Latest / NHA Today Podcast / 152: The Link Between Nutrition and Mental Health (Food & Mood) with Angela Crawford

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152: The Link Between Nutrition and Mental Health (Food & Mood) with Angela Crawford · NHA Today Podcast

0:05
Cyd Notter: Hello everyone.
0:06
Welcome to the NHA Today Podcast.
0:09
My name is Cyd
0:10
Notter.
0:10
I'm your guest host for today, and I'm really thrilled to be here.
0:14
We have a special guest with us today.
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Her name is Angela Crawford.
0:17
Let me tell you a little bit about her before we get into her presentation,
0:21
which I know you're gonna find interesting and it applies to all of us.
0:25
But Angela is a PhD, a psychologist, a vegan educator, and the author of
0:30
The Vegan Transformation, A Journey to Heal Yourself and the World.
0:35
She's passionate about bringing her background in psychology to
0:38
share the benefits of plant-based living for mind, body, and spirit.
0:43
She holds certifications in plant-based nutrition from the TCO and Campbell
0:47
Institute for Nutrition Studies.
0:50
She's a master vegan lifestyle coach and educator from the Main Street
0:53
Vegan Academy Program, a licensed PCRM, food for Life instructor,
0:58
and she's a transformational coach.
1:01
She teaches individuals, groups and organizations about thriving
1:05
with a plant-based lifestyle, drawing on principles of
1:08
psychology and lifestyle medicine.
1:12
So welcome, Angela.
1:13
I'm so glad you're here.
1:15
Thank you for being here.
1:16
I'm really glad to be here.
1:18
Angela Crawford: Thank you for having me.
1:20
Cyd Notter: And so today the topic is going to be food and mood, right?
1:25
And how those two topics are linked together.
1:27
And as a psychologist, I know you're going to share some information with
1:31
us that is crucial to this area.
1:34
Yeah.
1:36
Yeah.
1:36
So, so what have you discovered, you know, in your years as a psychologist
1:40
of how food and mood are intertwined?
1:44
Angela Crawford: Yeah, well, I think to, to lay a little foundation, um, I've been
1:50
a psychologist for many years and for most of that time, you know, nutrition was not
1:55
really on the radar for me as far as its connection with our emotional wellbeing.
2:00
I. I worked in private practice first with, um, a private practice that had
2:06
a pain management program, um, that I helped people heal, um, emotionally as
2:12
they were dealing with chronic injuries.
2:15
And then later I went off into my own private practice and I worked
2:18
with people with stress and anxiety and trauma and, you know, all the
2:22
different things that we humans deal with that kind of cause us emotional
2:26
challenges, anxiety, depression, PTSD.
2:31
Um, and then, you know, along that journey, I, I did help
2:37
people with lifestyle change as well as, you know, working on.
2:42
Healing trauma and managing stress.
2:44
And so I did emphasize things like exercise and, um, other positive lifestyle
2:50
practices, getting in good sleep.
2:53
Uh, I didn't know about lifestyle medicine at that time, that that's,
2:57
you know, a newer discipline.
2:58
And it wasn't really around when I first was trained.
3:03
But nutrition, huh?
3:04
I didn't really get it myself.
3:06
I wasn't a healthy eater.
3:08
Uh, I ate a lot of, um, junk foods and comfort foods myself and that
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had been a practice in my life, you know, since childhood that I just was
3:18
a sweet, especially chocolate lover.
3:21
And, um, there's a joke in my family where when I was a kid my mom called
3:25
me the Eminem kid 'cause I liked, you know, those sweetss so much so.
3:30
This went on into my young, a adult adulthood.
3:33
And it wasn't until I was around 40 that, um, something happened in my life that
3:38
got me thinking more about the food I ate and wanting to really make a change.
3:42
And, you know, so that change in me, um, and I could share a little bit
3:49
about how that happened, but that led me then to become more aware
3:52
of nutrition and to study its role.
3:55
With other, with mental health as well as our physical health.
3:59
And so I've become fascinated to study the research.
4:03
And so that just kinda lays the foundation that, you know, there is
4:06
a connection between nutrition and mental health, but I was not aware of
4:09
it for many, many years, um mm-hmm.
4:12
Until my own journey of healing.
4:15
Yeah.
4:16
So you mentioned growing up.
4:18
So what, how does that our family of traditions impact?
4:23
Our plant-based lifestyle and what we think emotionally as we age.
4:28
Yeah.
4:29
You know, our families and our cultures play such a huge role in what we eat.
4:34
We're, we're conditioned both within our families as well as the larger society
4:40
and culture that certain foods are, you know, what we eat and, and it's almost
4:45
becomes unthinking and it becomes tied to so much comfort and to so much, you
4:49
know, so many emotional memories that.
4:51
I think that's one of the biggest challenges for people actually shifting
4:55
their lifestyle is we just have so much, I'd say even unconscious conditioning
5:01
tied to these certain foods, you know?
5:03
So for me.
5:05
Uh, my mom was, I think, a good cook, but it was that very traditional
5:09
standard American diet of the meat, the potatoes, and maybe a vegetable
5:13
drowned in cheese or butter, you know?
5:15
And, um, um, I mean, I loved her food.
5:18
I also loved, you know, sweetss and other things that were very comforting and,
5:23
and many of us might have memories from holidays that are tied to certain foods.
5:28
And so I think that's the biggest challenge for many of us that.
5:33
When we're introduced to a healthier way of eating it, it just sort of can be a
5:39
block that, oh, it's too much to change, or I don't wanna give up these comforts.
5:45
It takes sometimes just something creating a breakthrough for us that makes
5:49
us willing to conCyder change and, and once we go on the change journey, our
5:52
taste buds can change what we see as.
5:56
Uh, the way we do things can change.
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We can even create healthy versions of our favorite foods that, you
6:01
know, can fill some of those, um, old connections of with comfort that
6:06
those foods might have brought us.
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But I think it is a journey that, of awakening that happens for, for
6:13
different people in different ways.
6:14
Um.
6:16
Like for some people it's that they have a health crisis that makes them start
6:19
to look at what they're eating and to conCyder different ways of eating to
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heal that, that health crisis, for me, it wasn't so much that, although the
6:31
health piece of it has become increasingly important as I, as I get older, but for me
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it was first just actually learning about.
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The reality is of animal agriculture and, and kind of the dangerous work
6:43
it is for, for the people that work in food processing, meat processing plants.
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Um, and then as I got to thinking, I saw a special on PBS that showed these
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workers that had frequent injuries due to the really horrific nature of
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the work they were doing, and yet they were being discouraged from getting
7:01
any treatment or taking time off work.
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And it just made me think like, ugh, this is a really unjust system.
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Like, um, I don't really wanna support this.
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And then I learned more about the animals and animal agriculture
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and it just, it felt like a system I didn't wanna be part of.
7:17
And, and it, I just kept reading and learning more about it
7:20
and the ethics of what we ate.
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And, and then I started reading the nutrition and health part and
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I learned about Dr. Dean Ornish's work and, um, Dr. Caldwell Essel.
7:29
So many other, um, amazing researchers that have discovered that eating more
7:34
plants can re reduce our risk of heart disease and type two diabetes, and so many
7:40
of the diseases that are so prevalent.
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And, um, I have a strong family history of heart disease.
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Many of my relatives died from heart related issues at a younger
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age than maybe they should have.
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So, you know, it kind of started to just hit home for me that this was one
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way I could eat that like actually fit with so many things that mattered to me
8:02
that how I ate was interconnected with.
8:05
C, you know, compassion, which I've always been a really
8:08
compassionate person for animals.
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I love nature.
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I want our earth to be remain beautiful and vibrant, and I care about my health
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and I cared about my client's health.
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You know, many of them had chronic health conditions.
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So just wanting, and people in general that we just don't know,
8:24
we're not taught like the realities of both how meat affects the
8:32
planet and animals, but also how.
8:35
Animal products and processed foods can affect our health
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and so highly processed foods.
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So, yeah, and, and I think as I learned about the health part,
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because I was a psychologist, I also became intrigued about, well, how
8:46
does it affect our mental health?
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And that's, you know, what led me to also include that in my own personal research,
8:53
um, to wanna know that connection.
8:56
I'm interested to hear more about that because we do hear that, um, a
9:00
poor lifestyle, poor diet leads to depression or contributes to depression.
9:06
Mm-hmm.
9:06
And so talk more about that.
9:07
How, how, what is the connection there between diet and depression?
9:11
Yeah.
9:13
You know, I, I'll first acknowledge that it's complex.
9:17
You know, I, I'm not going to say to someone, you know, if, if you have
9:20
chronic depression, just change your diet and everything will be better.
9:23
You know, um, at the same time.
9:27
I've come to see that nutrition and how we, um, feed our bodies, our nourish,
9:33
our nervous systems and our gut.
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All of that plays a huge role that has not been acknowledged or really, um,
9:40
included as much as it should have been, and maybe is more so now, a little bit
9:45
now with like the field of lifestyle medicine being, um, a growing field.
9:50
Um, but.
9:53
You know, the, the food we put in our bodies, it affects our
9:56
gut and our, our nervous system.
9:59
And our brain in a, in a multitude of ways, you know, and, and we've
10:04
all heard, and I know inflammation is something that you have studied
10:08
a a lot and, you know, teach about.
10:10
Well, inflammation affects our brain and our, our nervous system too.
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It affects our mood.
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Um, depression has been linked to higher levels of inflammation.
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So the very foods that can cause inflammation and.
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Make us have, be at more risk for heart disease or other medical issues
10:30
can also make us more at risk for depression because there's definitely
10:33
research showing depression being linked to higher levels of inflammation.
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So, so the foods that lessen inflammation are also good for our mental health.
10:45
And so some of the research, you know, there's a lot of research showing that
10:48
eating more fruits and vegetables.
10:50
Eating more whole plant foods, like those are linked to measures,
10:56
lower measures of like depression, anxiety, psychological distress.
11:00
So, and those studies suggest that like seven to 11, um, servings a day of
11:06
fruits and vegetables would be optimal to get that mood boosting effect.
11:11
And in fact there's some really interesting research on eating more
11:13
fruits and vegetables with young people that I think is so important.
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'cause young people are, you know, today and then when I was growing up
11:20
too, just eat a lot of junk, you know.
11:23
Um, but some research where a couple really interesting
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studies with young people.
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One was they just had young people keep a diary of what they were
11:30
eating on a day-to-day basis.
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And they found that those who were eating more fruits and vegetables had better.
11:37
Ratings of emotional wellbeing and creativity and sense of meaning and
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these kind of positive emotional states compared to those that were eating
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less fruits and vegetables and those positive states were higher on the days.
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They ate more of them too.
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So you know, if a person ate less on one day and more on another, like the
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days they ate more, it actually improved their mood and emotional wellbeing.
12:03
There's also another study with young people where they were given.
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Um, some groups were given two extra pieces of fruits or veggies a day to eat
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and some just ate their standard diet and those that were given two additional
12:17
fruits and veggies a day to eat had better mood and motivation scores.
12:21
So all that's really interesting.
12:24
So definitely the fruits and veggies are linked with it.
12:27
Um.
12:29
You know, those are correlational studies, so you can't always
12:32
prove causation with that.
12:33
But when they do look at it over time, they see that that.
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You know, what you eat today kind of can be predictive of what
12:40
your mood is like in the future.
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There are a few, um, more experimental studies.
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Not a lot, but, um, for example, Dr. Barnard's team with, um,
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PCRM has done some, you know, did the Geico studies where they.
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Had people that worked at Geico work sites, some of them go on a vegan diet
13:01
and some stay with their traditional diet.
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And they found that those on the vegan diet not only had better
13:08
physical wellbeing, but also reported better emotional wellbeing
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and work productivity as well.
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And, and there were some prison studies where, um, people in a
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prison, some of them were given.
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Um, a plant-based diet for a period of time and they had less behavioral problems
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compared to, and less recidivism compared to the prisoners eating the standard diet.
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So, so those are just some different things that kind of point to Yeah.
13:37
Eating more plants and, um, and less animal products is linked
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to better emotional wellbeing.
13:45
Mm-hmm.
13:47
So as an emotional eater myself, you know, and so when I'm feeling
13:52
anxious, my first response is to go see what's in the refrigerator.
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Um, how, what, um, what strategies would you advise for people
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that are emotional eaters?
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Yeah, that's a great point.
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'cause that's the other link between food and mood.
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You know, obviously food, what we eat affects our emotional wellbeing,
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but our emotional state can definitely affect what we're drawn.
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To eat and sometimes lead us to make choices that are less than healthy.
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I mean, it's very common that when we are feeling certain emotions, there's some,
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some of us that are drawn to eat things that are either high in salt, sugar,
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or fat, or a combination of the above.
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Um, so you know, that's so common, Cyd, and I appreciate you mentioning that.
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Um.
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I guess a few things, you know, so when we think about how do plant foods help
14:48
our emotional wellbeing, you know, when we are eating a healthier diet, we're already
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getting like these micronutrients and antioxidants that help reduce inflammation
15:00
and help our gut microbiome, so.
15:04
So one thing is that when you're already on a healthy plant-based lifestyle,
15:08
it provides some foundational things that might make you be a little
15:12
less at risk than the person that's already eating a super unhealthy
15:17
diet because you've already kind of retrained your, your taste buds a bit.
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You've also got all this good stuff going, like anti-inflammatory, you
15:28
know, and high nutrient foods helping.
15:32
And also fiber helps too.
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Um, they find that with each five gram increase in fiber that you have, it
15:39
reduces your risk of depression by 5%.
15:42
So, so first thing I guess I would say is just by changing your, your
15:46
diet as I know you have and I have it, it lessens the risk for that.
15:53
That doesn't mean that it's not going to be there, but, um, and I'll talk
15:57
more about when it comes up regardless.
15:59
Um, but for me personally, like I told you how I used to eat all that comfort food,
16:03
well, I still do like chocolate, but.
16:06
I am happy with a few squares of dark chocolate, you know, versus the way
16:11
I once ate, which would be like a big bag of, you know, the, the biggest bag
16:16
of m and m that existed or something.
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You know, that doesn't even sound good to me now.
16:21
You know, even if I were depressed, it just sounds like it would
16:24
just feel terrible for my body.
16:26
So I think first is when we change our diet to this healthier high fiber.
16:33
Variety of plant foods, plenty of fruit kind of lifestyle.
16:38
We're a little bit less at risk for those more unhealthy urges,
16:42
but when they do come up, I think, you know, there's a few things.
16:47
You know, even if like the choice that you might make now when you feel
16:50
that way, wouldn't be as bad as it would've been however many years ago.
16:54
Mm-hmm.
16:54
You're still not wanting to make that unhealthy choice.
16:58
A few is like checking in with what am I feeling, you know, and what am I needing?
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There might be an emotion going on that is pointing to a need that you have.
17:07
Um, maybe like I'm, you know, what is the emotion that I'm having?
17:12
Is there a way I can attune to that emotion and do something to take care
17:15
of the emotion other than the just kind of reflex of grabbing some food.
17:20
Um, can I only have the healthy foods in the house?
17:25
So it's a lot harder to have something that wouldn't be on my list.
17:29
Um, and if I'm feeling that craving, could I grab something that I. Is healthy,
17:36
you know, if I'm really, truly wanting something and seeing if that lessens like
17:41
having an apple in that moment, you know, are there things that I could eat that
17:46
kind of, would be a healthier choice?
17:47
So I think, you know, one is, um, attending to your emotions in healthier
17:52
ways and seeing what the true needs are.
17:54
Maybe you need a walk, maybe you need to call a friend.
17:56
Maybe you need a good cry.
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But then if you are gonna truly eat something in that moment, having things
18:01
on hand that fit with your values and your lifestyle that you could.
18:06
Eat that.
18:08
You know, fruit is really good for us and sometimes our brain actually
18:11
does need the glucose of a fruit.
18:13
And when we're drawn to a candy bar, we're actually maybe needing
18:16
like a grape or an apple, you know?
18:19
So that can be something if we are going to eat something to,
18:22
to go to, but sometimes it's just not food we're needing at all.
18:25
It's, um, other needs that are needing to be met.
18:29
Mm-hmm.
18:30
So for someone transitioning to a plant-based diet, um, are
18:34
there any emotional challenges?
18:36
They can expect to have during that process?
18:39
Or, or how would they cope with those?
18:42
Yeah.
18:44
Yeah.
18:45
I think there's, you know, different challenges.
18:48
Um, you know, as we transition into a lifestyle change like our diet, um, and
18:55
we're eating differently than those around us, especially, I mean, if everybody ate
19:00
the way we ate, it would certainly be a lot easier, um, to make this change.
19:03
But for most of us that are going plant-based.
19:07
Uh, we're in a situation where those around us are not eating that way.
19:10
They're not eating as healthy.
19:12
Um, and they're not eating, they're not eating plant-based in particular.
19:19
They're eating a lot of animal products and maybe a lot of processed foods.
19:23
So, so I think some of the challenges are social, you know, and in fact,
19:29
which is emotional as well, because we're social creatures and we wanna
19:33
fit in and we want to kind of.
19:36
Be part of social situations.
19:38
So I think one of the biggest challenges many people face in
19:41
their initial transition is, how do I navigate social situations?
19:44
How do I navigate being different emo, you know, from those around me.
19:48
In fact, research shows that the biggest, probably the biggest cause of people not
19:55
sticking to a plant-based lifestyle are these social and psychosocial factors.
20:00
Um, so.
20:02
I think just, you know, one, having a strong why a strong reason for your change
20:09
is really foundational, because it's gonna make you willing to learn the new skills
20:13
that you need to learn to be successful.
20:16
So you know, if it is a health issue, really holding a vision for like how
20:21
your life will be different if you're healthy and you're able to be vibrant and
20:25
healthy on this plant-based lifestyle.
20:28
You know, if it's more of an ethical, you know, reason that you've chosen this, or
20:31
environmental, you know, picturing the positive change you're creating by eating
20:36
this way for yourself and for others, and then having this strong why, then?
20:43
Being able to communicate with the people that are nearest and dearest
20:46
to you about why this lifestyle's important, so that at least they can
20:49
be an ally to you, even if they're not willing to go make the change with you.
20:54
I mean, most of us that become plant-based, we hope
20:56
others will change too.
20:57
We want their health to be good and we want them to support us.
21:00
Um, but that doesn't always happen.
21:02
And so if your loved ones aren't willing to change with you.
21:06
Ask them to be your ally, to be your support so that they have
21:10
your back and understand why this is so important to you.
21:14
Um, yeah.
21:15
I think a few other things are having a good plant-based support network.
21:18
You know, being part of plant-based groups.
21:21
Um, you know, for example, you and I are both in a group called plant-based
21:25
Support, you know, so being where people can be among a community of
21:29
others on this plant-based path, finding those communities and.
21:34
NHA, you know, has a conference every year.
21:36
You know, going to that conference and meeting others who are on this journey.
21:40
These are really important because, um.
21:45
It just helps us stay committed to our path and not feel so alone.
21:49
And then I think finally having some practices that help you
21:52
navigate social situations better.
21:54
You know, having some key responses that you have to people asking, speaking to
21:58
the hosts ahead of time and letting them know, you know, your way of eating and
22:03
offering to bring, you know, a dish.
22:06
Um, calling ahead to restaurants, just.
22:09
You are worth it to learn a new way of living and eating and to be
22:13
a leader rather than a follower.
22:15
Um, it's just, it's a reset.
22:17
I, I had to learn it because I, um, although I'm really independent
22:21
when I first went fully vegan.
22:25
I realized there was a strong part of me that just didn't wanna make waves
22:28
that just kind of wanted to go to a social event and not have to speak up.
22:32
Um, some people find that easier than others, but for me it was a little hard.
22:36
But I just finally kind of realized like, I'm so committed to this,
22:39
that it's worth it to learn what I need to learn to, to navigate this,
22:45
and it's worth it to be different.
22:47
Because I care about this, and if anything, I want to be a leader
22:50
that others might start to explore this way of living for themselves.
22:54
Um, so, so it's just a shift in your, in your way of thinking and a commitment.
23:00
To what really matters to you and being willing to be a little uncomfortable in
23:04
the learning process, but it gets easier.
23:06
Like now I don't really think about it now.
23:08
I couldn't even imagine another way of being.
23:11
Yeah.
23:12
I'm so glad you brought that up, because many of my clients are in that position
23:16
where if they're at a luncheon and they're handed a piece of cake, they're
23:19
not gonna say no to it, even though it, they don't really want that cake.
23:24
But they just are very uncomfortable being the odd man out.
23:28
Mm. Yeah.
23:29
So, um, having a strategy around that just to say, oh, thanks, I'll set that aCyde.
23:34
Maybe I'll have it later.
23:35
I'm so full.
23:36
You know, just having some mental, uh, strategies in mind Exactly.
23:40
Would be helpful.
23:41
Yeah, definitely.
23:42
Like have a plan for it.
23:44
Like I, when I first, um.
23:46
Became vegan.
23:47
I, I remember the first church event I went to.
23:49
I thought, oh, surely there'll be something there.
23:51
Like there was nothing there.
23:54
Yeah.
23:54
And um, and I just learned quickly like, no, you're gonna have to be
23:57
more proactive and have a plan.
23:59
You either bring food, you know, that you yourself can eat.
24:01
You offer to bring something to contribute to the menu.
24:05
You let people know ahead of time.
24:08
What your plans are, so they're not as offended or whatever.
24:12
By you not eating something, they realize you have a reason
24:16
and or just have a backup plan.
24:19
If someone who doesn't know your eating style offers you something you don't
24:22
want, what's, what's an something you can say, and it can be just making an excuse.
24:26
If you don't feel like making a big deal, it's okay.
24:32
Yeah, social pressure plays a huge role.
24:34
Like you said, maybe the number one role in why people revert or don't
24:39
have success when they transition.
24:41
Yeah, I, I would, yeah, there's a lot of research that suggests
24:45
that's really a dominant theme and, and, and it makes a lot of sense
24:50
because we're social creatures.
24:51
We don't just eat in isolation for the most part.
24:54
You know, we eat with other people and, and then that
24:56
conditioning we talked about.
24:58
And um, and I think, you know, what they find is people who are successful.
25:04
There's a few things.
25:05
One is that there's a shift in their identity.
25:09
It's not just like I'm eating a diet, like, oh, here's just this another diet.
25:14
There's a shift in identity, like I'm a healthy eater.
25:17
Or I'm a plant-based eater, or I'm a person who prioritizes their
25:22
health and their daily choices.
25:24
Or if you're an ethical vegan, you know, I'm a compassionate person who lives out
25:28
my choices, you know, through what I eat, whatever the reasons are, it becoming
25:33
part of who you are in a good way.
25:36
So that your choices reflect this, this value that you hold, this
25:40
identity that you care about, um, and then your choices can, you know,
25:47
be congruent with that identity.
25:48
And it, and I think having more than one reason for why you're doing
25:52
what you're doing can also help, like if you're doing it for your
25:55
health, maybe also that you care.
25:58
About being there for your kids long, you know, or grandkids, um, sometimes
26:03
having others that you care about being part of your, your reasons for this.
26:08
Um, yeah, so there's a couple mental tricks that work for me.
26:12
One is, one is when I think, well, I don't wanna partake in that type of food.
26:19
I wanna stay healthy.
26:20
So that, like, if you add the words so that, that, yes, love that.
26:24
An love extra motivator.
26:26
Yes, that's perfect.
26:28
Whatever.
26:28
So that is so that I can travel it or play with my grandkids or not have to go
26:32
into a home at some point later in life.
26:35
Yes, exactly.
26:36
I love that.
26:37
That's so that because yeah, it's like just being healthy isn't always enough
26:43
of a motivator without adding in.
26:45
What does being healthy give us the ability to do or experience,
26:50
um, that matters to us.
26:52
Yeah.
26:52
And I love the identity based choices that you were talking about, and one thing
26:57
that works for me there is saying the words, I don't, I don't eat that anymore.
27:02
Mm-hmm.
27:03
That's not my food.
27:04
Instead of, I can't eat that glazed donut.
27:06
Yes.
27:07
I don't eat place donuts anymore.
27:08
That decision's already been made, so, um, yes.
27:10
I love that.
27:11
Yeah.
27:12
I think, and it's good even with other people, we reframe it that way.
27:15
They're like, oh, you know, my sister-in-law might say, well,
27:19
I, I realize you can't eat that.
27:20
And I'm like, it's not that I can't eat that.
27:23
I just choose not to.
27:24
I, I don't eat that.
27:26
It's simple, similar to what you're saying.
27:29
Yeah.
27:29
So it creates a feedback loop.
27:31
I, I read about that study on saying, I don't, versus I can't Yes, yes.
27:36
And saying, I can't, makes us feel limited.
27:38
Like we would eat it, but we just can't for some reason.
27:41
But when we say I don't, it's much more empowering.
27:44
Exactly.
27:45
Yeah.
27:49
So what, what small steps would you advise people to, could take to improve
27:54
their emotional, um, health around food?
27:56
Hmm.
27:59
Are there any, yeah, well, you know, so as you think about, you know, as
28:04
we've talked about your why, um, mm-hmm.
28:09
And you, you create a lifestyle of eating lots of vibrant colors and,
28:15
you know, the whole rainbow of food.
28:17
You know, I, those studies that show that having 30 or more varieties
28:21
of plants in the week, that gives you the optimal gut health.
28:24
You know, our gut is so.
28:26
So tied into our mental health because 95% of our serotonin is produced in
28:31
the gut and about half of our dopamine, you know, so those are two feel good
28:35
neurotransmitters that start in our gut.
28:38
So, so eating that variety of food and lots of fiber in the foods
28:43
you eat, that's a starting point.
28:46
And seeing the beauty in what you eat, you know, truly creating beautiful
28:50
meals that taste delicious, you know, so there's no sense of deprivation.
28:56
Um, enjoying these delicious foods, following people like you and
29:00
others who create recipes and, you know, menus that people can enjoy.
29:05
So that's a start, and I think remembering like our food choices
29:10
can be tied to so much more.
29:12
Like not only does it help our mental health and our emotional wellbeing
29:18
to have all this good nutrition.
29:20
But I have like in my book, research people shared that eating plant-based was
29:27
also linked to their spiritual wellbeing and other aspects of their wellbeing.
29:32
People found that as they lived a plant-based lifestyle, it seemed
29:38
to open up other things for them, a sense of meaning and purpose, a
29:43
sense of connection with nature.
29:46
And in some people a greater connection to their spiritual values and their
29:53
spiritual power that they believed in.
29:57
There was greater sense that I'm connected to all life in a meaningful
30:03
way and and making a positive difference.
30:06
So that's not something that's as easy to measure.
30:10
But when I interviewed vegans about the changes in their life.
30:15
From living a plant-based vegan lifestyle for my book research, many, many
30:21
people describe this interconnectedness and this greater sense of meaning
30:25
and purpose, um, beyond themselves.
30:29
That was part of what made this lifestyle so fulfilling.
30:32
And I, I know that's true for me, that I, I love that the food is nourishing
30:36
me and that feels great, but it also is.
30:39
It's a choice I'm making every day.
30:41
That's good for me, better for the planet, and in alignment
30:45
with my value of compassion.
30:47
So it just, all this comes together and it, it gives great meaning to me.
30:53
And I think a sense of peace too, right?
30:55
When we're living in alignment with what is really important to us, things that
30:58
we value, I just think that brings a sense of peace and calm because there's
31:03
no internal conflict there going on.
31:05
Exactly.
31:06
It's very, very true that, um, many of the people I re interviewed and
31:11
myself also relate to that just a, a piece of a feeling of peace and
31:16
also freedom because I think we're taught, and this is what I was taught.
31:21
I grew up in the Midwest and I as I know you did too.
31:26
Um, I was taught that, um, eating.
31:30
Meat and dairy was necessary for my life to function and to be
31:36
healthy and to just even survive.
31:38
And when I learned that I didn't have to eat that and that I could
31:43
eat plant-based and I could thrive and be less at risk for disease.
31:49
Uh, and after I learned more about what really happens in those systems of
31:55
animal agriculture, I just felt freed actually to be able to say, no, you
31:59
know, I don't wanna participate in this.
32:00
I can eat a different way and it's good for me and good for what I care about.
32:05
And it just, I don't know, there was a freedom with it that I
32:09
didn't expect because I didn't know there was a weight on me until the
32:12
weight was lifted And, Hmm, um.
32:16
It was lifted when I actually felt freed to make different choices and.
32:20
To even go against, you know, what is sort of societally normative.
32:24
Not, not just to be a rebel for no reason, but to actually be aligned with my values.
32:29
Um, so, so yeah, it just, it is freeing and it is peaceful, and it
32:36
doesn't mean we don't have challenges.
32:38
Um, the people I interviewed for my, my research, you know, some of them struggled
32:43
with different difficult emotions, especially when we do learn things about.
32:48
You know, what's happening to animals or what's happening to our
32:51
planet, or even the human suffering.
32:53
You know, we're gonna have tough feelings sometimes, but I think
32:59
the eating the food that actually nourishes your, your body and.
33:03
Kind of boosts the positive neurochemicals in your body and then
33:07
living in alignment with your values.
33:09
It gives you a good foundation that at least you know you're doing the
33:11
best you can in a world that has tough things going on, that you're making
33:16
the choices you can, you're doing what you can, you can't control everything.
33:19
I can't fix all the suffering in the world, and as an empath, I, I would
33:23
like to sometimes, but I don't have that power, but I can do what I can do,
33:28
and there is freedom and peace in that.
33:31
Mm-hmm.
33:33
Uh, what advice would you have for people that feel shame or guilt when they
33:37
fall off the wagon and they're eating something they shouldn't be eating and
33:41
they feel emotionally bad about that?
33:43
Yeah.
33:43
What advice would you give them?
33:46
Sometimes we are taught to view ourselves in judgmental ways
33:50
and to be hard on ourselves.
33:53
Um, and that's not a helpful thing for any change.
33:56
You know, I think of my years of helping people as a psychologist and then.
34:00
One of the, the models I learned about was the stages of change model,
34:04
which I think is a really helpful way to think about the change process.
34:08
You know, we go through certain stages that include pre-contemplation, where
34:14
we're not yet even thinking of change to contemplation, where we're now weighing
34:18
it and kind of maybe ambivalent that we're thinking about it, and then preparation.
34:22
Okay, I'm ready.
34:24
I'm gonna get prepared and then action.
34:26
I'm doing it.
34:28
Then maintenance, which is how we set up our lifestyle to sustain it, because
34:32
just taking action doesn't guarantee that something will be sustained.
34:36
We have to have structures and systems and supports in place and habits in place
34:42
that help this to become the norm for us.
34:45
But one of the things that, um, Prochaska and Ccle DeClemente who created this
34:49
model emphasized is that relapse is part of the change process for most of us.
34:54
It's not conCydered a stage of change per se, but it's so common
34:59
that it has to be acknowledged.
35:01
Um, and we need to learn how to cope with it because real, you
35:06
know, having a setback or a relapse.
35:08
Yeah.
35:09
The way many of us are trained to cope with that is to, as you just said, you
35:12
know, shame ourselves or view ourselves as bad, or, you know, having failed
35:16
and, well, I guess I can't do this.
35:19
And it's, you know, we might give up.
35:21
But what research finds is that successful changers of their lifestyle
35:27
are not necessarily perfect, don't necessarily never have a relapse.
35:31
In fact, many of them do.
35:33
It's just more how we handle it.
35:35
So it's not that we're looking to have a setback and just giving ourselves
35:37
permission, like, oh, you know, we'll just try it this one time.
35:41
But if it does happen.
35:43
To view it as a learning opportunity rather than a failure.
35:47
Reframe it.
35:48
You know, what can I learn from what happened here?
35:50
You know, what got me off track?
35:52
What were the kind of factors that played into this, and how
35:55
can I do it differently next time?
35:57
Mm-hmm.
35:57
And start right away.
35:59
We don't need to wait till tomorrow to restart.
36:01
Just right now, let's restart.
36:03
But what can I learn from this?
36:04
You know, because actually people.
36:07
When they have setbacks, they can become even more committed to the
36:11
lifestyle than if you never had one.
36:13
Um mm-hmm.
36:14
Because it just, it shows you the contrast between what you're working
36:19
towards in that old way of being.
36:21
And sometimes it's just like, ah, I don't really wanna go back to that.
36:23
And we can become more committed and we can learn to get stronger because
36:28
there's gonna be situations that throw us off track, whether it's a mood
36:31
that we get in or a social situation, or someone else's pressure, or.
36:37
Just any number of things can throw us off track.
36:40
Just not being prepared, um, not having a plan.
36:44
So, but we can learn, okay, I wasn't prepared and I didn't have a plan.
36:48
Let's have a plan for next time.
36:50
Yeah.
36:50
And I like how you said, don't wait until tomorrow to get back on track,
36:54
because I've personally seen in my own, with my own clientele that if
36:59
they have a mess up, it can, they can go off track for days sometimes.
37:03
Yeah, it would, yeah.
37:05
Yeah, definitely don't, don't wait.
37:08
Don't delay.
37:08
I mean, if you do okay, pick up as soon as you can, but yeah, but
37:13
don't let that become the norm.
37:14
If you have a setback, which most of us do, especially early on, because we're
37:20
learning a new behavior, you know it, it's going to happen sometimes, but.
37:26
Join the club.
37:27
They find that people that quit smoking, the average person tries seven or
37:31
eight times before they're successful.
37:33
A hundred percent.
37:34
So yeah.
37:36
Other behaviors, it can be more than that even.
37:39
So just realize, okay, I'm, I'm making a change.
37:42
It's more my overall pattern that matters.
37:45
Not that I was perfect every day and let's just learn from it and move forward.
37:52
You mentioned earlier too, that it's not just diet that, uh, IM
37:56
impacts our emotional health.
37:58
It's all the pillars of lifestyle, correct?
38:01
Yes.
38:01
And I'm really glad you mentioned that.
38:05
When I was doing the research for my book and interviewing people, there were
38:09
several people who had been previously struggling with anxiety or depression,
38:15
and that were able actually, as they went on a whole food, plant-based vegan
38:19
diet, they were able with their doctor's guidance, never do this on your own.
38:24
To reduce and even eliminate some of those psychotropic medications they
38:28
had been on for anxiety or depression.
38:30
They did that with the doctor's help, not just.
38:32
Abruptly ending it.
38:33
That's important to note.
38:36
At the same time, those same people really emphasized to me that all the
38:41
lifestyle pillars really mattered in their emotional wellbeing.
38:45
They did note that changing the nutrition gave a really important foundation
38:50
that let them get more out of the other lifestyle pillars than they
38:53
had when they weren't eating healthy.
38:55
So I've come to see the nutrition as like this foundational piece that will help us.
39:01
I gained so much more from all the other ways of healing, um, than we would if
39:05
we weren't including the nutrition.
39:07
Um, but the nutrition alone, if we're not also doing some movement or exercise
39:14
or getting adequate sleep or having healthy relationships and connections
39:19
and, you know, taking care of our stress.
39:22
And avoiding unhealthy substances.
39:24
All those pillars, and I would add in a few others, like having
39:27
a sense of purpose, having, um, maybe a spiritual foundation.
39:31
Those kinds of things also have been shown through science to be important.
39:35
Getting out in nature.
39:37
Science also shows that linked to mental health, so just having a variety
39:41
of different self-care practices that help us live a holistic, healthy
39:46
life seems to be super important.
39:49
You know, in my working with clients.
39:52
I worked with some that had healthy diets, but they also had to make sure that they
39:56
were taking care of themselves in other ways to really have them optimal life,
39:59
you know, and mental health, um, benefits.
40:03
So, mm-hmm.
40:04
Very good.
40:05
So do you have a copy of your book there, Angela, that you could show us?
40:08
Mine's on my nightstand, right?
40:10
I can run Get it?
40:11
Yeah.
40:12
Um, I can grab mine.
40:13
It's right behind me.
40:14
Okay.
40:15
We'd like to hear more about your book.
40:17
It sounds like you did a lot of research for that book and interviewed
40:20
a lot of people and um Yeah.
40:23
Yeah.
40:24
You know, I did interview, I surveyed 350 vegans and interviewed 75 in depth, and
40:31
they ranged from whole food, plant-based vegans to perhaps those that had made
40:36
the decision more for ethical reasons and some for a mixture of all the reasons.
40:40
And, you know, just really looked at.
40:43
How did their life change emotionally and spiritually and psychologically
40:47
as they were on this plant-based lifestyle and both predominantly the
40:52
study focused on the benefits they experienced, um, from an emotional and
40:56
psychological and spiritual point of view.
40:58
Mm-hmm.
40:59
And also the physical health.
41:01
As well.
41:02
But looking at it more from the standpoint of health empowerment,
41:06
that, you know, when we actually learn there's something we can do through our
41:09
nutrition that actually helps our health.
41:11
Not only does it help our health, but we also feel like we have more
41:14
agency, um, which can be so empowering.
41:19
So, so I looked at the benefits and then I also did touch into what were
41:23
the challenges psychologically and emotionally and socially, and how
41:27
did they handle those, you know, what were the things that worked for them.
41:31
So the book is, let's see if I can show it here.
41:34
The Vegan Transformation, A Journey to Heal Yourself in the World.
41:38
Mm-hmm.
41:38
And it came out April of this year, and so it's available
41:42
anywhere people buy books or.
41:45
People can go to my website and I have a book tab there that has a links to
41:48
a lot of different booksellers, and so my website is Angela Crawford phd.com.
41:54
Okay.
41:55
I will give a shout out too to the National Health Association
41:58
in their summer issue.
42:00
I had an article on food and mood in there that touches on some of the
42:03
research I shared in today's episode.
42:06
So summer 2024.
42:09
Very good.
42:11
Very good.
42:13
Well, this has been so interesting.
42:15
I think food and mood is a topic that is not maybe talked about enough.
42:19
I mean, I, you don't hear a lot about anxiety, how food impacts
42:24
our emotional re resilience Yeah.
42:27
And our, our anxiety levels.
42:29
And that's really, uh, you know, as you say that, I, I think on a
42:32
personal level, I can resonate with that too, because while I, I never had
42:36
a full-blown depression or anxiety.
42:39
I struggled with it, you know, as a teenager and young adult on minor levels.
42:44
And since being, you know, in the whole food plant-based direction and
42:50
eating a lot of whole plant foods, I can't say that I never struggle
42:54
with anxiety or depression, but it's from a much more grounded, resourced
42:58
place when I have those feelings now.
43:02
Mm-hmm.
43:03
You know?
43:03
Um.
43:04
I definitely feel that eating a healthy diet, one, I'm less prone
43:09
to eat the real unhealthy foods.
43:11
I just don't have the same draw that they once did, and I feel more
43:16
grounded to handle the emotional ups and downs that do come with life.
43:20
And I think a lot of the people I interviewed reported similar types of
43:25
experiences, so there's something to it.
43:29
I think there needs to be a lot more research that is.
43:33
Um, that includes comparisons of different groups and things like that.
43:38
'cause there are a lot of those studies, um, in looking at medical issues and
43:42
not as much about the mental health, but there's growing numbers of studies
43:46
and a lot of, you know, is pointing in that direction that the same diet that
43:51
helps our physical health is also a good foundation for better mental health.
43:55
Yeah.
43:56
And would you say mindfulness or self-awareness, all of that.
44:00
Has to play a role too in our abilities to cope.
44:03
Right.
44:03
We have to be self-aware of triggers and and be mindful Yeah.
44:08
Of what those triggers are.
44:09
Yeah.
44:10
For me, you know, nutrition is part of a whole rich life.
44:14
That includes, as you mentioned, so many other things.
44:16
Our lifestyle practices, mindfulness.
44:21
In fact, you know, I incorporate, when I do a Food for Life class, I often will
44:25
do a meditation at the beginning of it.
44:27
Just trying to help people to bring in mindfulness in general
44:30
to what we're eating, what we're thinking, how we're being.
44:34
I, I do feel it is, that's a, you know, another great point to bring in that it
44:39
is highly connected and you know, I think.
44:45
The practices that make us healthy emotionally can be integrated into just
44:49
this holistic, kind of healthy lifestyle that includes these different practices
44:56
and, and, and greater self-awareness.
44:58
It just helps us not just to react to what's happening, but to have that
45:01
pause in between, you know, stimulus and response so that we have choice
45:06
rather than just being reactive to whatever it is with old patterns
45:10
that are not serving us anymore.
45:13
I love that you mentioned that pause between the stimulus and the response.
45:17
I've heard a lot about it.
45:18
Even a five second pause, right?
45:20
Even a short pause to rethink what else could I do right now
45:24
instead of what I'm about to do?
45:26
Yes.
45:27
Yes.
45:27
Like grab that.
45:28
Grab that unhealthy thing from the convenience store or whatever.
45:31
Exactly.
45:32
Yeah.
45:32
So there's grabbing an unhealthy food, sending off an email
45:35
that might, you might regret.
45:39
Absolutely.
45:40
Take a walk, you know?
45:41
Take a moment.
45:44
Well, thank you so much, Angela, your website, Angela Crawford phd.com.
45:49
That's where people can find your book as well.
45:52
Yeah, they can find, there's a book tab that shows where
45:55
you can purchase the book.
45:56
Um, it also, there's a contact tab that has my social media links
46:00
and other ways to contact me.
46:03
And people can find out about your Food for Life classes there as well.
46:07
Right, exactly.
46:08
I have a cooking classes under services, so yeah.
46:11
So all of it is there.
46:13
Awesome.
46:15
Well, do you have any parting words of wisdom before we sign off today?
46:20
Yeah,
46:23
I think a parting word of wisdom is expanding our circle of compassion
46:30
to include ourselves and to truly be compassionate to ourselves by choosing
46:34
things not that are comforting on the surface, but actually sustain and
46:38
nourish our greater wellbeing, and then through being compassionate to
46:43
ourselves, letting that expand out too.
46:46
Have compassion for more and more people, even those who are different from us.
46:51
Um, realizing people struggle in ways we don't always see, and compassion for
46:55
more beings and compassion for our earth.
47:00
We're all interconnected and I think there's a great peace in realizing
47:06
that it can help us make choices that are truly better for us, ultimately.
47:12
Very good.
47:14
Well, thank you so much for being here today.
47:16
It was wonderful to talk about food and mood and the impact that food
47:21
has on our emotional wellbeing.
47:22
It's, it's so all linked together.
47:25
As you said, all the pillars are linked, and so thanks to all of you
47:29
for tuning in today to the NHA Today Podcast and stay tuned for another
47:33
episode and we'll see you soon.
47:36
Take care everyone.
47:37
Bye.