Nutrition and Mental Health

School meals are a lifeline for 30 million children in the U.S., yet the true value of these programs extends far beyond their cost. Programs like these generate $40 billion in health and economic benefits annually, far outweighing their $18.7 billion annual cost. To maximize impact, we must shift from a 'lowest-cost' to a 'best social value' approach in institutional food purchasing. This shift maximizes public good from every food dollar and prioritizes underserved farm and food businesses embracing responsible labor and environmental practices. Working together, we believe that we can forge a path to a better food future, One where all children, regardless of background, have access to healthy food and where communities will be healthier and more prosperous. To learn more about this, read the Rockefeller Foundation’s True Cost of Food: School Meals Case Study linked in the comments.

Stop Overthinking Before Bed Do you struggle with night time anxiety? As soon as your head hits the pillow, your mind starts racing with thoughts and you can't switch off. If that sounds like you, you are not alone. When I was burnt out, my mind would 🤔 constantly replay the days events while wondering how to get through the next day’s to do list. Now I’ve recovered, I want to share what I’ve learned.. so you don’t have to feel overwhelmed. 🦋 If you have night time anxiety, you might struggle to switch your mind off… thinking about everything you didn't get done that day. This “stress” can cause you to experience an adrenaline rush, which can make it harder to get to sleep. My first tip is to write out your thoughts. Keep a pen and paper handy and before you get into bed, write out your to-do list for the next day. Research shows this signals to your brain that you plan to get these tasks done. So that means you won't spend time worrying about it. 🦋 Relax your mind through your body. Lie on your back and tense and release your muscles starting at your feet, working your way up your body. This progressive muscle relaxation can really help calm your body which helps calm your mind. 🦋 Get your nervous system ready for rest by doing some simple breathing exercises. Close your eyes, you inhale for four seconds, breathe out slowly for 6 seconds, repeat again and again. Put on some white noise such as the ocean crashing or gentle rain. Often it can be the quiet that causes your mind to become active with thoughts. White noise can block it out. 🦋 Develop a bedtime routine and stick to it. Your brain likes predictability and regularity. Work out what time you need to be awake in the morning to get some movement and meditation then work backwards to set your bed time. For me I like to be asleep by 930 pm .. so I start to get ready for bed around 9 pm. Establishing a sleep schedule keeps your circadian rhythms or body clock in check. When you go to bed and wake up at the same time, you will find it easier to get to sleep at night. 🦋 Avoid having stimulants like tea and coffee after lunchtime. While a morning coffee is ok, having caffeine after midday is more likely to interfere with your sleep routine. Stick to a herbal tea or decaf tea at night instead. 🦋 Here’s a bonus tip for reading so far! Follow the 3, 3, 3, rule. A good way to disrupt anxious thinking is to do a grounding exercise like the 3 3 3 rule. Identify 3 things you can see, 3 things you can hear and 3 gentle ways to move your body. Let me know how you calm 😌 your mind after a busy work day. And remember if no one else has told you today I am proud of you. If it’s of value, you can find more resources here. https://lnkd.in/gefejtFm Take care, Soph x #linkedintopvoice #keynotespeaker #workplacewellbeing #positivepsychology

Whole new fields of research such as nutritional psychiatry have emerged since I wrote The UltraMind Solution about how the body affects the mind in 2009. Stanford has a department of Metabolic Psychiatry. Harvard now has a department of Nutritional Psychiatry. Studies show that simply swapping out processed, sugary starchy foods for whole foods is effective in treating depression. ⁣ ⁣ Studies also show kids with severe violent behavior transform when swapping out processed foods for whole foods, including a 75% reduction in the use of restraints and a 100% reduction in suicides, which is the 3rd leading cause of death in that age group. ⁣ ⁣ One study of violent juveniles found that simply giving children a vitamin and mineral supplement reduced violent acts by 91 percent compared to a control group. Why were they violent? ⁣ ⁣ Their brains were starving for nutrients that regulate mood and behavior including iron, magnesium, B12, and folate. Just giving these kids vitamins for three months fixed their abnormal brain waves on EEG. The kids who also changed their diet had an 80% reduction in violent crime and those who stayed on a processed diet continued their violent ways.⁣ ⁣ While many children are not eating enough brain food, they are also eating too many chemicals, including about five pounds of dyes, preservatives and additives that are linked to hyperactivity and worse.⁣ ⁣ While therapy, stress reduction, and movement are equally critical in many brain disorders, food plays a pivotal and often overlooked role. ⁣ ⁣ Start small. Start with the Pegan Diet. Eat loads of veggies, some fruit (especially the low-sugar, nutrient-dense ones), whole grains (not flours), nuts and seeds, low-starch beans and legumes, and some high-quality meat, poultry, and fish. Focus on brain foods that have been shown to impact mood and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety— foods rich in omega-3s, zinc, magnesium, vitamin D, antioxidants, and B vitamins.

Nutrition & Depression What Every Nutritionist Should Know Depression isn't just (in the mind) It's also in the gut, the hormones, and even the immune system. And as nutrition professionals, we’re in a strong position to support clients beyond calories and macros. Here’s a clear, practical guide to how food affects mood, and what you can apply in your practice 👇🏻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝘂𝘁-𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 About 90% of serotonin (the mood-regulating neurotransmitter) is made in the gut - not the brain. When the gut is inflamed or imbalanced, mental health often declines. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨: • Encourage probiotic & prebiotic foods • Reduce gut irritants (processed food, artificial sweeteners) • Support with fiber, fermented foods, and omega-3s 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗡𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 Depressed clients often show low levels of: ✔️ Vitamin D ✔️ B vitamins (especially B12 & folate) ✔️ Magnesium ✔️ Iron ✔️ Zinc 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨: • Assess dietary intake and labs if possible • Include eggs, legumes, leafy greens, seafood, and whole grains • Supplement when clinically needed 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗦𝘂𝗴𝗮𝗿 & 𝗠𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗦𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 Fluctuating blood sugar can mimic symptoms of anxiety and fatigue — and worsen emotional lows. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨: • Recommend balanced meals with protein, fat, and fiber • Limit refined carbs and sugary snacks • Encourage consistent eating patterns (no skipping meals) 𝗢𝗺𝗲𝗴𝗮-𝟯𝘀 = 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 Omega-3 fatty acids (especially EPA) have anti-inflammatory effects and support brain health. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨: • Include 2–3 servings of fatty fish/week • Consider EPA-rich supplements in clients with depression • Use food first, then supplement wisely 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 & 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 Chronic low-grade inflammation is now recognized as a contributor to depression in many clients. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨: • Promote anti-inflammatory diets (Mediterranean-style works well) • Include colorful fruits, olive oil, turmeric, nuts, and green tea • Educate on sleep, stress, and movement as part of an anti-inflammatory lifestyle So, Your Role as a #Nutritionist: You might not treat depression directly, but your guidance can: → Reduce symptom intensity → Improve energy and motivation → Enhance results of other therapies You are part of the care team. Let’s keep bridging the gap between food and mental health. How do you support clients with mood disorders nutritionally? Let’s exchange ideas and raise awareness 🫱🏻🫲🏼 #abdelmobdy #Nutrition #Healthcare #Education #LinkedIn #health #HealthyLiving #mentalhealth #nutritionist

Two crises, one possible solution: How Japan’s school lunches provide an example of how to tackle both hunger and obesity Across the world today, we face a food system paradox. Food insecurity is rising, leaving millions of children without enough to eat. At the same time, childhood overweight and obesity are increasing rapidly, even within the same countries and communities. This double burden of malnutrition is one of the great public health challenges of our time. One part of the solution could be something that should be simple: school food. Japan provides a good example of how nutritious, universal school meals can shape healthier lives. The country has some of the lowest childhood obesity rates among developed nations. A key reason is its approach to school lunches. Meals are prepared fresh each day, planned by nutritionists, and served in classrooms where children eat together and take turns serving their peers. Fast food is absent. Instead, the focus is on balance, variety, and moderation. More than just food on a plate, this system is part of a broader philosophy known as 'shokuiku', or food education. Children learn where food comes from, how it nourishes the body, and why communal eating matters. Research shows that Japanese school lunches improve children's nutrient intake and are linked to lower obesity rates. A nationwide study found that greater participation in the school lunch program significantly reduced the likelihood of being overweight or obese among students. So, this shows that it is possible to feed all children well, regardless of background, while teaching healthy habits that could last a lifetime. Background reading: - Case study from the School Meals Coalition https://lnkd.in/dSpycmUn - Study on school lunch and obesity rates https://lnkd.in/d_fiGJsf - School meals and nutrient intake in Japan https://lnkd.in/d6bUU6xB - How this can be implemented in a country such as the UK - and the importance of linking school meals to food education https://lnkd.in/dCjnBZaU Perhaps of interest: Fatma Sabet, Clare Pettinger, Angelina Sanderson Bellamy, Kevin Morrell, School Food Matters, Chefs in Schools, Effie Papargyropoulou, Exeter Food, Cornelia Guell, Caroline Verfuerth, Manda Brookman, Matthew Thomson, Claire Judd, Mary Rose Surfleet, Bob Doherty #ChildNutrition #FoodSecurity #PublicHealth #HealthyEating #GlobalHealth #SustainableDiets

👉 I welcome the UK Government's recent announcement to extend Free School Meals (FSM) to pupils who are from households in receipt of Universal Credit as this will provide much needed support to at least an additional 1/2 million pupils and their families in England 👋. However, there are a few issues that need to be 'ironed out'. 📢 Perhaps the most important issue is that state schools in England are having to take money from their teaching and learning budgets to pay the difference between the funding received from the DfE (£2.58) and what catering teams typically charge for the FSM (approx £2.95-£3.00 per meal). 📢 Most schools are currently, falling approximately 42p short per FSM per day. An increase of 1/2M more children to receive FSM under the new policy will, just by itself, increase the amount that schools have to pay to catering teams from their teaching and learning budgets by £39.9M per year, and this is on top of the existing shortfall for children who are already in receipt of FSM, which is in the £££millions.  📢 Decoupling FSM associated pupil premium from FSM in the new policy is good, if funded through an alternative route, but as the government guidance currently stands, we will end up with a two-tier FSM pupil premium structure, where schools receive pupil premium but only for pupils that will meet the existing FSM eligibility criteria (household income £7,400 per year or less). Schools will not receive pupil premium for pupils from households with income above this amount. 👉 The well-researched routes to educational attainment, health and wellbeing and social mobility is already established. A nutritious diet, alongside health, physical activity, and excellent teaching and learning must all work together in a coherent and cohesive manner to increase human capital, productivity, and upward social mobility. In other words, a child centred approach to education and food. 👉 Thus, the rationale of a ‘two-tiered’ approach to FSM associated pupil premium is fraught with difficulty, bureaucracy and admin and appears socially unjust. 👉 The research has also referred to the quality and portion sizes of meals that are served, every day in schools across England. The everyday experience of many pupils, not through the fault of the caterer or school, but through a lack of funding for the actual meal, is highly variable and many pupils are presented with poor quality food and small portion sizes. 📣 Unlike London, where the Mayor increased the funding for a) school kitchens and b) raised the funding to £3 per meal; the rest of England lags behind in terms of a) school kitchen infrastructure, and b) funding per FSM.

How can we improve education outcomes? How about feeding hungry kids. Our study just published paper (https://bit.ly/4hb0Cy3) analysed the NZ data for 3 large international surveys (PISA, TIMSS, PIRLS) on student scores for maths, reading and science at different age groups. These surveys now all include questions about food security. Three main takeaway points: 1. NZ had significantly higher food insecurity levels than other high-income countries eg 14% miss out on a meal at least once a week due to poverty which is the third highest in OECD countries (mean of of 9%). High food poverty in NZ creates multiple adverse outcomes - especially educational. 2. The effect size of the relationship between food insecurity and test scores is very large. For example, for the PISA survey of 15 year-olds, any food insecurity is associated with being 2-4 school years behind their food secure peers. This is a massive effect size which was similar across all surveys, age groups, subject, and gender. It was graded (more food insecurity, lower test scores) and was independent of the survey measures of SES. Poverty is bad for learning, but missing meals and outright hunger is additionally really bad. 3. The implications are that NZ's 20-30 year history of creating 'poverty by design' needs to be reversed and programs which alleviate hunger at school, such as the free, healthy school lunch program Ka Ora, Ka Ako, need to be expanded. Unfortunately, the current government has the punitive, neoliberal agenda on steroids as it gives tax cuts to the well-off, reduces the annual increments in minimum wage and welfare payments, slashes the budget for Ka Ora, Ka Ako, and punishes Maori by trying to expunge all Maori programs, institutions (like Te Aka Whai Ora) and history. Kiwi values of fairness and giving all kids a decent chance in life, especially through education, need to shine through as our guiding principles in policy design. Full paper is at https://bit.ly/4hb0Cy3. NZ Herald article (paywalled) is at https://bit.ly/4ju7Rmt

Want to lower food prices and give some inflation relief? Provide breakfast and lunch at school to all children, for free. You might initially shudder at this idea, thinking of the sludge you ate in the cafeteria growing up. Or, for the history buffs, you might remember a true low point in American politics when Ronald Reagan proposed lowering nutritional standards so low that ketchup qualified as a vegetable. Those days are gone. The Healthy, Hungry Free Kid Act of 2010 radically improved the nutritional standards of school meals (you might have read about new salt and sugar limits rolled out just this spring) and gave schools and localities more ways to access free meals. Traditionally, the only children who got free lunch were those with low enough income who had applied for it. After 2010, schools could apply for "Community Eligibility Provision." If enough students would have qualified for free lunch individually, the whole school could get free lunch without any students having to apply. The Community Eligibility Provision has given economists a way to study the effect of free school meals on students. Rest assured, it's a massive win: clear evidence that it improves test scores for low- and middle-income students with growing evidence that it helps reduce childhood obesity. Those results have gotten all the attention, and they should, it's a benefit for children after all. But were schools a restaurant, they'd be the largest chain in the US, big enough to move markets. A set of economists looked at how the expansion of free school meals in places with community eligibility effected retail prices. If less food needs to be prepared at home, then less needs to be purchased at the store. That lowers the grocery bill of parents, but if enough parents go to a store, it also lowers demand at that store. They looked at large chains and found precisely that, school meals reduced demand and the chain ended up lowering prices at numerous locations. Nothing is free free. Universal school meals costs the federal government money, and demand reduced from the retail sector shows up in the wholesale sector. But this is a win, one that many households struggling to afford food could use. Let's take it! https://lnkd.in/eU3GPT6S

Under the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, the federal government established the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), a program that provides free school meals to all students at qualifying schools. Schools can qualify for CEP if a high percentage of their students participate in programs like SNAP or TANF. Since then, we’ve seen evidence of the many benefits of universal school meals programs, from helping kids perform better in class to eliminating administrative burdens for schools. Now, a new study shows that at schools participating in CEP, students were also less likely to have high blood pressure. In the long term, having lower blood pressure can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and improve quality of life. We know that universal school meals help improve kids’ access to more nutritious options and support their health—and now is not the time to stop investing in these programs. https://lnkd.in/gKQpEA2z

High-performing professionals obsess over productivity hacks. But they're overlooking a simple factor that impacts every critical decision: Meal Timing. A recent UCSD study caught my attention. Adults with metabolic syndrome who ate within an 8-10 hour window (without changing their diet) saw significant improvements in blood sugar, HbA1c, and cholesterol after 12 weeks (Annals of Internal Medicine). But here's what struck me: Participants also reported better mental endurance. Translation? Your 3 PM decision-making clarity depends on your breakfast timing. . Late eating creates: ➡️ Glucose spikes ➡️ Cortisol elevation ➡️ Decision fatigue and brain fog. For busy professionals making critical choices under pressure, this metabolic chaos is career limiting. Here’s how to reclaim focus and energy: ✔️ Define your eating window - Mine is 7 AM to 5 PM. Find what fits your schedule and stick to it consistently. ✔️ Front-load protein - Starting with 25-30g protein sets stable energy for the day. Think eggs, Greek yogurt, or a quality protein shake. ✔️ Close the kitchen early - Stop eating 2-3 hours before bed. Your body repairs better when it's not digesting. ✔️ Track what matters - I use glucose monitoring to understand how different foods and timing affect my energy levels. The Payoff? More consistent energy, clearer thinking during afternoon meetings, and better sleep quality. This isn't about perfection, it's about creating sustainable patterns that support both performance and well-being. What eating patterns have you noticed impact your decision-making? Share below or reach out to me directly for personalized strategies that fit your demanding schedule. #HighPerformers #DecisionClarity #ExecutiveWellness