How nutrition affects the brain by Georgia Ede

How do your food choices affect your mental health? Georgia Ede, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist specializing in nutrition science, brain metabolism, and mental health, talks about what we should eat for good brain health. She addresses the root causes of poor mental health, which include inflammation, oxidative stress and insulin resistance, covers brain healthy diet principles, and takes a look at the Mediterranean, paleo and ketogenic diets in light of brain health. Watch the video to learn how to nourish, protect and energize your brain.
Dr. Ede speaks internationally about dietary approaches to psychiatric disorders, nutrition science, and nutrition policy reform. Through her virtual consultation practice, she uses nutrition and metabolic interventions including paleo diets, ketogenic diets, intermittent fasting, and elimination diets to help people around the world address root causes of mental health conditions, improving their metabolic health and often reducing the need for psychiatric medications.
0:00 Introduction
2:02 The Neurotransmitter Theory
2:24 Psychopharmacology
4:31 Nutritional Psychiatry: Mediterranean Diet
6:04 Metabolic Psychiatry: Ketogenic Diet
7:49 Brain-Healthy Diet Principles
10:02 The Brain Needs Animal Foods
12:23 Mind Minerals
13:16 The Standard "American" Diet
17:42 Neurotransmitter Imbalances
20:00 Glutamate Excitotoxicity
22:20 The Blood-Brain Paradox
23:37 Prevention Is Best
24:53 Brain Food Rules
25:51 Dietary Recommendations Not (Bio)Logical
28:14 Healthy Human Diet: Draw the Line at Paleo
🥗💡This talk was presented at the recent "Food for Thought 2023: Rising to the challenge of obesity and diabetes" conference held by Swiss Re Institute and @TheBMJ . Learn more: www.swissre.com/institute/con...
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Swiss Re
The Swiss Re Group is one of the world’s leading providers of reinsurance, insurance and other forms of insurance-based risk transfer, working to make the world more resilient. It anticipates and manages risk - from natural catastrophes to climate change, from ageing populations to cyber crime. The aim of the Swiss Re Group is to enable society to thrive and progress, creating new opportunities and solutions for its clients. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, where it was founded in 1863, the Swiss Re Group operates through a network of around 80 offices globally.
#health #mentalhealth #brainhealth #brainfoods

[@gabymalembe]

Since I quit eating sugar and flour twenty years ago I haven’t had any bi-polar episodes. Of course it’s still early in the day.

[@MultiIsing]

What a blessing! Fascinating. So you’re able to lead a normal life without meds? Do you have a FT job? Relationships?

[@gabymalembe]

@@MultiIsing Yes, married 45 years, retired. I only had one depressive episode, it lasted for two years, with a short manic period at the end. Unclear whether or not diet had anything to do with it. Shortly before it ended I started taking Empower Plus, a Canadian supplement for bi-polar, but I don’t know if that was what ended the episode or not.

[@MultiIsing]

@@gabymalembe blessed. I’m 💯 sure it has a lot to do with diet. Thank you and God bless you for sharing.

[@WhoHAAAAA]

How much sugar is in steak?

[@saszablaze1]

so what do you eat? much much raw food? how much fruit, tender greens? nuts? seeds? seaweed?

[@dawnelder9046]

I spent decades starving myself fat and sick on 1200 low fat, high fibre calories a day for decades. Weighed and measured everything. Had an active job. Went to the gym daily. Barely fit a size Canadian 18. Then my husband had 3 strokes and we found out he was diabetic. 180 pounds. I put him on the diet they gave me at the hospital. Every 3 weeks he had bloodwork. Always worse as was he. This went on for 8 months. By then he was 210 pounds. I read Good Calories, Bad Calories. Watched The Oiling of America. Changed both of our diets to the old 1950s British diet in the prologue. His next bloodwork improved and kept getting better. Several months later a stranger understood him. His weight returned to 180 pounds. I dropped from an 18 to a 6/8. Healed so many health issues, including depression. All without starving. If you look up the Korean Cholesterol Mortality Study published in 2019. Over 12 million subjects. People who have levels between 200 and 240 live the longest. After that the death rate increases is barely noticeable until 300. Still not impressive. Under 200 the death rate for everything increases hard and fast. That includes suicide and violence.

[@lorenpopolis]

Great story, bravo 🙌 So many of us have to “figure it out” in desperation in spite of our doctors and the good opinions of everybody else! Dr. Ede rocks 🥰

[@frannypalmer2726]

When I was 28 years old my Cholesterol was over 200. I was in excellent health. Drs kept wanting to put me on statins. And follow their"food plan". I tried being a vegetarian. Worst 2 weeks of my life! I missed hamburger meat and bacon . I'm glad I never took the statins. And this entire fake meat and bugs crap? Nope. Never. Just shoot me now!

[@juliesaadwellness]

So happy for you that you were able to find the solution. And yes, most of us have to take the scenic route to get there. Hopefully mainstream medicine will get it together soon. Congrats again on your and your husband's success!

[@adegirly]

beautiful story, i'm so happy for you! How did you get the info? It was so hard to fall on the real info...

[@itzakpoelzig330]

Dr. Ede is always brilliant. She and Amber O'Hearn are my mental health heroes. The more animal fats I include in my diet, the better my mental health gets - and it sure doesn't hurt that every other aspect of my health improves as well!

[@alancameron6937]

Well said, you might like Proffessor Bart Kay, Dr Eric Westman, Dr Ken Berry, Dr Anthony Chaffee, Sally K Noton

[@juliametcalf2660]

Amen ..haven't eaten plants for 5 years ..,at 70 great health ...fats are king

[@saszablaze1]

honeymoon period. we aren't natural flesh eaters, evident by our lack of certain body attributes, and the fact it reduces our capacity to think clearly with good logical skills; and eventually makes us cold, hard & narcissistic and predatory & uncompassionate.

[@wolfpaul2010]

Always insightful, thank you Georgia Ede and SwissRe

[@starnejme6902]

Absolutely the carnivore protocol helps my deep clinical depression, unfortunately like an acoholic might do, I fall off the wagon into the quagmire of processed carbohydrates. These talks motivate me to hop on the wagon again.

[@saszablaze1]

just domn't eat starchy carbs, and eat a bunch of fruits, like loads, and tender leafy greens, not cooked. no rough greens. and flowers! and make sure to forage everyday. for your b12. as commercial produce doesn't have b12

[@Amber4]

It depends on what you are sensitive to. Someone who cant tolerate amines will feel better on a vegetarian diet. Someone who is sensitive to anti-nutrients like salicylates will feel so much better if they eat meat and a small selection of vegetables and fruit.

[@AA-iy4gm]

That is closer to making sense because we have countries in Europe like Italy and some Asian countries where rice and pasta dominate and they aren't mostly obese, sick or mentally unstable so that just never added up for me with these meat forward diets even though I'm not against meat in a diet.

[@Angel_Dinev]

Very informative and useful presentation! Thanks for that! Keep the great work! 🎉🙏

[@OrasSelection]

AMEN HooRay I came across a KZbin Video that thinks the way I do. It took me becoming a Type 1 with many headaches before be Diagnosed w/ Diabetes. I learned headaches were coming from junk foods - Dougnuts/IceCream/Cookies/Pies/Processed foods - I can eat a Doughnut and feel the garbage going through my neck veins to my head CAUSING a Headache/Brain Fog. Always wish I could be watch by a Dr. to see this happing. Love knowing this is REAL and not my imagination. I knew that my Headaches and Diabetes was coming from something and always suspected foods. I think it all started with Swanson's TV Dinners and Wonder Bread. Thanks for this Video , Will share with people who think like I do.

[@D4rkBl4de]

I read her book, its freaking amazing. I've never been one with mental issues, but I did have insomnia since my 30s and following a near zero carbs diet fixed that.

[@ramieskola7845]

Paleolithic man didn't have any of the vegetables in the picture @28:47 Starchy 'vegetables'? They didn't really exist in Eurasia back then. Some fibrous roots? I'm sure nobody bothered to eat them when real food (meat, fish,..) was available.

[@dennisward43]

Correct but the key word was 'available'. Fruits were also far less palatable and much less sugary than they are today. But when you were starving you would eat almost anything.

[@eugeniebreida1583]

I appreciate Ede’s reminding us of the anti uteiemts housed in legumes/beans. Soak/SPROUT! and still consume only intermittantly

[@chrisbrown2211]

Or don't at all

[@Amanda_downunder]

No beans for me thanks 😊

[@muminab9701]

100% agree

[@chrisbrown2211]

Amazing presentation thank you! Looking forward to your book!

[@MarioSanchez-ze2wq]

Following the carnivore diet has been beneficial for me. My mind has never been so calm. Fish and eggs have been so good also. Cutting out excessive carbs and sugar have kept my weight under control.

[@drkstatom]

Dr. Ede was amazing as always!

[@helenl7967]

How do I share this with the world? Great presentation and hopefully gives people food for thought....and change.

[@criticalthinker7822]

Mam thank you so much!

[@thefisherking78]

YES

[@treich1234]

@ 11:23 The question "Does cooking destroy phytic acid in legumes" was posted on Chat GPT The following was its response: Yes, cooking does destroy phytic acid in legumes. Phytic acid is an anti-nutrient found in many plant foods, including legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds. It binds to minerals like calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc, making them less available for absorption by the body. Cooking legumes breaks down phytic acid, which increases the availability of these important minerals for absorption. Additionally, soaking legumes before cooking can further reduce phytic acid content, enhancing the nutritional value of the food.

[@prof.joaopaulocecato]

Thanks for Sharing!

[@1950Archangel]

Whew! That list of what vegetarians are deficient in -- sure EXPLAINS a lot of what's going wrong and NUTS with our society today!

[@AA-iy4gm]

Its frustrating that its always one or the other, two extremes, be vegetarian or keto, like we're always missing to strive for a balanced, moderate approach in so many areas in life as a society...

[@saszablaze1]

"what vegetarians are deficient in" - she cannot spread slander like that. maybe the average vegetarian, or even vegan, but that's people doing it wrong. the blind leading the blind. we aren't natural animal eaters, or hunters. the problem is grains, beans and processed foods, and relying mostly on cooked foods.

[@CalumnMcAulay]

I respect her for not being dogmatic regarding keto or carnivore etc.

[@jordanwilliamson2683]

My best friend's dad was a hardcore Atkins/Keto follower. His cholesterol got out of control. His doctors begged him to stop the diet, but he wouldn't listen. Eventually, it killed him. He was 59.

[@RC-qf3mp]

It’s possible the bad small LDLs were out of control… and that’s largely genetic. And there are clean and “dirty” ways of being on a ketogenic diet. I eat mostly fish and whole foods, no sugar or processed foods. Did your friend’s dad eat that?

[@bobcocampo]

Please discuss keto diet 🥑🥓🥚🧀and improvement of intelligence for kids

[@AndreasvomBodensee]

Thank you ❤

[@garysmith789]

Great commentary.

[@MonkaD234]

I fast regularly and it does me ..and my brain..the world of good. Super clarity, concentration, self confidence, energy. Fasts followed by a period of ketogenic diet - great. But eventually I did return to one or two slices of good sourdough bread and LEGUMES. Lentils, Brüssel sprouts , onions, peppers etc. Other nutritionist talk about the brain gut communication and how the biome likes LEGUMES. Now what should I believe.?

[@christinemartin5044]

There are many medications that also deplete the body of essential nutrients.

[@AA-iy4gm]

Genuine question - so what does this mean for countries that do have high carb intake like pasta and rice dishes, where people aren't as obese as in UK and USA, do they have other markers or studies like more mentally unstable or less intelligent people? I don't think so but I'm honestly asking to understand what is the point of this for the brain? Are there countries out there now that primarily eat a ketogenic diet, are they smarter or something? That part seems to be missing from this whole presentation.

[@jeanpaultongeren125]

the DHA/EPA is what gave me schizophrenia. I never had fish in my younger/youth years. Not even a single piece, no macrkrel no salmon. And its those fishes that contain omega 3...

[@RC-qf3mp]

I don’t understand what you’re saying. Is it the LACK of DHA/EPA that have hit schizophrenia, and this was cured by eating fish?

[@aubreyvandyne5284]

Whole organic foods is the best way to go.

[@chuckleezodiac24]

"It's always the mother's fault," my mom used to sarcastically remark.

[@250txc]

Seems almost criminal that the fda does not recognize this simple way of dealing with these diseases..

[@barb0138]

I think everyone one here not agreeing with eating more animal meats you should try it for just 30 days and see how you feel. Just 30 days it won't kill you.

[@judychancey5781]

There's just too much long-term evidence how harmful it is.🤤

[@ericm9495]

But it will kill animals

[@calista1280]

​@judychancey5781 Except it's not true that meat is bad for us! The fake "evidence" is flawed and paid for by big corp interests who have been lying to and killing us with false info and bad foods. FAT is good for us! SUGAR is the culprit!!! What is bad, is processed, chemical & sugar laden fake foods & polyunsaturated oils. Blood tests have shown all biomarkers improving with this diet/lifestyle change. Give it a try and see how good you feel! I've had Fibromyalgia for over 30 yrs, with chronic fatigue, foggy brain and intense pain. Upon starting Keto/Carnivore my condition has improved drastically in just a few months!!!

[@calista1280]

​@@ericm9495Actually, vegetarian lifestyles kill more animals and are more harmful to humans and the environment... Look into it, you'll be just as surprised as I was!

[@maricamaas2326]

​@@ericm9495 Something always dies in order to sustain others; including plants, who in turn also feed on decaying animals; this besides for the countless living creatures dying from sustaining plant agriculture.

[@maydragon1]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[@zpoedog]

I don't know what she is talking about. I have not eaten any meat for the last 40+ years.I am 85 and in great shape and am very active. I take no prescription drugs. My BMI is 23 and feel satisfied with life.

[@martinusasp8927]

Yes. That part about meat is just bullshit

[@sportysbusiness]

My gran smoked 40 a day for her whole life and lived to 90 on no meds. That doesn't mean cigarettes don't cause cancer. Just because you're lucky doesn't make her wrong, but it does highlight your beliefs.

[@francescaerreia8859]

Cut out all your supplements and see how good your diet really is

[@patrickpoulin3742]

Read the other comments and find out reality.

[@Anna-mc3ll]

Thank you for your comment! Are you 100 % vegan or do you eat some eggs and/or yogurt, kefir or cheese? Your reply would be very helpful! Thank you!

[@alancameron6937]

At last an honest researcher, carnivore is best

[@AA-iy4gm]

what about places like Italy and Asia where pasta and rice dominate, people there aren't largely obese, sick or mentally unstable? I honestly don't get that part.

[@Anna-mc3ll]

But why then so many populations have strived so greatly on a mainly plant based diet?

[@HelenEk7]

10:10 11:19 12:20 13:20 14:25 25:30

[@GlennMarshallnz]

👍 25:30 is the key + avoid UPF.

[@HelenEk7]

@@GlennMarshallnz Yes, I just wanted to look closer at some of the studies, so I put the time stamps there so I would easily find back to the different ones. Great lecture! I find Georgia Ede to be one of the most important voices on diet and health. I particularly like that she is not telling everyone to eat the exact same diet - but rather she tells people to find out which foods they need to include and exclude in their diet. Which can be anything from a varied wholefood diet to a strict carnivore diet.

[@NiScontex]

lentils are important so dont exclude legumes

[@schigara]

How much carbohydrates should we eat?? Zero. There is no such thing as an essential carbohydrate.

[@user-hg9jr4ow1b]

What should we eat ? ...meat i think 😂

[@lucidlife4098]

Veggies, hummus etc. There are good carbs, and there are bad carbs. The body needs some carbs. If you are an active carbs are the best source of fuel. There is such a think as keto poisoning from not taking in enough carbs.

[@mircdom4603]

No studies cited, pure hypothetical theory

[@pengangguran7]

You can see in the bellow of presentatiom.

[@alwaysbeyourself9328]

She presented the info which can then lead us into doing our own research, based on the studies she cites at the bottom of the video. The least effective thing we can do is throw everything out that she's saying (along with her decades of experience) without checking the studies she references.

[@bethdeason5002]

You lost me at “Your Mother”. Maybe yours!

[@relaxgood5214]

The documented facts show very clearly that the closer you get to a Whole Food Plant based diet the healthier you will be and the longer you will live on average. No mumbo jumbo.

[@alwaysbeyourself9328]

I was raw vegan for 3 years, then vegetarian for 10 years, eating whole, organic, fresh, plant foods. But I gained weight, was filled with anxiety and depression, kept getting worse and worse in terms of my health. Arthritis, terrible digestion, gas, bloating, exhaustion, no-cause rage, suicidal depression, aches and pains, skin issues, bad breath and body odor. The very DAY I started on the carnivore diet, everything calmed down and within a few days everything nefarious I mentioned disappeared entirely and has never returned. There's a huge addictive component as well, where many people cannot moderate. So, a huge reversal of diet, and yet I'm thriving wildly! I never saw this coming but feel like my life has been saved.

[@sportysbusiness]

The documented facts show very clearly that the closer you get to a Whole Food ANIMAL based diet the healthier you will be and the longer you will live on average. No mumbo jumbo. Humans have eaten meat for 100,000s of years, it's what we're designed to eat. Nutrients in meat are more bioavailable to humans than nutrients from plants. Seriously, it's not rocket science!

[@sherirottweilersforever7772]

It depends on who is documenting your facts. Cereal companies claim cereal is the healthiest food for breakfast because they want to sell more cereal. World economic forum pushes plant based diets because they have a huge population control agenda and they say you will eat the bugs.

[@LauraB.335]

Ask people such as Steak and Butter Gal, Rebekah heishman, Jon Venus, Nutrition with Judy, the Ex-Plant Eater, Rory Bland, Jake Thomas, Isabella Ma, Eron Edwards, Dr. Tony Hampton, and many others what they think about your so-called “documented facts” and the severe autoimmune and mental health conditions that reversed when they went from a “healthy” vegan diet to carnivore.

[@francescaerreia8859]

They don’t show that at all. That’s a lie and/or bad science.

[@billsayer1]

The book Big Fat Surprise is full of false claims. Doctor you should really be looking at meta studies instead of popular books with little legitimate basis of its claims! If you look at the vast number of research studies they show a whole food plant based diet gets the best overall health results! Please do some real research next time!

[@dangerouscookie4790]

Well over that is true or you could be wrong.

[@sportysbusiness]

LOL! "Do some real research" states the keyboard warrior who only looks at correlation studies paid for by companies who want you sick, not causation studies. The WEF wants population reduction down to only 1/2 billion people. They advocate for a plant based diet. Now why would they do that if it was healthy and extended life....................................

[@almasalazar8318]

I don't like the way old vegans look....so unhealthy

[@karend.9218]

Watch your bone density. I’ve been researching for years and seed oils are processed and oxidative exactly as she says. You want a plant based oil, then olive, avocado and coconut. It is not true that plant based is the best diet. If it works for you, go ahead, but carnivore, keto, etc are very healthy for billions. People with issues need to try different types of whole food diets to find what works. She says she is very pro choice and she sees thousands of patients that get helped by her.

[@sportysbusiness]

Low LDL is NOT healthy. Lowering muscle mass is NOT healthy. Missing out on essential nutrients is NOT healthy. Yet these are some of the markers used to 'prove' eating a nutrient deficient diet of plants is 'healthy'. Humans are designed to eat meat, the evidence is conclusive. BTW, real research is not epidemiological correlation studies paid for by Big Pharma!

[@Kjuken69]

Hardly any viewers, that's great. When everyou see the titel nutrition psychiatrist, or something nutrition. do the opposite when it comes to fat, protein and carbs, but keep the greens

[@trail.blazer]

WTF are you on about? If you did the opposite of whatever any nutritional person says, you wouldn't be eating much.

[@Acquisition1913]

Titel?

[@aliendroneservices6621]

The view count is higher than the sub count. That means it went viral.

[@ratoncitoification]

😂😂😂 hopeless

[@royalredus]

You misspelled "title".

[@nosretep1960]

As soon as I saw HARVARD I hit stop. Utterly discredited, skew EVERYTHING to whatever the underlying, unseen agenda. Never mind!

[@maricamaas2326]

She might have trained at Harvard, but now is - for the most part - advancing treatment opposite to what she was taught.

[@AnHourOfWolves]

Whether saturated fat is ancient or not, the evidence shows that it promotes chronic illness. The evidence that saturated fat promotes insulin resistance is so strong, it's surprising to see a researcher dismiss it out of hand.

[@pong4life]

Dr Shawn Baker and Ken Berry have plenty of evidences supporting consumption of meat and the saturated fat that comes with it. Personally my health improved greatly since I cut out refined carbs/grains and got on a low carb diet with healthy fat.

[@AnHourOfWolves]

@@pong4life Refined carbs are shown in the research to promote illness as well as saturated fat. In fact, replacing saturated fat with refined carbs has not shown to improve health outcomes. Replacing saturated fat with poly and mono unsaturated fat as well as whole grain, fruit, vegetables, and plants does improve health outcomes.

[@pong4life]

@@AnHourOfWolves I am not concerned about some research since I have real life results that I am super happy about. I spread my bets on a combination of different types of fats so that my cells have the lipid molecules they need to build a strong membrane. So, butter, lard, and fish/animal fats, plus some olive oil.

[@AnHourOfWolves]

@@pong4life You are allowed to eat what you choose, I won't make any judgements! Also, the bulk of evidence shows that fats from butter and lard promote illness. You can get saturated fats from foods that promote health though, such as walnuts and other nuts!

[@csmrfx]

I must note I do not agree. The prima causa of insulin resistance is #fructose. What @AnHourOfWolves doesn't get, the #NAFLD is consequence of fructose, not dietary SatFat. So, more #homework !

[@AnHourOfWolves]

It's just not true that one needs to include animal foods though. Supplements yes, animal foods, no. A lot of the reason why that's the case is due to modern food industry practices and things like water chlorination. She started off so objectively, and then unfortunately at about 10:10 she transitions from objectivity to ideology.

[@csmrfx]

Something like 90% of #vegans suffer from vitamin #deficiency. Refer to Pawlak 2013 DOI: 10.1111/nure.12001 The annoying reality is there are too many humans on this planet to get You high quality nutrition. #overpopulation Industrial diet, or diet from your local ecology? Your choice. Supplements are not a diet, and according to research supplements associated with reduced lifespan.

[@chrisbrown2211]

You do not know what you're talking about

[@AnHourOfWolves]

@@chrisbrown2211 She just listed off some things that aren't available in large amounts in plant-based foods, which supplements can make up for. How is that not obvious to anyone? Hey, you can eat whatever you want, it's your body, your choice to consume your animal foods. However, why make up pseudo science to use to force me to do it?

[@chrisbrown2211]

@@AnHourOfWolves no one's forcing you to do anything. Good day

[@AnHourOfWolves]

@@chrisbrown2211 She is telling me what to do though. If she had said "Eat animals or take supplements." then that would be fine, however she told me simply that I have to eat animals, which isn't supported by the evidence, and I assume is driven by her ideology and desire to justify the consumption of animals. That was the reason I first responded, after which you said - incorrectly - that I didn't know what I was talking about :)