We all know the old saying: We are what we eat. But nutrition doesn’t just affect your physical body. It’s a generally known fact that mental health and nutrition go hand in hand, but it wasn’t really until the last decade or two that science connected the dots on just how important nutrition is for our mental well-being.  

To further enhance our knowledge (and yours), we sat down with psychiatrist, nutritional psychiatry proponent, and bestselling author Dr. Drew Ramsey, MD for an enlightening Instagram Live. 

In this Q&A, Dr. Ramsey emphasizes how important nutrition is for the human brain, how small diet changes pack a big punch, and how the power of connection (be it through food, friends, or family) offers more for our mental health than we realize.  

Grab your plate, open your mind, and get a taste of what Dr. Drew Ramsey will offer us during IIN’s upcoming summit! 

Q: First, we’d love for you to introduce your latest book, Healing the Modern Brain. Tell us more about it! 

Dr. Ramsey: My pleasure! The book focuses on understanding what’s valuable in new science and what ancient wisdom we should double down on – things that have always made us human. Simple pleasures like staying in on a Friday night to cook a lovely meal for yourself or someone else, for example, are things we sometimes need to recapture. 

Q: Your book begins by sharing statistics about the increasing rates of depression and anxiety. Can you expand on the idea that the brain, despite being just three pounds, uses 20% of our nutrients? 

Dr. Ramsey: If you think about it, a fifth of our calories – about 500 calories daily – goes to maintaining brain function. It’s fascinating that so much of our energy goes toward creating human consciousness and maintaining unconscious processes like heartbeat and respiration. The brain’s energetic needs come down to things like maintaining nerve function through the sodium-potassium action potential across cell membranes. 

Read More: Optimize Your Brain Health: Focusing on a Brain-Healthy Diet over Just Supplementation  

Q: Your practice pairs psychiatry with nutrition. For those of us who want to feel better or help others feel better, how do we use nutrition to support mental health? 

Dr. Ramsey: One thing we need to recognize is that mental health is complex, and eating well doesn’t instantly make life easy. We live in a culture of instant gratification, but mental health requires ongoing work and patience. The truth is, improving and maintaining mental health is something everyone can work on, whether they have a diagnosed condition or not.  

So, what can we do today? Start by being mindful about the choices we make, whether at the grocery store or in our relationships. Eating well doesn’t have to be perfect, but it’s about getting it mostly right. For me, it’s about starting with the basics: seafood, greens, nuts, and beans. We also need to bring ourselves into the moment. Simple habits like improving our breathing or maintaining a regular bedtime can have a big impact on our mental fitness. 

Read More: Food and Your Mood: Its Impact on Mental Health 

Q: On your website, you have a quiz that asks if people eat alone. Why do you ask that question? 

Dr. Ramsey: It’s a good metric of how we use food, and it connects to a broader conversation about mental health and isolation. There’s research showing that isolation can trigger inflammation, which affects our overall health, and food is one way we connect with others. Sharing meals with people is one of the mental health benefits of food, and it’s something we should encourage. 

That said, eating alone isn’t always a bad thing. Sometimes, it’s nice to have a little time to yourself, but the key is to be mindful of how we use food to either connect with others or to enjoy a moment of solitude.  

Q: We understand that you have a Health Coach who works with you in your practice. Can you tell us more about that? 

Dr. Ramsey: Yes, we have a few Health Coaches in the practice. One of them is Alex Kariotis, an IIN Certified Health Coach, who helps manage operations and has a small health coaching practice on the side. We also have Emilie Berner, a chef and Health Coach who specializes in food and mental fitness. Health coaches are great collaborators in a medical setting, especially when patients need extra guidance or support! 

Interested in starting your journey as a Health Coach? Try out a Sample Class of IIN’s foundational Health Coach Training Program.