NAMI Ask the Expert: Eating for Better Mental Health

People with mental health conditions are at a higher risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and other physical health problems. While most of us recognize that mental and physical health are linked, it can be hard to figure out how to best support our own well-being. Developing research shows that specific dietary choices not only support physical health, but directly contribute to mental health as well.

Nutritional Psychiatrist, Dr. Uma Naidoo, will explain how some foods can help your brain. She will describe her work in Nutritional Psychiatry, sharing the current evidence between nutrition and mental health. Dr. Naidoo will describe her Pillars of Mental Wellness Approach and how you can start today to improve your emotional well-being.

Our Expert

Dr. Uma Naidoo is a Harvard trained psychiatrist, Professional Chef and Nutrition Specialist. Her niche work is in Nutritional Psychiatry and she is regarded both nationally and internationally as a medical pioneer in this more newly recognized field.

In her role as a Clinical Scientist, Dr. Naidoo founded and directs the first hospital-based clinical service in Nutritional Psychiatry in the USA. She is the Director of Nutritional and Lifestyle Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) & Director of Nutritional Psychiatry at the Massachusetts General Hospital Academy while serving on the faculty at Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Naidoo graduated from the Harvard-Longwood Psychiatry Residency Training Program in Boston during which she received several awards, some of which included a Junior Investigator Award (American Psychiatric Association), Leadership Development for Physicians and Scientists award (Harvard), as well as being the very first psychiatrist to be awarded the coveted Curtis Prout Scholar in Medical Education. Dr. Naidoo has been asked by The American Psychiatric Association to author the first academic text in Nutritional Psychiatry. In addition, she is the author of “This Is Your Brain On Food.”

Read the Transcript

NAMI Ask the Expert is an informational webinar series and is not intended to provide medical advice on any specific topic or for any specific individual. The series is made possible through the generous support of people like you. If you’re enjoying this free program, please consider donating at NAMI.org/donate.

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