Welcome to week one of the Feed Your Mental Health Nutritional Psychiatry Challenge. I’m Dr. Drew Ramsey, board certified psychiatrist, Nutritional Psychiatry aficionado, and your guide this fall to help you over the next seven weeks. Let’s get into it.
Now, week number one, not glamorous, not exciting, not expensive, not all over Instagram. Yes, one of my favorites, lentils. That’s what we’re going to focus on this week. Now, lentils are one of my favorite places to get started when it comes to feeding your mental health, but it’s not a food that patients are really excited, even though I’m recommending it all the time.
Why lentils? The first reason might surprise you is just because they’re practical. In my own kitchen, I have four or five different types of dried lentils. About once a week, we’ll make a big pot of lentils. They’re practical, they’re inexpensive, and they’re easy to incorporate into a lot of different foods. So I know we’re getting some of these nutrients that are so important for brain health and for mental health.
So, why are lentils so great for mental health? Well, let’s start with all the folate, vitamin B9. This is one of the nutrients that’s most clearly linked to mood and mental health. Follow that up with incredible amounts of minerals. You get magnesium, you get potassium, you get iron. All of these are involved in the chemical reactions in your brain that create mood, consciousness, serotonin. You need all of these minerals to have great and robust mental health.
And then fiber. Let’s not forget, in the day and age of Nutritional Psychiatry in the microbiome, fiber is a mental health nutrient. And most of us, like 75% of Americans, aren’t even getting close to enough fiber. Lentils is one of the foods that helps us solve that problem. And it’s one of the reasons that lentils are our week one food for the Feed Your Mental Health Nutritional Psychiatry Challenge.
We talk so much about mental health and brain health. We kind of forget that you need these nutrients to make everything, your dreams, your hopes, your fears, every thought, every idea, every emotion you have depends on these vitamins and these minerals. That’s why Nutritional Psychiatry wants you to eat more of them.
The bigger idea here in week one that we want you thinking about is nutrient density. That’s how many nutrients you’re getting per calorie for every food. This is why ultra-processed foods are so awful for us. They’re just not giving us the good stuff. And so a nutrient-dense food, like a lentil, is going to only have a few hundred calories for a cup. But you’re going to get like 20 grams of protein. You’re going to get great amounts of B vitamins, minerals, right? That’s nutrient density. Don’t forget the fiber. Don’t forget all the phytonutrients that you get in foods like lentils. So again, nutrient density is just being a more efficient eater. You’re getting more of the nutrients that you need: vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, fiber for fewer calories.
And this is one of the shifts that Nutritional Psychiatry asks us to make. Instead of just how many calories does that have, we want to know how many brain nutrients does that have? How many brain nutrients am I getting per calorie?
Okay, now quick caveat. If you’re not familiar with me or my content, you might think I’m talking about some magical solution for anxiety or depression. Just eat lentils. And that’s not how Nutritional Psychiatry works. That’s not how I take care of patients. And that’s not how you’re going to get better or how you should think about food. Nutritional Psychiatry and eating in this modern way, according to the evidence, requires us to think about your dietary pattern. What are the different foods you eat? How can we make those more nutrient-dense? And this week for you, how can you feed your mental health with more lentils?
This is one of the really important messages of this challenge. Yes, we’re focusing on seven of our favorite really nutrient-dense foods, but that’s not magic for your mental health. It’s foundational nourishment for your mental health. And remember, we’re not looking for perfection. We’re looking for a direction to be moving in. And this week, more lentils.
So, how do we actually eat lentils? Well, the easiest way is to get some dried lentils. They’re all different colors. I’d start with some green or brown or even the black beluga lentils, amazing. Red lentils, great. You can’t go wrong. So a typical way that I’ll use lentils in our home is that over the weekend, either in the crock pot or in a big pot on the stove, we’ll just sauté an onion, add in some lentils then, and a couple of cups of water, some spices, some herbs, whatever you’re in the mood for. You can chop up celery and carrots. And boy, you have this nice, kind of soupy, wonderful set of lentils. I’ll then eat those that evening, probably some sautéed greens, maybe over some rice, and then I’ll take the lentils and I’ll store them in a glass container in the fridge and can and then add them to things, salads, omelets, more soups. It’s a wonderful way to add protein, add fiber, all these minerals and lots of B vitamins like folate to your dishes.
And here is your week one feed your mental health Nutritional Psychiatry challenge. Add lentils to one meal this week. And then I want to hear in the comments below, did you try them? Did you like them? And would you eat them again?
Because that’s what I want you to get out of these seven weeks. Lentils, not perfection, not a perfect diet. We want you to explore these seven foods so you can trust that you’re getting the best foods to nourish your brain. Please let us know in the comments below how it’s going for you. Please share this challenge with anybody who needs more nutrient density. That’s everybody. And remember, get out there, find some lentils, try them, let us know how you like them, and let us know, would you eat them again?
