Mindful Eating: Exploring the Connection Between Food and Mental Health

Guest post by Eden Share Board Member Dr. Rose Marie Sime, MD

During this time of year when we gather with friends and family and give thanks for our many blessings, let’s spend a moment thinking about what we often take for granted: How blessed we are for having food on our tables.

Over time, I have learned that what we put in our mouths really matters! Not all food is created equal. Back in the 60's when I was growing up in Los Angeles, it was customary for parents to say that children had to be mindful of too much candy. If not, your teeth would rot, and you would end up looking haggard and ugly! If only that was the worst that could happen!

Fast forward twenty plus years. When I was in medical school, the emphasis shifted to heart disease and cancer, and sadly those concerns still stand today. The good news is that over the past 20 years or so, we have learned a lot about how food not only impacts our physical but also our mental health. We have learned how food is important to nurturing our health.

This holiday season, we pause and reflect on how fortunate we are to have access to healthy and nutritious food. We encourage all to help support our mission to bring the physical and mental health benefits of gardening, nature and healthy food to our neighbors in the Hudson Valley.

Today, we know that most of us carry a couple of extra pounds of digested material in our intestines, with different bacteria growing and thriving. But it turns out the type of bacteria that grow in the gut have a direct impact on our mental health! This is because these organisms influence the substances that are produced in the gut and eventually make their way to our brains. 

This may explain why in developed countries, we see much higher levels of depression and anxiety, compared with those societies whose development is not on par. So, scientists took to studying this significant difference in mental health and have discovered that eating large quantities of processed food influences the type of bacteria that we have in our gut, as well as the quantity of bacteria. This then goes on to influence our mental health and our predisposition to depression, anxiety or both.

There have been studies that show that in those societies where vegetables and fruits are routinely eaten, the bacterial growth in the gut is more diverse and that these societies have lower rates of mood disorders. Even more interesting is a study where researchers gave people in an African country a diet of Western ultra-processed food. As expected, the quantities of gut bacteria fell and became less diverse.

This is one of the many factors that contributes to the decline of our collective mental health, and it is something that we can all help improve! That is why I am so passionate about Eden Share’s mission to protect and improve mental health by teaching people about the importance of real food, how to grow it and appreciate the bounties that nature gives us. 

I wish you all a joyous, peaceful and healthy holiday season and thank you for supporting our mission!

Dr. Rose Marie Sime, MD
Member, Board of Directors, Eden Share