Sakara Science Council member Dr. Uma Naidoo is a board-certified Harvard trained psychiatrist, professional chef, nutritional biologist, and author of This Is Your Brain On Food.
What do you stand for?
I am honored to pioneer the field of Nutritional Psychiatry, making dietary recommendations, a form of a food “prescription,” which are highly personalized and based on an individual’s unique makeup. However, through my years of work, I have found that, fundamentally, it all starts with a healthy foundation. Nutritional Psychiatry follows six key tenets—pillars—of mobilizing your food as your medicine for mental well-being. Understanding these, and implementing them at a pace that’s perfect for YOU, is your first step in enhancing your diet, your metabolic health, and achieving optimal, holistic wellness.
At Sakara Life, comprehensive and well-rounded physical, psychological, and spiritual well-being are as embedded into the dietary approach as the grass is to the Earth. What excites me about our partnership is that my 6 Pillars of Nutritional Psychiatry and Sakara’s 9 Pillars of Nutrition interact and intertwine utterly seamlessly. This profound alignment between our respective sets of Pillars underscores a profound interconnection between the two: To my physician eyes, it is living proof that a truly sustainable, healthy diet serves the body, mind, and spirit—and enables us to live our very best lives.
Here are my candid reflections on just how much these core principles align, from the lens of Nutritional Psychiatry.
Nutritional Psychiatry Pillar #1: Be Whole, Eat Whole
My favorite way to quantify this is the 80/20 rule: with this, 80% of your diet should focus on whole, real foods with plenty of fiber (your gut and brain’s best friend!). This includes vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains and protein. The remaining 20% of the time allows you some flexibility.
I find that Sakara’s first Pillar, “No Calorie Counting,” and the seventh Pillar, “Nutrient Density,” align very well with this directive. Nowhere in the 80/20 rule do I mention calories (unless this is part of a health goal between you and your healthcare team), as I always prefer a food-focused approach. Similarly, when 80% of the diet is composed of whole, nutrient-dense foods, we are optimizing the benefits we gain from our diet, and allowing ourselves room for resiliency when we select something less healthy.
Similarly, when 80% of the diet is composed of whole, nutrient-dense foods, we are optimizing the benefits we gain from our diet, and allowing ourselves room for resiliency when we select something less healthy.
Nutritional Psychiatry Pillar #2: Eat the Rainbow
Exactly the same as Sakara’s Pillar #6, this is among the most important of my Pillars. Different colored plant foods contain different brain-boosting nutrients, termed phytonutrients. Resveratrol, EGCG, ellagic acid, polyphenols, and carotenoids are key examples of phytonutrients that act in very specific, anti-inflammatory, pro-health ways across various parts of the body. Often, they are the very compounds that give a vegetable or fruit its color—so when we eat the rainbow, we are offering ourselves a plethora of functional micronutrients for a healthier body and brain.
With every meal, strive to fill 75% of your plate with fiber-rich, low glycemic vegetables such as leafy greens, cucumbers, radishes, eggplant, mushrooms and tomatoes. The rest of your meal should include healthy fats like olive oil, walnuts or hemp seeds, low glycemic carbohydrates such as cauliflower or quinoa, and quality sources of protein such as salmon, grass-fed beef, sardines, chickpeas and lentils. Sakara’s Pillars of “Greens,” “Good Fats,” and “Sulfur-Rich Veggies” align closely here. They are rich in prebiotic fiber and are important for fending off toxic metabolites and inflammation, while promoting healthy blood vessels and a keen body and mind.
Nutritional Psychiatry Pillar #3: The Greener, The Better
Again, Sakara’s 9 Pillars and that of Nutritional Psychiatry coalesce! We all know that greens do a body good, and from a nutrition for function approach, we know that greens do a mind good, too. Leafy greens include spinach, Swiss chard, collard greens, arugula, romaine and dandelion greens. Ideally, I advise having 4-6 cups a day (it’s doable—I promise!). Greens contain folate, an important vitamin that maintains the function of our neurotransmitters. Its consumption has been associated with a decrease in depressive symptoms and improved cognition.
Nutritional Psychiatry Pillar #4: Body Intelligence
I love that Sakara includes “Body Intelligence” as one of its 9 Pillars as, too often, prescriptive approaches to nutrition fail: what’s right for you, right here, right now, is something only you can divine. This is why developing a healthy relationship and connection between the body and mind is crucial: eating mindfully allows us the freedom to trust our bodies and make choices that serve us best each moment.
Nutritional Psychiatry Pillar #5: Consistency and Balance are Key
Our minds are with us for the rest of our lives. In order to optimize our mental health in a lasting way, it is important to create sustainable dietary and lifestyle changes rather than falling into quick fixes, caloric restriction, or miracle diets. This is a marathon and not a sprint. Paying attention to achieve balance in a sustainable, longitudinal nutrition plan is the key to success.
In order to optimize our mental health in a lasting way, it is important to create sustainable dietary and lifestyle changes rather than falling into quick fixes, caloric restriction, or miracle diets.
Nutritional Psychiatry Pillar #6: Avoid Anxiety Triggering Foods
I’d be remiss to make no mention of caffeine and what I would almost call its antidote, water, in a discussion of the tenets of Nutritional Psychiatry. I love that Sakara includes, as its second Pillar, to “Eat Your Water” - I couldn’t agree more. Water is an essential part of nearly every chemical reaction in the body; quite literally, it powers our cells, lubricates the joints, and comprises our tissues. On the flip side, many turn to consuming caffeine as a source of energy, often fraught with sugars, processed creamers and flavors, and causing an inevitable spike in stress and subsequent crash in energy. I recommend consciously hydrating throughout the day as a natural source of energy: it’s important to think of water as important as the carbs, fats, and proteins we consume.
As we consider all of these Pillars—both of Nutritional Psychiatry and of Sakara—it’s important to realize that every small step we take can make an immense difference for our physical and mental health. Each Pillar makes all the others more meaningful: embrace the positive changes you have made to your diet and your relationship with food and avoid foods that will undermine your efforts. Listen to your body after eating them and consider which colorful, fiber-rich foods would instead make you feel better.
Sakara Science Council member Dr. Uma Naidoo is a board-certified Harvard trained psychiatrist, professional chef, nutritional biologist, and author of the national and international best-seller This Is Your Brain On Food and the upcoming title Calm Your Mind With Food. She is the founding director of the only academic clinic in Nutritional and Metabolic Psychiatry and is the Director of Nutritional and Metabolic Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School.
