Nutritional Psychiatry

The adoption of nutritional medicine in psychiatric practice remains limited. Food-mood connections are supported by a substantial and growing evidence base, and excluding nutritional assessment from mental health evaluation means missing treatable root causes. Approximately 1% of psychiatrists currently use nutritional interventions to treat mental illness. Conventional psychiatry does not yet routinely incorporate nutritional assessment. Mental health conditions cannot be treated in isolation from the rest of the body, which forms one interconnected system. Most mental health conditions have addressable root causes in inflammation, gut dysbiosis, nutrient deficiency, and metabolic dysfunction. Nutritional psychiatry uses food, lifestyle, and targeted nutrients as primary tools for treating mental health conditions. The core anti-anxiety dietary protocol follows three principles: Swap (replace one problematic food), Eat (add more whole foods), and Walk (incorporate movement and outdoor time).