Diet, Cognition, and Wellness: Advice from The Integrative Health and Wellness Program Co-Founder

麻豆传媒高清版, in conjunction with the听, presented a full-day summit on mental health and whole body wellness. During one session,听Dr. Alka Gupta听led a discussion about diet and how it can promote overall wellness and brain health.听

Dr. Gupta is the Co-founder and Co-director of the听麻豆传媒高清版 Integrative Health and Wellness Program. This Program helps patients achieve greater physical, psychological, and social wellness by complementing their current health care with nutritional counseling, acupuncture, massage therapy, and other mind-body educational services.

The mind-gut connection

鈥淥ver the last several years, we鈥檝e learned so much about how there鈥檚 bi-directional communications between our gastrointestinal tracts and brains,鈥 Dr. Gupta explained.听

鈥淲e鈥檝e known for a long time that if we鈥檙e anxious or down, that can impact digestion. But we鈥檙e only recently starting to understand that the connection actually also goes the other way. That how we digest, break down, absorb, assimilate what we eat actually impacts the way that our brain works.鈥澨

鈥淚f we look at our digestive system,鈥 she continued, 鈥渨e can see how it鈥檚 built to serve that function. A lot of our digestion absorption happens in our small and large intestines. And if you were to take that and splice that open, it would be approximately as large as a tennis court. There is a huge amount of surface area that creates the lining of our intestines.鈥澨

This lining has hundreds of trillions of bacteria that complete the digestive process for us. 鈥淲e can harness that interaction to work for us in a lot of beneficial ways,鈥 she asserted optimistically.听

Changes in diet can, over the long term, improve our mood and mental wellbeing, lessen symptoms from chronic illnesses, improve cardiovascular health, and prevent cognitive decline.听

The best, evidence-based diets听for overall health

There is so much evidence that a healthy diet is important to our overall health and wellbeing. However, the question remains: what is a healthy diet? Dr. Gupta recommended three well-known diets.听

The Mediterranean diet:听鈥淭he听Mediterranean听diet is one of the most science-backed diets across the board for health,鈥 she stated. 鈥淭his diet focuses on plant foods. Lots of vegetables and fruit. This is not a low-carb diet, but your carbohydrate intake is coming from those vegetables, like fruits and whole grains. The protein sources include fish and poultry, plant-based sources like tofu and beans. This diet also has plenty of healthy sources of fat, mainly olive oil.鈥澨

The statistics surrounding the听Mediterranean听diet are impressive. The diet is associated with lower rates of depression, heart disease, Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, and arthritis. It is also associated with increased survival and longevity rates.听

MIND diet:听This diet is a newer, evidence-based diet designed to prevent dementia as you age. It combines the Mediterranean diet with the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension).听MIND stands for 鈥淢editerranean DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay.鈥澨

Dr.听Gutpa听explained, 鈥淭he MIND diet is, basically, the听Mediterranean听diet on steroids.鈥 It emphasizes specific foods that have been shown to prevent cognitive decline: leafy greens, berries, nuts, olive oil, fish at least twice a week, beans, and lentils. The diet recommends limiting fried foods, red meat, cheese, and processed sweets.听

Plant-based (vegan) diet:听Dr. Gupta advocated that a plant-based diet has many benefits, but suggested seeking guidance and supplementing with certain vitamins and minerals, including B12.听

鈥淚f you鈥檙e interested in moving toward a totally plant-based diet, I think that鈥檚 wonderful, but it has to be done correctly.鈥 she explained. 鈥淚 see a lot of patients that are doing a vegan or plant-based diet, but not in the most balanced way. They鈥檙e going a little too heavy on the carbs. They鈥檙e not getting certain important minerals like calcium or iron. Maybe they鈥檙e not getting enough protein in general. But can you have a balanced, plant-based diet? For sure.鈥澨

鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely important that you do your research,鈥 she continued, 鈥渁nd maybe meet with a professional so that you get all the information that you need and know that you鈥檙e not deficient in anything.鈥澨

Foods to limit

In general, Dr. Gupta advocated for a diet full of unprocessed, whole foods. By advocating a 鈥渇ood as medicine鈥 philosophy, she cautioned that we should limit processed foods as much as possible.听

She also warned that added sugars, especially those found in processed foods, cause our blood sugar levels to spike鈥攁nd then crash. This leads to mood swings and inflammation. Artificial sweeteners and sugar alcohols should be consumed sparingly. Natural sugars, like agave or honey, are more natural alternatives, but should still be limited.听

Dr. Gupta helps her patients set goals for their health, including reducing their consumption of sugar and processed foods. 鈥淲hatever you set as your goal on day one is not necessarily what your goal at your second or third visit looks like,鈥 she explained. 鈥淚 would say any progress is progress.鈥澨

鈥淔igure out where your major sources of sugar are. For many people, it鈥檚 soda. For many people, it鈥檚 the dessert that we鈥檙e used to having after dinner. If there鈥檚 something that you鈥檙e finding yourself eating or drinking every day, that鈥檚 probably what you鈥檙e going to get the most bang for your buck by cutting in half or only having that in social situations.鈥澨

鈥淎nd,鈥 she reminded, 鈥渋f you just get into the habit of looking at the nutrition facts for everything that you can look at, just that awareness is the biggest and most important first step, I think.鈥澨

What about supplements?听

Dr. Gupta suggested that we strive to get as much vitamins and minerals from our food as possible. 鈥淚 think we should take a 鈥榝ood first鈥 approach when possible,鈥 she asserted, 鈥渂ut there are certain situations in which supplementing can be helpful.鈥澨

For example, if you are healthy overall and looking to add more fiber to your diet, she recommended chia seeds and eating more vegetables. Someone living with inflammatory bowel disease or autoimmune disorder, on the other hand, may benefit from seeing a registered dietician to determine the best prebiotic and probiotic supplements.听

Mindfulness while eating听

As the Co-founder and Co-director of the听麻豆传媒高清版 Integrative Health and Wellbeing Program, Dr. Gupta sees how mindfulness helps her patients achieve greater health.听

鈥淢indfulness is a fancy word for awareness,鈥 she explained, 鈥渏ust being aware of how we鈥檙e responding in any given moment. Doing that proactively allows us to intervene and change things a lot earlier in the process so that we don鈥檛 get to that point where we鈥檙e super stressed out or irritable or anxious or scared or whatever the case may be.鈥澨

Mindfulness while eating is important. It helps our brain connect to the experience and communicate to our body that it is full. Typically, your brain needs twenty minutes to signal that it feels full, so be sure that you are taking at least 20 minutes to eat your meals. Focus on the specific flavors, colors, and textures of your meal to promote greater mindfulness, awareness, and enjoyment.听

When it comes to nutrition and diets, it can be easy to become overwhelmed with the amount of information, theories, and approaches. Dr. Gupta emphasized that we should focus on overall health and wellness. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to not lose the forest,鈥 she cautioned. 鈥淶oom out and pay attention to the whole body's health.鈥澨

Learn more about听Dr. Alka Gupta, the听Integrative Health and Wellbeing Program, and听nutritional counseling听by one of the highly trained registered dieticians听at 麻豆传媒高清版.


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