Show notes
1 in 3 people have anxiety. It’s the most common mental health disorder in the world. And many of us know what anxiety feels like: palms sweating before a job interview, losing your appetite before a looming deadline, a pit in your stomach when you get bad news. It’s not just in your head, it’s in your gut.Today, we’ll learn how food could help us cope. Our guest explains the rising global trend toward increased anxiety: its rise through the pandemic, and explosion among young people. Dr. Uma Naidoo is on the forefront of nutritional psychiatry. She directs the first hospital-based Nutritional Psychiatry Service in the US, at Massachusetts General Hospital and teaches at Harvard Medical School.Uma will help you understand the symptoms and biology of anxiety, painting a picture of the risks it poses for long-term health. And her diet tips will help you fuel your gut for a healthy mind.🥑 Make smarter food choices. Become a member at zoe.com - 10% off with code PODCAST🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily 30+*Naturally high in copper which contributes to normal energy yielding metabolism and the normal function of the immune systemFollow ZOE on Instagram.Timecodes:00:00 Change your diet to beat anxiety01:23 Quickfire questions02:52 What is anxiety?05:58 Are humans more anxious now than in the past?08:50 This is where anxiety occurs in the brain11:29 The gut-brain connection12:45 Serotonin: the happiness hormone20:05 How gut bacteria impact the brain21:20 What happens 2 hours after stress?23:10 Foods that disrupt dopamine pathways24:50 Is food addiction real?30:35 How chronic stress affects hunger34:00 The importance of feeding good gut microbes41:00 Eat more of these vegetables45:02 How to overcome diet anxiety49:20 How to use Uma’s ‘Calm’ approach53:13 The anti-anxiety plateFind Uma's Cauliflower Tikka Massala recipe hereGet Uma's latest book 'Calm Your Mind With Food'📚Books by our ZOE ScientistsThe Food For Life CookbookEvery Body Should Know This by Dr Federica AmatiFood For Life by Prof. Tim SpectorFree resources from ZOELive Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & NutritionGut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks Mentioned in today's episodeEat to Beat Stress (2020), published in American Journal of Lifestyle MedicineEffect of fecal microbiota transplant on symptoms of psychiatric disorders: a systematic review (2020), published in BMC PsychiatryA review of dietary and microbial connections to depression, anxiety, and stress (2018), published in Nutritional Neuroscience Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.Episode transcripts are available here.