PART 1: Food and Your Mood

The connection between what you eat and how you feel is far more direct than most people realize – and the science behind it is changing rapidly. In this free nutritional education webinar, Megan Ellison, MS, RDN, CDCES – a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with a master’s degree in nutrition and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist with Sound Dietitians, LLC – walks through the biology of the gut-brain connection, anti-inflammatory dietary patterns, and the specific nutrients most commonly linked to depression and anxiety. This is Part 1 of a two-part series – continue with Part 2 for the psychology of eating, probiotics, herbs, and more. Sponsored by Stilly Valley Health Connections, this class is part of our free class recordings on nutrition and mental health.

What’s covered in this class:

• Mental health statistics and the case for nutrition – anxiety affects 40 million US adults and 32% of adolescents; a systematic review covering 49,000+ randomized trial participants confirms that whole food dietary patterns reduce depressive symptoms; and why Washington State’s depression rates are among the highest in the country
• Getting the basics right – why sleep, movement, outdoor time, social connection, and stress management are foundational to mental health before nutrition is even addressed, with a practical belly breathing exercise to shift into rest-and-digest mode
• Hydration and mood – how to calculate your personal daily fluid needs, why coffee and tea count toward hydration, why thirst and hunger signals are easy to confuse, and how chronic underhydration affects mood and cognition
• Iron, B vitamins, and the difference between normal and optimal lab results – why low iron even without anemia is associated with depressed mood, fatigue, and restless leg syndrome; who is most at risk for B12 deficiency; how to pair foods for better iron absorption; and what third-party testing labels mean on supplements
• Vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids – why over half of Pacific Northwest residents are vitamin D deficient by fall and can’t synthesize it from sun from October through March; the strong research link between low omega-3 levels and depression; and which plant-based sources provide the most usable forms
• The gut-brain axis – how approximately 95% of serotonin and about half of dopamine are produced in the gut, why leaky gut is now established as linked to neuroinflammation and depression, and how eating while stressed literally reduces nutrient absorption
• Anti-inflammatory eating – how the standard American diet drives chronic inflammation and nutrient deficiency simultaneously (97% of Americans fall short on potassium; 94% on vitamin D), and why the Mediterranean, DASH, and MIND dietary patterns have the strongest research base for mental health
• Meal timing and macronutrient pairing – how pairing carbohydrates with protein and fat at every eating instance stabilizes blood sugar and mood throughout the day, and why skipping breakfast creates a blood sugar crash cycle that leads to overeating in the evening