Why Diet Matters: Gut Health and Mood

The gastrointestinal tract (gut) is sensitive to emotions like anger, anxiety, sadness, and joy which can trigger physical symptoms .This connection goes both ways. A troubled intestine can send signals to the brain, just as a troubled brain can send signals to the gut. Therefore, a person's intestinal distress can be either the cause or the product of anxiety, stress, or depression. This connection is so strong that many consider the gut the “second brain!”
**https:www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/the-gut-brain-connection

Physical Symptoms of Depression:
• Vague aches and pain
• Chronic joint , limb or back pain
• Gastrointestinal problems
• Tiredness
• Sleep disturbances
• Appetite changes.

Emotional Symptoms of Depression:
• On-going low mood or sadness
• Feeling hopeless or helpless
• Having low self-esteem
• Feeling tearful
• Feeling irritable and intolerant of others.
• Low motivation

10 FOODS TO BOOST YOUR MOOD
1. Dark leafy greens
2. Eggs
3. Lentils
4. Turkey
5. Fatty fish
6. Avocados
7. Chia Seeds
8. Fermented Foods
9. Almonds
10. Bell Peppers
Source: https://www.culinarynutrition.commood-boosting-foods/

 

This work is supported by the Beverly and Addison Gilbert Hospital Community Benefits Community Grant Program and the Essex County Community Foundation Behavioral Health Partnership Grant.

Programs and services at the Phoenix Food Hub have really been taking off since the opening of the program space this past December! We are assisting an ever increasing number of people with nutritional and other related health needs in the Greater Lynn community. Here's a brief rundown of some of the positive impacts Phoenix programs have been making.

Healthy Cooking Demonstrations

UMass Extension Nutrition Education Program has been holding cooking demonstrations in the Phoenix teaching kitchen using ingredients available from the Catholic Charity Food Pantry. Visitors to the food pantry can sample featured dishes. UMass also hosted two Spanish- and English-language seven week healthy cooking demonstration programs.

Caregiver Cooking Classes

The GLSS Family Caregiver Support Program has been working with groups from the Lynn Council on Aging Senior Center through monthly cooking classes that focus on the power of using freshly prepared food not only as a tool in caring for another person but also as a tool for self-care. Avocado toast, tea brewed with fresh ingredients, and fruit parfait are just some of the dishes prepared and enjoyed by participants!

Click Here to watch a video about the Caregiver Cooking Class
https://youtu.be/Y0mIIXsLe2s

   

Nutrition Program Referrals, Counseling, and Resources

Phoenix Navigators Eunice Lopez and Rose MacDonald have been busy handling referrals for services, fielding an increasing number of requests per week. Referrals come in from partner health agencies as well as self-referrals from individuals. Consumers can set up a counseling session with GLSS nutritionist Ellen Goldman or get information and connection to a variety of programs that can help them live healthier lives.

Eunice Lopez, a Phoenix Navigator, helping prepare meals for delivery to Meals on Wheels consumers.

 

New "Food and Thought" Program

The "Food and Thought" program is a new addition to services available through Phoenix Food Hub and provides education and counseling to individuals interested in addressing the important link between nutrition and mental well-being. Lynn O'Neal, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Certified Integrative Mental Health Provider, leads this innovative program informed by a growing body of research pointing to the critical connection between what we eat and how it impacts our physical, mental, and emotional health.

The Food and Thought program is supported by the Beverly and Addison Gilbert Hospital Community Benefits Community Grant Program and the Essex County Community Foundation Behavioral Health Partnership Grant.

Lynn O'Neal, LMHC CIMHP, is a part of the GLSS Mobile Mental Health team as well as the lead for the new Food and Thought program.

On behalf of the Lynn Food Security Task Force, thank you to all the current Phoenix Food Hub funders: Mass General Brigham; Trustee; the City of Lynn; Element Care; Essex County Community Foundation; Point32Health Foundation; Beverly and Addison Gilbert Hospitals; Alfred E. Chase Charity Foundation, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee; Charles H. Farnsworth Trust, Bank of America, N.A. Trustee; and many private donors.

Here's to a great start for an amazing community resource with more to come!