What You Should Eat For Your Mental Health: Mussels
How brain and thyroid function are connected
A regular weekend treat in our household is mussels steamed in butter and white wine. As well as being a feast for the senses, this dish is also a complete brain food, par excellence.
Mussels are an extraordinarily rich source of the key brain nutrients: vitamin B12, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, selenium, and of course iodine. Mood, memory and concentration all depend on these nutrients. Mussels are also a decent and surprising source of vitamin C.
But for now the spotlight is just on iodine, because there’s a good chance that you lack this critical nutrient, and that could seriously affect your mental health.
Thoughts on thyroid
Think iodine and you probably, quite rightly, think thyroid and metabolism. Iodine is a trace element and is the main component of thyroid hormone. Lack of iodine can lead to an underactive thyroid gland.
Even so, the part of the body that is most dependent on this trace element is the brain. You need it to form myelin, the protective sheath that wraps around the neuron. It is involved in the communication of messages between neurons. Without it, you can’t develop your cognitive skills. Deficiency can also leave you…
