetable sources, which provide natural fats and oils. Natural foods include ocean-raised fish, lean, organic, range-fed poultry, beef and other meats, raw nuts and seeds, and whole, non-hybridized grains.