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Interview: The Connection Between Food and Mental Health

This is an interview with Luci Gabel. She helps executives and their organizations sharpen their leadership edge and produce breakthrough results in health through food, movement, and brain science. She works with people from around the world, through one on one coaching, virtual learning programs, and in her latest book: Eat to Lead. All of this can be found on her website: http://lucifit.com/

Luci is an exercise physiologist and nutritionist with an MBA. She's been an executive manager for two health clubs and spas, as well as the department of defense, and now she wears the many hats of an entrepreneur. Throughout her life she's helped herself and hundreds of others to successfully create food and exercise habits for optimal energy, vitality, fitness, and mental acuity, even while juggling many things at once.

Her education includes: a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (from Johns Hopkin’s University); a Master’s Degree in Exercise Physiology with an emphasis on Genetics (University of Maryland); an education in Nutrition and Dietetics (4-year accredited degree program at the University of Maryland); and a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical and Psychological Health.

She travels both for work and fun. Currently, she lives and works in Silicon Valley, and she's lived and worked in Seoul, Korea, Hawaii, New York City, and Washington DC. She frequents Europe as she now has family there. She's not quite sure where she’ll end up next, but she likes to be where the action is, and where there are pretty views to be had while running! You can see pictures, as well as her musings on food and exercise in other countries, here on her blog: http://Lucifit.com/blog

Let's begin the interview:

What's the importance of food and the connection to the brain?

Many forget that food is not only fuel for the body but also for the brain. Our food/fuel affects how we think and act, our mood, even our memory.

The brain uses blood glucose for fuel, not fat or protein. Despite what fad diets today are promoting, the brain runs on glucose, and glucose comes from carbohydrates.

But feeding our brain isn’t as simple as eating any kind of carbohydrate. For example, eating baked goods and other sugary foods (simple carbohydrates) on a regular basis isn’t the way to go. Studies show that we can get addicted to sugar just like we can get addicted to other substances that make us feel good. Not to mention, simple carbohydrates don’t provide lasting fuel. Rather, they’ll increase our blood sugar levels for a short time and then leave us more tired and more hungry, maybe even more grumpy, than we were before we ate the sugary snack!

When we eat carbohydrates, we want to eat those of the highest quality. For example: grains in their grain form, root vegetables, and fruits and vegetables in their most natural state. All of these foods not only have carbohydrates, but provide the vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants that help preserve the brain and maintain its optimal functioning for the long run.

Today we’re finding foods with high antioxidant and phytochemical values (plants) can protect against dementia and maintain our eyesight. Omegas from fatty fish, healthy meats and oils provide the structural material for our brain to stay intact and youthful. And new research is finding that fiber-filled foods (like vegetables, fruit and grains in their whole grain form) as well as antioxidants and flavonoids in plant foods can reduce inflammation and may prove to reduce risk of issues ranging from brain fog to Alzheimers.

For those who feel that this is too much to remember or may be too difficult to implement, I've written my latest book, Eat to Lead. I break it all down into small goals, make it easy to understand, and give a timeline to get more of these healthy options into your diet. I guide readers in finding healthier food that fits with their unique lifestyle, and they still get to eat foods that they love. (https://publishizer.com/eat-to-lead)

Do you believe that food affects the way people make decisions?

Yes. If our brains don’t have enough fuel to work with, we can’t make the good decisions that we need to be making all day, every day.

Whether we overeat or undereat, it affects our brain, our mood, and our decision making. Undereating will make us cranky, moody, groggy and tired. Overeating can also make us feel groggy and tired. Both can leave us with brain fog.

In order to have optimal fuel and brain power, we need to maintain our blood sugar levels consistently which means: 1) we need to eat regularly and 2) we need to eat balanced meals when we eat. When I say balanced, I mean specifically a combination of carbohydrates mostly from plants (which includes grains in grain form), with the healthiest choices possible of fat and protein. This gives the body and the brain the nutrients they need, and ensures a steady stream of fuel from the digestive system into the blood and brain without energy highs and lows.

I go over in detail what healthy carbohydrates, fats, and proteins are, and what creates a well-balanced meal both in my coaching and in my book, Eat to Lead. I guide readers through experimenting and finding their own, individual food needs because we’re all different. We each need to find out how often, how much, and what we need to eat to keep the brain energy flowing, in our own unique environment and lifestyle.

Most of my clients who are trying to lose weight or fight a food addiction find that they need to keep ahead of their hunger. Meaning: if they can eat on a regular basis, they’ll avoid getting overly hungry and then overeating. They’ll also avoid the bad decisions that come with low blood sugar and low brain energy.

From what I see, most people need food about every 6 hours. But, if you have long days at work, or if you exercise intensely, you may find that you need to eat more than three meals.

Some people replace one addiction for another - Is there a way to avoid going to food for comfort or as a replacement?

There is a way to avoid going to food for comfort. The first step is to be mindful of your eating. Ask yourself when you reach for food:

“Am I actually hungry, or is this another craving?”

Sometimes we eat because we’re thirsty. We can also want food because we’re cold and we want to warm up with something warm, and our mind automatically goes to food. Additionally, our brain may be asking for more energy but what we really need is more sleep.

Sometimes we can’t answer this question without a little help from the logical side of our brain. We need to think about what we've been doing in the last 12-24 hours. If we haven’t had water in a while, drinking water before eating will satisfy our hydration needs and prevent us from overeating. If we know we didn’t sleep enough the night before, it’s important to recognize that as part of the energy equation, and not try to eat ourselves awake. It may be helpful to go for an energizing walk or take a small nap if possible. And, if it turns out that we haven’t eaten in a while, it may be time to eat. If that’s the case, creating a plate made of at least half fruits or vegetables, some protein and some carbohydrate will always be the best way to go.

After a healthy meal, then you can reevaluate if you’re still craving that comfort food. Most of the time, you’ll find you dont’ want it anymore. If you do, and you allow yourself to have some, chances are you’ll need much less to satisfy your craving.

Is there any advice you'd give to addiction rehabs or mental health treatment centers on the food they provide for their guests?

I recommend facilities have plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables so they have lots of healthy options. If you want people to actually choose fruits and vegetables, it’s important to display them in an attractive way. Also, it’s important to remember that the quality and taste of fruits and vegetables greatly depends on their freshness.

Although it’s been said that cooked vegetables don’t have as many active nutrients as fresh, that is a debatable theory. What we do know is that veggies cooked too long will become limp, lose their color and their taste and the texture is not as appealing. A plant that’s overcooked will always taste bland and underwhelming. However, vegetables stirfried grilled, steamed or blanched will retain great flavor, color, and attractiveness, and be much more appealing to your guests. There can be so much flavor that you can even enjoy them with very little added sauces, butters, creams or cheese.

For carbohydrates, offer root vegetables like sweet potatoes, beets, squash and grains in their whole grain form. Even regular potatoes are going to be better than french fries or potato chips.

Sugary foods like cakes, cookies, pies and cakes should be kept to a minimum. Perhaps only offered during certain times of the day like the afternoon, and then put away so they’re not always out and tempting addictive behaviors.

For more information about Luci, please visit her website at http://Lucifit.com/blog

8/14/2018 7:00:00 AM

Written by Kollin Lephart

Kollin Lephart is a Digital Marketing Consultant for 12 Steps Marketing, a digital marketing agency that specializes in building, growing, and nurturing professional relationships. After much research on health and wellness, she's become an advocate for everything wellness and wishes everyone great success on your own we...

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