About this episode
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 system Follow ZOE on Instagram . Timecodes: 00:00 Change your diet to beat anxiety 01:23 Quickfire questions 02:52 What is anxiety? 05:58 Are humans more anxious now than in the past? 08:50 This is where anxiety occurs in the brain 11:29 The gut-brain connection 12:45 Serotonin: the happiness hormone 20:05 How gut bacteria impact the brain 21:20 What happens 2 hours after stress? 23:10 Foods that disrupt dopamine pathways 24:50 Is food addiction real? 30:35 How chronic stress affects hunger 34:00 The importance of feeding good gut microbes 41:00 Eat more of these vegetables 45:02 How to overcome diet anxiety 49:20 How to use Uma’s ‘Calm’ approach 53:13 The anti-anxiety plate Find Uma's Cauliflower Tikka Massala recipe here Get Uma's latest book 'Calm Your Mind With Food' 📚Books by our ZOE Scientists The Food For Life Cookbook Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector Free resources from ZOE Live Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & Nutrition Gut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks Mentioned in today's episode Eat to Beat Stress (2020), published in American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine Effect of fecal microbiota transplant on symptoms of psychiatric disorders: a systematic review (2020), published in BMC Psychiatry A 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 .