One night on Christmas Eve when I (Kalea) was in elementary school, my father, a lineman, got called out to work because part of the town had lost power. I remember feeling sad (and mad) about how this was unfair. I wanted to spend Christmas Eve with my mom and dad. However, Colorado’s winter storm was indifferent to my Christmas Eve — and everyone else’s.

My dad attempted to console me by explaining that he needed to go to work to make sure other families had power for Christmas Eve. At the time, I still didn’t think it was fair. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve come to realize that my dad made an incredibly difficult sacrifice to help others by using a skill set that few people possess. The sacrifices my father and grandfathers made to help others have taken a toll not only on their physical health but also on their mental well-being.

These incredible men in my life have sometimes had to choose work over family, straining their relationships and working at all hours of the day — often with barely enough time for a meal or rest. My father has shared stories of working overtime, where all he had time for was a quick drive-thru fast-food dinner — or some nights, no dinner at all. At the time, I saw food solely as a factor in physical health. I understood the challenge of making healthy choices but didn’t realize how the foods we ate — or didn’t eat — could also impact our mental health.

Now I work with my colleagues to help educate individuals on what it truly means to eat healthy. We support our clients not only in addressing their mental health challenges but also in overcoming the difficulties of incorporating healthy eating into their lifestyles.

In this four-part series, Peter and I will explore the connection between nutrition and mental health, delving into the gut-brain axis, the nutrients in food, and how our brain, neurotransmitters, and diet interact to influence mental health. We’ll also discuss practical, everyday applications of these insights.

Our Gut-Brain Axis is an intimidatingly complicated name for something that we all experience on a day-to-day basis. The gut-brain axis refers to the complex communication network that links the gut (intestines) and the brain. By understanding how the digestive system and brain affect each other, we may be able to improve both.

Our mood is overwhelmingly affected by the chemical balance of hormones and neurotransmitters in our nervous system, such as serotonin and dopamine, which allow us to feel the full range of emotions. These neurotransmitters and hormones are often produced in the digestive system (being made from fresh nutrients) then move to our brain, allowing us to feel satisfaction, but also stress, hunger, and reward. For example, our gut produces most of our serotonin, which helps regulate our mood and sleep; healthy bacteria in our gut help produce gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which helps reduce anxiety and stress. In exchange, our brain regulates enzyme secretions and muscle contractions, helping the gut digest food.

I’m sure most of us have been or seen someone around us being “hangry,” which is a clear example of how sensations in the gut can affect our mood in subtle (or not-so-subtle) ways. If we are not getting enough nutrients, our gut environment would not be able to function properly, resulting in an imbalance in our brain chemistry. Sometimes lower nutritional intake can be caused by unhealthy eating habits; at other times, disruptions in the gut-brain axis can be caused by medical conditions such as gut inflammation and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Unfortunately, we often have little control over these factors that affect our digestion. Life is busy, and work may require us to eat whatever is available at random times. As a result of these disruptions, we may experience stress, anxiety, and depression. We may find it difficult to relax or feel unmotivated because we don’t feel satisfaction from our usual tasks. These mental health symptoms can further contribute to an unhealthy diet by decreasing appetite or leading to binge-eating.

When we say that “healthy nutrition helps you feel better,” an image comes to mind — one where internet influencers or advertisement actors try to tell you the benefits of their unrealistic diet or workout routines. Health culture on the internet can be unhelpful and distracting because it creates a fiction about how a healthy lifestyle can be achieved and the ways it would make us feel better. Many cultural standards around what we should eat and what our bodies should look like are made to feed insecurities and sell products. In this series, we aim to present scientifically sound information on how one can improve their diet — not by trying to 'lose weight fast' or 'cleanse toxins,' but by focusing on how eating healthier can enhance our wellness and self-image.

Tool Belt to Tackle Life

Furthermore, there is still a lot of stigma and misunderstanding around mental health. Growing up, my grandfathers — one a plumber, the other a brick mason — never uttered a word about mental health or how they were feeling. My father doesn’t even like to visit a primary care physician because he says he can “work through the pain” or that “it’s not that big of a deal.” These mindsets are incredibly challenging to change, and many people feel shame or think something is wrong with them if they seek help or support.

I still struggle to help my father see the value in therapy and social support systems, but I believe therapy is an essential tool. Professional support is not just about 'fixing' a problem, it is also about helping you learn how to make positive changes in your own life. Just as an apprentice learns to use the tools of their trade, you can gain knowledge and skills by seeking professional support and acquiring the 'tools' that help make life's journey a little easier.

We need a full tool belt to tackle life, and one way to start gaining these tools is through therapy. The 'Home Depot' of mental health resources includes websites like Psychology Today and Therapist.com. On these websites you can find a therapist in your state who accepts your insurance and fits your needs.

Furthermore, if you are in the state of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, our work at Hartman Counseling and Consulting can help you with your mental health and nutritional needs. The therapists at Hartman Counseling and Consulting also work with children/adolescents, couples, and families. We are here to help you find the solution that works for you.

Kalea Abernathy is a Licensed Professional Counselor trained in mental health and nutrition. She values incorporating nutrition into therapy to better support overall wellness through a holistic approach. Her clinical experience has included supporting individuals, couples, and families to address complex trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). She integrates multiple therapeutic orientations throughout therapy such as a relational-cultural lens, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), cognitive behavioral theory (CBT), person-centered, and psychodynamic to better help and understand clients.

Peter Yibo Pan is a therapist-in-training currently completing his Master’s Degree in Counseling at Northwestern University with a specialization in counseling with children and adolescents. He works with children, adolescents, couples, and families. Peter practices an integrative, evidence-based approach, combining relational, gestalt, and behavioral elements of traditional therapy. He also utilizes nontraditional interventions such as play therapy and art therapy techniques, creating a safe and positive environment for building a trusting therapeutic relationship.