Mental Health Foods: Kale

I've been a little hung up on how diet affects one's mental health, or lack thereof. Most sites repeat the same instructions: avoid caffeine and nicotine, minimize sugar and salt intake. After reading that same, tired advice for the umpteen millionth time I was ready to scream. Someone, somewhere must have advice on what foods someone trying to manage a mental illness should include. Trying to find a nice, neat list of foods that are particularly beneficial to someone living with a mental illness, however, proved to be more trouble than it's worth.

Face-palm. I realized I was working on the diet issue backwards. Rather than starting with the illness, I needed to start with the food. Pick a food and learn about its nutritional value, about its impact on the human body, especially the brain. What food to start with, though? The contents of my refrigerator made the decision easy - a bag of kale and a package of chicken.

Kale, it seems, really is as good for us as we've been told. To my delight, it also appears to be a good food for people with mental health problems. Here's the breakdown of the good stuff in kale:

• Calcium. 15% of the calcium needed for the day is in a single cup of kale. The release of neurotransmitters in the brain requires calcium and a lack (or excess) of calcium has been connected to depression, anxiety, and mania. Calcium and Depression from Livestrong
• Vitamin B6. B vitamins are necessary for the production of neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers that cross synaptic gaps in the brain. They make communication throughout the brain and body possible. Vitamin B crucial to children's mental health, study finds
• Magnesium. That one cup of kale contains 40% of the magnesium we need each day. The increased rate of depression in the US compared to 100 years ago is thought, by some, to be related to the decrease of magnesium in the typical American diet. Magnesium and the Brain: The Original Chill Pill from Psychology Today
• Vitamin C. 200% of the daily requirement is in one cup of kale. Low levels of vitamin C have been connected to mood disturbances. Improved vitamin C levels coincide with better moods. Vitamin C Rapidly Improves Emotional State of Acutely Hospitalized Patients, Study Suggests
• Vitamin K. 1,020% of the daily requirement but apparently does nothing for mood or anxiety. Vitamin K-2 for Anxiety
• Potassium. Low potassium and mental illness are related. Insufficient potassium has even been implicated in the creation of mental illness. Low Potassium & Mental Disorders
• Iron. Depression, anxiety, and mood swings are symptoms that can emerge due to iron deficiency. Can Iron Deficiency Cause Psychological Problems? from Livestrong

Additional source: The Truth About Kale on WebMD

I know kale is good for us and now I know how beneficial it can be to mind and mood. Armed with some new knowledge, a bag of kale, a package of chicken, and the following recipe, I fixed up a great dinner.

Braised Chicken with Kale and Tomatoes

(based on Braised Chicken with Kale from MyRecipies dot com)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (divided)
• 4 chicken leg quarters or 8 drumsticks
• ground black pepper (to taste)
• salt (to taste)
• approximately 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 (16-ounce) package cut prewashed kale
• 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chilies, undrained
• About 20 ounces chicken broth
• balsamic vinegar

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Heat a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil.
3. Sprinkle the chicken with black pepper and salt. Place flour in a dish, and dredge chicken.
4. Place chicken pieces in dutch oven, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Remove from dutch oven. You might have to add 2 more teaspoons of oil and do this step again, depending on how much chicken you are cooking.
5. Add remaining 2 teaspoons of oil to dutch oven. Add garlic and simmer for 20 seconds. Add half of the kale and cook for 2 minutes. Add remaining half of kale and cook for 3 more minutes.
6. Stir in diced tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
7. Return chicken to pan, cover, and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
8. Serve chicken over kale mixture with a splash of vinegar (to taste).

My friend took her own life a year ago today.

She was an inspiration
and I will miss her forever.

RIP Danna
February 19, 2012

The Elephant in the Room (suicide)

I'm coming up on the one-year anniversary of my friend's suicide. Her memory is occupying my thoughts more frequently -- almost like they did in the months following her choice. She was sick, living her life with a severe mental illness. Sometimes she suffered debilitating lows and other times she soared joyful heights. Such is the existence of someone with bipolar disorder.

I used the word "choice" earlier and I don't believe she made a choice. She had no choice. Bipolar disorder is a disease of the brain and, when it wants to, it hijacks your mind. Seeking help is a choice, which she did. Eating well, exercising, participating in support groups, etc. are choices and she did all those things. She was an active advocate for herself and others with mental illness. She spoke up and spoke out, educating the people around her. She didn't hide her struggles in shame. That's a dangerous practice, she knew it, and she encouraged others step over shame and embrace help. Those are choices.

Sometimes, though, the disease trespasses into a life in recovery without anyone knowing it. Sometimes it snatches you right out of your life and all you can do is hold on for all you're worth until the heavens drop you from their heights or the void pukes you up from the depths.

My friend did not choose. She simply could not hold on long enough and the void swallowed her whole.

Is This Fair? Maps of Mental Healthcare Availability

Here in Austin, I-35 is a great dividing line carved through our city and the differences between communities east of the highway and those west of the highway are, to use a tired analogy, like night and day.  I took a peek at some of those differences, focusing on the availability of mental healthcare services.  My exploration gives only a glimpse of a truth but the observations are substantial enough to warrant a more serious look at the accessibility gap.

I entered "psychiatrists austin texas" in the Google Maps search bar to start with and the picture below was the result.  The red dots and bubbles mark the locations Google Maps identified as matching my search criteria.  The number of dots is significantly higher west of I-35 and disconcertingly low east of I-35.  If the population density dropped sharply the difference wouldn't be so worrisome, but it doesn't.

Psychiatrists in Austin, Texas

One picture is hardly conclusive and I changed the search criteria to something a bit broader - "counselors austin texas."  As shown below, Google Maps doesn't identify many counselors on the east side, either.  More to the point, the imbalance in the number of counselors resembles that of psychiatrists.

Counselors in Austin, Texas

Hoping for something better, something more equitable, I created yet another map with even more expansive search criteria.  I typed "mental health services austin texas" in the search bar, hit enter, and saw the following:

Mental Health Services in Austin, Texas

The density of dots increases across the map, both east and west of the highway.  Unfortunately, the disparity between east and west is reiterated.


I know this research isn't thorough enough to support firm conclusions; I'm not suggesting that it is.  Let's be clear on that point.  It does, however, testify to a pattern of inequity and one that is worth delving into.

Facebook Find

This week I found a great page on Facebook.

Advocates for Those with Mental Illness

It's only two weeks old and so far it has about 250 members. It's shaping up to be an active group of people from all over the place... United States. Canada. I think I've even seen people from Europe there. Personally, I'm enjoying the posts and conversations that are taking place. I think I've been introduced to more resources in the last week that I've been a member than I have in quite a long time. It gets a big thumbs up from me.