5 Functional Nutrition Strategies for Better Mental Health
No matter where you’re at with your mental health, there is a path to healing. Whether you’re navigating mild anxiety or low moods you’d rather do without, or you’ve received a more complex diagnosis, it’s important to know this: your brain isn’t broken, and there are supportive steps you can take.
Mental health is deeply connected to the body, and often, small foundational changes can create meaningful shifts over time. Below, we’re sharing a few simple, practical ways to begin supporting your brain and overall wellbeing.
Balance Your Blood Sugar to Support Your Mood
One of the most overlooked — yet powerful — factors influencing mood and mental health is blood sugar balance.
The average Canadian consumes approximately 86.9–110 grams of sugar per day (about 26 teaspoons), with nearly 48 grams coming from added sugars. Research consistently shows that blood sugar fluctuations can have a direct and significant impact on mood, anxiety, energy levels, and mental clarity.
Frequent spikes and crashes in blood sugar can contribute to irritability, low mood, fatigue, and anxious feelings. Supporting more stable blood sugar starts with:
Reducing excess sugar and refined carbohydrates
Eating balanced meals that include protein, fibre, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates
Avoiding long gaps between meals or too much fasting
These foundational habits can make a noticeable difference in mental wellbeing over time.
Support the Gut–Brain Connection
The gut is often referred to as the “second brain” — and for good reason. The health of our digestive system plays a major role in mood regulation, stress response, and mental clarity.
We can’t expect our minds to feel calm and balanced if gut health is being overlooked. While focusing on whole foods is an important starting point, the gut is a complex system with many moving parts, including:
The balance of beneficial bacteria and microbes
The integrity of the intestinal lining
Communication along the gut-immune-brain axis
What we regularly expose our digestive system to (foods, medications, alcohol, chemicals, and toxins)
Supporting gut health is often a key piece of supporting mental health.
Fuel Your Brain with the Right Nutrients
So, what does the brain actually need to function well?
Quite simply, the brain thrives on nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory foods and struggles when the diet is dominated by foods that promote inflammation. Highly processed foods, refined sugars, refined grains, and industrial seed oils tend to contribute to neuroinflammation, which can negatively impact mood and cognition.
A helpful place to start is by swapping these foods for:
Quality animal proteins
A variety of fruits and vegetables
Healthy fats like avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, and fatty fish
Natural carbohydrate sources such as sweet potatoes and other starchy vegetables
Many people begin to notice improvements in mood, focus, and energy within weeks when they consistently nourish their body with what it truly needs.
Nourish Your Hormones
Hormones play a significant role in mood, motivation, sleep, and emotional resilience. Imbalances — whether deficiencies or excesses — are common contributors to anxiety, low mood, irritability, and fatigue.
In women, low progesterone and excess estrogen are frequently associated with anxiety, poor sleep, mood swings, and low motivation. As women move closer to perimenopause and menopause, shifts in estrogen, progesterone, and cortisol can become more pronounced. While these changes are often labeled as “normal,” persistent symptoms are usually signs of long-term imbalance rather than something you simply have to live with.
Supporting hormone health through real, whole foods, adequate protein, healthy fats, appropriate carbohydrates, and — when needed — targeted supplementation based on your individual needs can be incredibly impactful.
Feeling Overwhelmed? Here’s Where to Begin
If all of this feels like a lot, you’re not alone. Working with a practitioner who understands the interconnected nature of nutrition, hormones, gut health, and mental wellbeing can take much of the guesswork out of the process.
At Winnipeg Nutrition, we create personalized plans that support your mental health from the ground up. Whether that includes functional testing to identify nutritional or hormonal imbalances, or working alongside our Christian Counsellor, we help you find a clear and supportive path forward.
Contact us today to get started.
Asher Kleiber
https://www.flourishnaturalwellness.com/
