The Kiwi Mental Kitchen

The following is adapted from the happy kitchen but I have rewritten them in a way and order that prioritises the most difficult or hardest to remember for me.  Eat mostly plants: make most meals half plant and of those plants predominately veges Keep an eye on blood sugar levels: Be aware of how food effects your blood sugars and don't forget to eat Get the right balance of protein and use more fish: Decrease meat portions at dinner and rely less on animal meat Vary your diet: this includes vary what grains you are using. Use herbs and spices Add nuts and seeds wherever possible Eat for your gut: include probiotic and prebiotic foods Fats are friends especially Ω3 Relax and enjoy food Avoid sweeteners and additives This list lives on my fridge as a reminder whenever I'm cooking.

Hi I'm Sarah and I've had a rough 7 or so years, on and off, with my mental health. Over these 7 years I have been both on and off medications as my doctor and I were working out what was going to work for me. Whatever a doctor and patient decide I feel nutrition can be complimentary. During this time I have picked up tidbits here and there about how food and nutrition can impact mental health but I have never really been able to synthesize it together into some sort of plan. I recently stumbled upon The Happy Kitchen  by Rachel Kelly with Alice Mackintosh, thanks to an interview Rachel did with the BBC that got played on Radio New Zealand National . I have found this book to be a great synthesis of the research I had come across to date as well as a few new things as well. While this book has a great collection of recipes and is a great starting point for nutrition based around helping mental health, some ingredients are hard to get here or they are beyond my family budget. Th...