Is Optimizing Our Diet The First Step Towards Healing Our Emotional Issues?
Here’s why I think we should address our physical health (via good nutrition) before tackling mental health issues.
“Health is hearty, health is harmony, health is happiness.”
― Amit Kalantri
This is not a fat-shaming article, nor do I purport to know the ideal path to good physical and mental health. I hope I don’t come off as preachy. Instead, this is a story of my journey from constant despair — brought on by bad food, an immune disorder, and unresolved emotional issues — to a lighter, more joy-fueled outlook.
Do I still feel despair? Yes, but the difference is, I can work through it more effectively now.
I thank good nutrition for healing my body and preparing me to heal my mind. I could not have successfully started addressing my mental health without first addressing my nutrition issues.
Prescription medication didn’t resolve the symptoms of my autoimmune disease. Exercise alone — even extreme regimens, like distance running and HIIT — didn’t stabilize my weight. Quick fix diets failed every time. Therapy didn’t resolve the essence of my deep emotional pain. It was like there was a wall I couldn’t break through, try as I might. I had the desire; I couldn’t gain purchase.
