TLC BOOK TOURS: Eat & Flourish: How Food Supports Emotional Well-Being by Mary Beth Albright

 

 

Synopsis

A lively and evidence-based argument that a whole food diet is essential for good mental health. Food has power to nourish your mind, supporting emotional wellness through both nutrients and pleasure. In this groundbreaking book, journalist Mary Beth Albright draws on cutting-edge research to explain the food/mood connection. She redefines “emotional eating” based on the science, revealing how eating triggers biological responses that affect humans’ emotional states both immediately and long-term. Albright’s accessible voice and ability to interpret complex studies from the new field of nutritional psychology, combined with straightforward suggestions for what to eat and how to eat it, make this an indispensable guide. Readers will come away knowing how certain foods help reduce the inflammation that can harm mental health, the critical relationship between the microbiome and the brain, which vitamins help restore the body during intensely emotional times, and how to develop a healthful eating pattern for life―with 30-day kickoff plan included. Eat and Flourish is the entertaining, inspiring book for today’s world.

Format 240 pages, Paperback
Published July 23, 2024 by Countryman Press
ISBN 9781682689035 (ISBN10: 1682689034)

About the Author

Based in Washington, DC, Mary Beth Albright is a journalist who has covered the food-mood connection as a Washington Post writer and editor and National Geographic correspondent. She has worked at the US Surgeon General's office, appeared on Food Network, and earned degrees from Johns Hopkins and Georgetown. Albright currently hosts and is executive producer of the podcast Eat, You'll Feel Better.

My Thoughts

"To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art."

-- Francois de la Rochefoucauld

When I decided to read this book, I was sort of on the fence about it. I was intrigued by the idea that what you eat affects your emotional state and I am in serious need of eating healthier, but there was the risk of a drab and boring read. I decided to risk it. Boy, am I glad that I did!

 

The cover urges:

• Don't diet, dine with friends.
• Eat for pleasure to eat better.
• Happiness starts in your gut. 
• Train your brain to crave healthy food.

I found this book fascinating! You've probably heard about the "good bacteria" in your gut, and this book explains what exactly your gut flora is, how it works, and how to feed it. I learned really fascinating facts like:

• Omega-3 fatty acids showed "considerable promise in preventing aggression and hostility".
• There is compelling science that your body needs more of certain nutrients when you're in certain emotional states.
• Certain nutrients can be as or more effective than Lexapro (escitalopram) for anxiety and depression.
• One-third of study participants who ate a Mediterranean diet saw their depression symptoms go into remission.
• Tryptophan (that amino acid that makes you sleepy after eating turkey on Thanksgiving) is essential for us because our bodies can't produce it. But you don't want to just eat lots of tryptophan. Some non-beneficial microbes in your gut turn it into a substance called kynurenine, which causes inflammation and has been implicated in psychiatric disorders. Our relationship with tryptophan is "complicated".
• In a 2021 study of participants with PTSD, those who consumed an average of 2-3 fiber sources per day showed fewer symptoms of PTSD.
• Transferring the microbiome (the colony of microbes in a gut) of people with schizophrenia into that of healthy mice leads the mice to exhibit symptoms of schizophrenia. 
  

This book is just chock full of little bits of knowledge like that! Who knew that what you eat can affect your mental state so strongly?

The author is very knowledgeable and makes learning approachable. As Dr. Timothy Harlan says in his foreword:

Mary Beth makes understanding things such as the amygdala and hippocampus easy and even fun...she has translated the hard stuff in a way that allows her to lead readers through the impact that food has on everything...

...That trip starts with a tour of the body itself, and she acts as the consummate tour guide, offering a complete picture of how what we eat impacts the various organ systems that contribute to a modulate our moods, energy, and emotions...

...As a tour guide of our bodies and of the world of research, she continues to ground the information in the important fact that eating is an intimate and personal social event that is critical to our well-being.

The book is broken into sections:

• Emotional Eating
• Pleasure
• The Gut Microbiome
• Inflammation
• Nutrients
• How to Eat for Emotional Well-Being

Each chapter ends with a recipe as an example of the type of food you should be eating for gut health and emotional well-being. Recipes like Blueberry Crisp, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter, Pizza Salad, and Sheet Pan Dinner.

Buy Now:

Visit the publisher's website for purchase options.

My final word: I found this book well-structured and informative. It's engaging and easy to understand, and has inspired me to start improving my diet and focusing on gut health. I've found myself highlighting passages as I read, which isn't anything I would normally do in a book! Probably my only complaint is the dearth of recipes. I would probably like more recipes, or easy-to-follow lists of foods to eat or avoid. Otherwise, I strongly recommend this book!

My Rating:

Disclaimer:

I would like to thank TLC Book Tours for including me on this tour, and the publisher for the review copy. The opinions expressed are my own.