Whole-Body Psychiatry: Nutrition for Mental Health

Zinc

Copper from new water pipes, lead from old paint — it’s hard to live in this world without exposure to the heavy metals that can compromise or destroy brain cells. Our bodies are designed to try to get rid of the metals, but people with schizophrenia often have toxic levels of three or more heavy metals. This makes the body’s metal-removing protein, metallothionein, work overtime, which winds up depleting zinc — a good metal that helps us transcribe proteins and create neurotransmitters. “Some people may not be taking in the essential nutrients or protein to make enough neurotransmitters in the brain,” says Becker. “When neurotransmitter levels are low, electricity levels are low in the brain. It’s a dim bulb.” For these reasons, many integrative psychiatrists treat their patients with zinc supplements.

Blood sugar

A diet of 60 to 70 percent healthy fats, 20 to 25 percent protein, and 15 to 20 percent carbs balances blood sugar and helps avoid the kind of blood-sugar spikes that can rattle an already fragile brain.
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