How To Use Food To Improve Your Mood, Overcome Anxiety and Protect Your Memory - Dr Rangan Chatterjee with Dr Georgia Ede
What the Brain Truly Needs
The brain doesn't need "brain superfoods" or special supplements. Instead, it requires the same essential nutrients as the rest of the body.
Proper brain health involves protecting the brain from damaging ingredients (subtraction from the diet), rather than solely adding special foods.
The brain needs to be properly energised with the right types of fuel for optimal function, aligning with evolutionary biology.
The Most Harmful Foods in the Modern Diet
Refined Carbohydrates (Sugars, Flours, Cereal Products, Fruit Juice):
These are "naked carbohydrates" that turn instantly into glucose in the bloodstream, causing unnatural, steep spikes (a "tsunami of glucose") that the body is not evolutionarily designed to handle.
Excess glucose "sticks" to proteins, DNA, and fats, forming Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs), which are major drivers of premature aging in tissues, including the brain.
Glucose spikes trigger insulin spikes, which turn off fat burning, preventing the body from accessing stored energy and making weight loss difficult.
High glucose levels cause neurons to slow down, leading to a sluggish nervous system, brain fog, depression, and reduced mental clarity/stamina.
Chronic glucose spikes in the blood lead to high brain glucose, which triggers a continuous, uncontrolled inflammatory response and oxidative stress within the brain, damaging neurotransmitter systems, hormone systems, the hippocampus (learning and memory center), and the blood-brain barrier.
Refined/Factory Fats (Seed Oils):
These oils are extracted from seeds through industrial processing involving high pressure, heat, and explosive solvents, making them unnatural and unhealthy despite their plant origin.
They are unnaturally high in linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid), with current diets containing three to six times the amount of linoleic acid found in ancestral diets.
When the brain burns linoleic acid for energy (which it absorbs well), it generates significantly more inflammation and oxidative stress compared to its preferred fuels (glucose or ketones), as it's not equipped to handle such long molecules.
The argument that linoleic acid is an "essential fatty acid" is disputed, as the body can obtain the necessary arachidonic acid from animal fats.
Alcohol:
Alcohol is a toxic, addictive liquid that causes tremendous oxidative stress and inflammation throughout the body and brain, capable of destroying every organ.
The notion that red wine is "heart healthy" or beneficial for the brain is a myth originating from observational studies and wishful thinking, not rigorous clinical trials. The small amount of resveratrol in wine cannot counteract the powerful pro-oxidant effects of alcohol.
Dr. Ede advises honesty about alcohol's risks and encourages individuals to explore their personal relationship with it, potentially through a 30-day elimination trial.
Grains:
Grains are considered the least nutritious and riskiest whole food to consume.
They are low in nutrients (often requiring fortification) and primarily consist of starch, which is problematic for the growing majority of the metabolically unhealthy and insulin-resistant population.
As seeds, grains contain naturally defensive toxins and anti-nutrients that can harm thyroid, gut, and immune health, and reduce the bioavailability of their own nutrients.
Even whole grains, while metabolically preferable to refined grains, still carry these inherent risks.
While the Mediterranean diet (which is grain-heavy) outperforms the standard American diet for mental health, its benefits may be due to what it excludes (junk food) rather than its inclusion of grains.
Legumes (Beans, Peas, Lentils):
Similar to grains, legumes are seeds that contain defensive toxins and anti-nutrients.
Their perceived "superfood" status in "Blue Zones" is largely theoretical, as it's difficult to separate their benefits from overall healthy lifestyle patterns and the absence of processed foods in those populations.
While legumes are important protein sources for those choosing a vegan diet, they require careful preparation to reduce toxicity and improve digestibility.
Many individuals, particularly those with autoimmune diseases, report significant symptom improvement when eliminating grains and legumes from their diet.
The Power of Dietary Subtraction
The most powerful dietary strategy is subtraction – removing the foods that cause inflammation, oxidative stress, and insulin resistance – rather than simply adding "superfoods" or supplements.
Adding "superfoods" (e.g., blueberries to sugary cereal) does not undo the metabolic damage caused by harmful foods.
To achieve meaningful change in mental and physical health, a fundamental restructuring of the diet from the ground up is necessary, not just minor adjustments.
The Mental Health Crisis and Diet's Role
Over one billion people globally have a mental health diagnosis, and poor mental health is increasingly seen as "normal and inevitable".
Dietary change can be a powerful mental health intervention, helping people in ways medication often cannot, even for serious, chronic, and so-called treatment-resistant mental illnesses.
Traditional psychiatric tools are limited, and psychiatric medications often fail most people, frequently coming with tremendous costs like metabolic dysfunction, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and shortened life expectancy. Some antipsychotics, for instance, can raise blood sugar and insulin levels within minutes of the first dose and triple the risk of type 2 diabetes.
The Evolutionary Mismatch and Hope for Change
The modern diet is a radical departure from humanity's evolutionary eating patterns; what is considered "normal" today is anything but healthy and contributes to widespread suboptimal health.
Despite the difficulty of navigating a "toxic food environment" filled with addictive, convenient, and cheap ultra-processed foods, there is immense hope for rapid improvement. Individuals can often feel significantly better in days to weeks after making the right dietary changes, which serves as powerful motivation.
Practical Approaches to Dietary Change
Individuals are encouraged to adopt a "curiosity mindset" and experiment with dietary changes to discover what works best for their unique biology and lifestyle.
It's important not to let "perfect be the enemy of the good"; even starting with one significant change can lead to improvements, and further changes can be made if needed.
A key principle is to avoid foods that require an ingredient label, as whole foods are naturally simple and found in nature.
Concerns about the cost of healthy eating are addressed by noting that some of the healthiest foods (e.g., eggs, cheaper cuts of meat) are often the least expensive and more nutritious, and eating healthily can save money long-term on food (due to better appetite regulation) and healthcare costs.
The Therapeutic Potential of the Ketogenic Diet
While Dr. Ede advocates for various nutritional strategies, the ketogenic diet has become a cornerstone of her work due to its profound impact on mental health. It fundamentally changes brain metabolism, akin to shifting cells to a "different operating system," and can improve well-being, mood, behaviour, emotions, clarity of thinking, and memory within days to weeks.
Dr. Ede co-authored a study (with Dr. Albert D'Agostino) involving 31 treatment-resistant patients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression, who were taking an average of five psychiatric medications and had chronic metabolic health issues. In this study, every patient improved, 43% achieved clinical remission from their primary diagnosis, 64% reduced their medication, and all metabolic health markers improved (including significant weight loss). Many chose to maintain the dietary changes because they had "never felt that well before".
The ketogenic diet is a powerful intervention that can rapidly affect blood sugar, blood pressure, and medication levels, thus requiring appropriate medical support.
Holistic View of Health
Dr. Ede acknowledges that while diet is paramount, physical activity, healthy relationships, sleep, and stress management are also crucial for overall well-being.