Calm Your Mind with Food: A Revolutionary Guide to Controlling Your Anxiety

by Uma Naidoo MD

Overview

Relieve your anxiety through food with this "groundbreaking," full-body approach to mental health (Mark Hyman, MD), from bestselling author and nutritional psychiatrist Uma Naidoo, MD

In this groundbreaking guide, Dr. Uma Naidoo presents cutting-edge research about the ways anxiety is rooted in the brain, gut, immune system, and metabolism. Drawing on the latest science on the connection between diet and anxiety, Dr. Naidoo shows us how to effectively use food and nutrition as essential tools for calming the mind.

In Calm Your Mind with Food, you’ll learn:

• How inflammation affects everything from anxiety and depression to Alzheimer’s disease
• How the trillions of bacteria living in your gut are key to controlling anxiety
• The six pillars for calming the mind
• What to eat to balance leptin, a key link between the central nervous system and metabolic processes
• How to incorporate anxiety-busting foods into your diet, from the obscure (ashwagandha) to the ubiquitous (vitamin C)  
• The best diets for managing symptoms of anxiety and depression

 
Along with guidelines for creating your own personal anti-anxiety meal plan and dozens of supernutrient-forward, delicious recipes, Calm Your Mind with Food will help you boost your immunity, reduce anxiety, and enhance your overall mental well-being.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316502092
Publisher:	Little, Brown and Company
Publication date:	12/26/2023
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	26,785
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 2.10(d)

About the Author

Uma Naidoo, MD, is a board-certified Harvard Nutritional Psychiatrist, professional chef, and nutritional biologist. She is also the Founder and Director of the first and only hospital-based Nutritional and Metabolic Psychiatry Service in the United States, at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). She also serves as the Director of Nutritional Psychiatry at MGH Academy, the world-renowned educational organization, for which she designed and released the only CME-based Nutritional Psychiatry educational program for clinicians. Dr. Naidoo also serves on the faculty at Harvard Medical School, the Harvard Department of Nutrition, and is an instructor at The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. Dr. Naidoo is the author of the bestseller This Is Your Brain on Food.

Editorial Reviews

10/16/2023

Eating the right foods can reduce anxiety, according to this valuable guide. Nutritional psychiatrist Naidoo (This Is Your Brain on Food) explains that as gut bacteria metabolize food, they create metabolites that travel through the bloodstream to the brain where they’re assembled into neurotransmitters (“chemicals that carry messages between your nerve cells”) that regulate mood. Diet affects which neurotransmitters are created in the brain, she notes, observing that foods rich in the amino acid tryptophan, such as poultry and chickpeas, boost the production of the calming serotonin. A detailed overview of the mental health benefits of various foods reveals that kale and spinach “are a great source of polyphenols,” which have “shown promise in reducing depression-like symptoms,” and that walnuts, chia seeds, and flaxseeds are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which help fight “anxiety-causing neuroinflammation.” Naidoo strikes the perfect balance between scientific background and practical advice, offering plenty of concrete takeaways (“Two meals a day should be fully plant-based, with meat at only one meal”) while recognizing the importance of flexibility (because the gut “microbiome is heavily individualized... what is healthy and balanced in one person might look totally different in another”). It’s a rigorous yet accessible look at how readers can eat better to feel better. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

"Once you read Dr. Uma Naidoo’s approachable, science-backed explanations of the connection between nutrition and mental health, you will forever alter your dietary choices. In her groundbreaking book, Dr. Naidoo masterfully teaches how to use food to relieve symptoms of anxiety and calm the mind."—Mark Hyman, MD, author of Young Forever

“I can’t say enough about the critical connections Dr. Uma Naidoo draws between mental health and the food we eat. In her revolutionary book, she masterfully teaches how to use food to relieve symptoms of anxiety using principles of nutritional psychiatry, a field she has pioneered.”—Giada De Laurentiis, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Eat Better, Feel Better

“Nutritional Psychiatry is a new discipline and Dr. Uma Naidoo is a global leader in this field. This book is a must-read for anyone who is plagued with stress and anxiety, which is essentially every one of us!”—Deepak Chopra, author of Living in the Light

“A great book, with a great approach to mental wellness through diet. Something we can all use to improve our lives!”—Tom Brady

“This remarkable book beautifully illustrates how mindful eating can alleviate anxiety, offering a refreshing perspective in our anxiety-laden world. A must-read for those seeking solace and tranquility through the soothing embrace of nourishing meals."—David Perlmutter, MD, author of Grain Brain and Drop Acid

“When it comes to psychiatry, Dr. Uma Naidoo is a unique global leader who integrates her research and clinical work to provide science backed protocols. In this amazing book she tackles the #1 condition afflicting the world today: Anxiety. This book will transform the way you think about the food you eat to help calm your mind.”—Dr. Daniel Amen, author of Change Your Brain, Change Your Life

“Drawing upon years of experience and cutting-edge research, Dr. Uma Naidoo expertly guides you on a journey to discover the essential connections between your dietary choices and your emotional resilience and mental health. Through her insightful guidance, you'll learn how to nourish not only your body but also your mind, using food as a powerful tool to alleviate symptoms of anxiety and promote lasting mental health. Dr. Naidoo is a pioneer in the field of nutritional psychiatry and this book is a must read.”—Keri Glassman, MS, RDN, Founder of Nutritious Life and the Nutritious Life Studio

“The antidote to stress. Essential reading.”—Tim Spector, author of Food for Life

“Calm Your Mind with Food takes the reader (and the eater) on a delicious, accessible, and realistic journey through making choices to not only better your health but calm your mind, too.”—Chef Cat Cora, first female Iron Chef

“The first step to calming an anxious mind is food. Dr. Naidoo’s book tells you how. Essential reading.”—Patrick Holford, founder of the Food for the Brain Foundation and the Institute for Optimum Nutrition

“Naidoo strikes the perfect balance between scientific background and practical advice, offering plenty of concrete takeaways while recognizing the importance of flexibility…It’s a rigorous yet accessible look at how readers can eat better to feel better.”—Publishers Weekly

"The way you eat not only decides your physical health but the very way you think, feel, and experience life. Dr. Naidoo demonstrates the scientifically-backed research behind this."—Sadhguru, Isha Foundation

From the Publisher