Nourishing Your Mind: How Diet Shapes Mental and Emotional Well-Being

When we think about improving our mental and emotional health, we often focus on practices like therapy, meditation, exercise, or taking time away from work. These are all powerful tools, but there’s one that often gets overlooked: what’s on our plate.

Our diet doesn’t just affect our physical health; it plays a major role in how we feel, think, and cope with life’s challenges. The connection between what we eat and our brain chemistry is so strong that some scientists refer to the gut as the “second brain.” This means that every meal can be a chance to support your mood, sharpen your focus, and boost your resilience.

For those working in nonprofits, having a well balanced diet can help you tackle the fast paced, rigorous work by boosting your mood and energy levels. A well-balanced diet isn’t just about longevity — it’s about giving you the mental clarity and emotional stamina to keep doing the meaningful work you love without burning out.

How Does Food Impact Our Brains?

Our brains are always “on.” Rather at work, volunteering, or even managing our home lives, we are constantly working and optimizing. Small changes in your diet can have major impacts on your ability to do all this, and do it well. 

First, our diets affect our mood regulation. Nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, and magnesium help produce neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, which regulate mood and emotional stability. Second, our diets can affect our cognitive performance. Changing your diet can improve your focus, memory, and problem-solving skills. Lastly, diet can even strengthen your stress resilience. Diets rich in whole foods can reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, which are linked to anxiety, depression, and fatigue.

What Foods Can Make Your Mental and Emotional Health Worse?

Highly processed foods: Unsurprisingly, highly processed foods can make minor changes in mood feel more drastically. Often high in added sugars, refined grains, and unhealthy fats, these can cause blood sugar spikes and crashes which can leave you feeling irritable and mentally foggy.

Excess caffeine – While coffee can be a helpful pick-me-up doing those overly busy days, too much can increase anxiety and restlessness. Notably, too much caffeine also disrupts sleep and contribute to cycles of feeling overly tired, crashing, and/or anxiety.

Alcohol – While it can feel relaxing in the moment, alcohol can disrupt sleep quality and worsen anxiety and depression over time.

What changes can you make in your diet to make you feel better?

1. Eat balanced meals at regular intervals

When you’re under stress, your body releases cortisol and adrenaline, which increase your blood sugar. If you pair this with skipping meals or relying on refined carbs, your blood sugar levels swing dramatically — leading to irritability, brain fog, and fatigue.

What helps:

• Eat balanced meals with protein, healthy fat, and fiber-rich carbs.

• Avoid skipping breakfast — even something simple like Greek yogurt with berries can help.

• Keep nutritious snacks on hand, such as almonds, hummus with vegetables, or whole-grain crackers with cheese. This also helps make sure you don’t miss meals/forget to eat on busy days!

2. Reduce inflammation with some food favorites to help decrease your anxiety. 

Chronic stress increases inflammation in the body, which has been linked to depression, anxiety, and fatigue. Anti-inflammatory foods can help counteract this.

What helps:

• Fatty fish (salmon, sardines) twice a week. Plenty of colorful vegetables and fruits — aim for a rainbow on your plate.

• Olive oil, avocado, and nuts for healthy fats.

3. Keep Hydrated!

Even mild dehydration can impair mood, memory, and focus. Stress can make you forget to drink water, especially if you’re relying on coffee to get through the day.

What helps:

• Keep a water bottle nearby and sip throughout the day.

• Infuse water with lemon, cucumber, or mint if plain water feels boring. Balance caffeine with extra water intake.

4. Eating as a Form of Self-Compassion

Burnout can lead to “autopilot eating” — grabbing whatever is quickest without much thought. Reframing mealtime as a moment of self-care can help you slow down, breathe, and nourish both body and mind.

What helps:

• Sit down for meals instead of eating at your desk.

• Use mealtime as a small break in your day — no screens, just a few minutes of mindful eating.

Utilize Day 7 Nutritionists

Amongst our many providers, Day 7 provides access to nutritionists that can help you make impactful, intentional steps toward bettering your diet.

Working with a nutritionist can make the process of improving your diet less overwhelming and more personal. Instead of trying to sort through conflicting advice online, you get guidance that’s tailored to your body, lifestyle, and emotional needs. A nutritionist can help you set realistic goals, troubleshoot challenges, and find foods you actually enjoy — turning healthy eating from a chore into a sustainable, supportive habit.

See a list of our Nutritionists and Health Coaches here.

Allison Nutrition Consulting 

Allison Nutrition Consulting is based in Nashville and helps clients build a healthier relationship with food through intuitive eating, emotional wellness, and personalized nutrition. They have a genuine and compassionate understanding that mental and physical health are deeply connected. Their philosophy centers around guiding clients through nutritional choices without rigid rules or guilt. They also focus on body respect, mindful eating, and tailored nutritional plans. While working with Allision Nutrition, you will focus on sustainable habits that support everyday life.

Nashville Nutrition Partners

Nashville Nutrition Partners provides in person as well as telehealth appointments to make nutrition as accessible as possible. An important part of their ethos is that they are “weight neutral,” which makes them an ideal option for those that want to focus on mental and emotional wellbeing through their diet. 

They also provide body image and PCOS support groups for individuals who want to work on improving their relationship with their health as well as their nutrition.

Sheri Traxler

Sheri Traxler is a great provider for those that are more interested in learning more about creating a balanced diet and moving forward with your nutrition plan with more autonomy. Sheri Traxler provides courses and workshops that help you learn about diet specific plans – i.e. Paleo and Gluten Free. For those that don’t want to commit to a specific diet, you can also join her “Improve Your Gut To Improve Your Brain” workshop.