How Sports Nutrition Can Affect Athletes Mental Health
Getting to play a sport is fun, especially if it’s a sport you LOVE. Learning, working hard, physical fitness, camaraderie of teammates, traveling, winning, growing from losses, and maybe…you end up getting paid to play that said sport, whether it’s through a scholarship or professionally. But, behind all of this positivity, some negativity could be lurking; pressure, stress, anxiety, feelings of failure, injury, financial concerns, bullying, trouble with the coach, and failing grades because of the time commitment.
What many are starting to realize is that an athlete’s mental health is just as important as their physical health. It’s not just “let’s train harder and longer” and be “mentally tough”. What affects mental health can be multifactorial…sleep, physical activity, genetics, stress reduction just to name a few. But, most of the time, the missing piece is actually the nutrition factor. Many studies have shown there is a relationship between diet and mental illness. Unfortunately, pharmaceuticals are often the first avenue of treatment before the concept of “you are what you eat” comes into play.
How can what you eat affect your brain? First of all, the gut is the second brain. The gut creates neurotransmitters that are chemical messengers to the brain. When our gut is unhealthy, our brain is not at its best. What makes our gut unhealthy? Eating a diet full of processed foods, refined sugars, fast foods, fake foods that are made of chemicals and not REAL food. Not eating enough fiber and nutrients from fruits and vegetables, prebiotics (flaxseeds, oats, apples, bananas) and probiotics (kefir, yogurt, kimchi, kombucha, pickles, sauerkraut) which help to feed the good bacteria in our gut, and healthy fats (wild-caught salmon, olive oil, avocados, nuts) to fuel the brain and our hormones.
Did you know the brain is mostly comprised of fat and cholesterol? It makes sense to eat healthy fats in order to fuel the brain optimally. Did you also know that 70% of your immune system is in your gut? Once again, it’s logical to eat foods that are healthy for the gut because the reactions happening in the gut can systemically affect the whole body, including the brain.
I have seen this too many times, especially in youth athletes and sadly am seeing it more and more…the younger generations are exposed to more processed foods, crops that have been grown and sprayed with glyphosate, and chemicals in general from not only the foods they eat but also from products they use on their hair, face and body. They are experiencing more health issues such as celiac disease, depression and anxiety, and Type 2 Diabetes because of the food choices being made, but also what is being advertised and pushed towards them. Their bodies are depleted of key vitamins, minerals and omega 3’s. It is time we take nutrition seriously and incorporate it into the sports curriculum. We have the ability to take control, to make better choices, to educate our athletes, to practice what we preach…we just have to make it a priority.
“Good nutrition creates health in all areas of our existence. All parts are interconnected.”
