May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a reminder of how deeply our physical and mental health are connected.

There are more than 1 billion people worldwide suffering from mental health challenges today, including:

• Addiction

• Depression

• Anxiety

• ADD and ADHD

• Mood swings

• Brain fog

For decades, the conversation centered around chemical imbalances in the brain.

But today, we’re learning that inflammation, oxidative stress, insulin resistance, and even gut health are major drivers behind mental health disorders.

Our modern diet is damaging the brain.

Highly processed foods, loaded with refined carbohydrates and refined fats, are fueling chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, and unstable brain chemistry.

Common culprits include:

• Vegetable oils (soybean, safflower, corn oil)

• Refined flours (crackers, chips, cereal, granola, bread, muffins, cookies, pasta)

• Added sugars (found in dressings, beverages, yogurts, snack bars, smoothies)

• Fruit juices (stripped of fiber, concentrated sugar)

These ultra-processed foods were virtually nonexistent 100 years ago, and today they make up the majority of many people's diets.

When you eat a steady stream of refined carbohydrates, your body is flooded with glucose.

In response, insulin levels spike to manage the sugar load.

Over time, high glucose and high insulin rob your brain of the steady, high-quality energy it needs.

And since the brain commands 20% of the body’s energy supply, even small disruptions can have big effects.

Without stable energy, you’re left with:

• Mood swings

• Fatigue

• Poor focus

• Increased risk for anxiety and depression

Meanwhile, excess sugar in the brain sticks to vital proteins, forming advanced glycation end products (AGEs).

These compounds accelerate brain aging, disrupt cell communication, and fuel inflammation.

What’s happening in your gut may be impacting your mental health more than you realize.

The gut and brain are connected by the vagus nerve and communicate constantly.

When your gut microbiome becomes imbalanced, a condition called dysbiosis, it can drive inflammation that affects brain chemistry and emotional regulation.

Gut imbalances have been linked to:

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Brain fog

• ADHD

• Even neurodegenerative conditions

If you’ve been addressing mental health solely from a psychological standpoint but haven’t explored gut health and metabolic health, you may be missing a critical piece of the puzzle.

Psychiatrist Georgia Ede, MD, shares the story of a 70-year-old woman who struggled for 40 years with severe bipolar disorder.

Through targeted nutrition changes, prioritizing real food and stabilizing blood sugar, this woman was able to come off her medications and saw her paranoid episodes subside dramatically.

Food truly has the power to support, stabilize, and protect the brain.

How You Can Support Your Brain Health:

• Eat real, whole foods (limit processed foods)

• Prioritize high-quality animal protein

• Include healthy fats (avocados, nuts, seeds, ghee, butter)

• Choose whole food carbohydrates (vegetables and fruit)

• Move your body—muscle tissue acts like a sponge for glucose, reducing insulin load

If you're struggling with brain fog, anxiety, depression, or energy crashes, and no one has explored your gut or metabolic health, this might be the missing piece.

In my practice, I use tools like the GI Map to uncover hidden gut imbalances that may be contributing to mental health challenges.

If you're ready to stop guessing and start addressing the real root causes, I’d love to support you.