The Mood-Food Connection (Mental Health Month, week 3, events & videos)

Nutritional psychiatry investigates the relationship of food to mood and mental health. In these 2 short videos, learn about how your diet impacts your mental health and what to eat to support your mental health, or read about what not to eat.

The gut-brain connection is complicated, involving the endocrine and immune systems and much more. Researchers are just starting to understand the two-way street between mental health and physical health and to study the relationship of sugar to depression, anxiety, addiction and cognition.

Welcome to Week 3 of our annual Mental Health Awareness Month email campaign!

Each week during May we will send an email with videos, links to resources, and upcoming events to provide awareness and support. We hope you'll find the info helpful and that you'll pay it forward by sharing the weekly emails with your family, friends and colleagues! (Click for week 1 and week 2.)

This year, our council members chose wellness as the theme for our May videos. In keeping with this week's nutrition theme, here are downloadable graphics on mood-boosting foods and brain power spices, and a "Brain Food" handout by Dr. Georgia Ede of Diagnosis Diet.

Next week's public awareness events include:

• HOPE for Mental Illness Concert (Ridgefield)

• Mental Health First Aid training (Norwalk)

• Family Unity Night (Norwalk)

• mental health information table and Q&A (Ferguson Library, Stamford)

• Dr. Bernie Siegel at Bridge House (Bridgeport)

• Dr. Hilary Blumberg on neuroscience and bipolar (Stamford)

• QPR suicide prevention training in English & Spanish (Norwalk)

• a basketball tournament (Stratford)

• the Hearing Voices simulation (Trumbull)

For details, click here for the calendar of more than 30 awareness events taking place throughout Southwest CT this month or visit our May page.

Seeking help for yourself or a loved one?

• Check in on your mental health: free online screening in English or Spanish with NEW! psychosis screen

• Find professional and peer support for mental health or substance use challenges: resources

• Try a mental wellness app from this list

Be well!