(upbeat music)

- Mouth watering macaroni and cheese,

hot fudge sundaes, biscuits and gravy.

(laughs) They're called comfort foods.

But guess what?

These and other foods likethem are making millions

of Americans feel notcomfortable, but miserable.

Lorie Johnson explains the connection

between Americans' soaring depression rate

and what you put at the end of your fork.

- The number of Americansseeking help for depression

and anxiety skyrocketed93% last year compared

to the year before.

While some of that can beblamed on the COVID impact,

research shows mental illness has

steadily increased for years.

40 million Americans deal withsome mental health concern.

That's more than the populations

of New York and Florida combined.

These disorders make the listof the most common causes

of disability and suicidescores as a leading cause

of death, no matter the age group.

- We need to understand thatthe silent pandemic going

on is one around mentalillness or just people feeling

more depressed, moreblue, not sleeping well,

feeling extremely stressed and traumatized

by everything that's going on.

- [Lorie] Meanwhile, threeout of four Americans are

either overweight or obese,the highest level ever.

Turns out, there's a link.

The same foods that triggerweight gain can also lead

to depression, anxiety, andother mental health issues.

- The foods that we call comfort foods are

actually discomfort for our brain.

- Dr. Uma Naidoo do isone of a growing number

of psychiatrists using healthy foods

to strengthen patients' mental health.

- We have the power to actuallyimprove that for ourselves.

Not that a personshouldn't see their doctor

and take the medication if they need it,

but we also can start todayat the end of our fork,

by making healthier choices in how we eat.

- [Lorie] In her book, "ThisIs Your Brain On Food,"

Dr. Naidoo says a healthy brain begins

with something we've beentelling you about for years:

a healthy gut.

- Essentially, the gut andbrain, even though they are

in different parts of thebody, they actually arise

from the very same cells in the embryo.

And then they divide upand form these two organs,

and then they remainconnected throughout life.

- [Lorie] That key connectionis known as the vagus nerve,

a two-way superhighway sendingconstant chemical messaging

back and forth.

Foods that can wreck thegut microbiome, however,

jam up this nerve highwayreaching all the way to the brain.

- When we're feeding thosemicrobes sugary treats,

lots of added refinedsugars, lots of soda,

what unfortunately happensis the bad microbes get fed.

And when they get fed those sugary foods,

they overcome the good microbes.

- Several studies, including MRI imaging,

show excessive sugar makesdepression and anxiety worse.

Dr. Naidoo confirms whatwe've been reporting:

processed foods are loaded with sugar.

Even those that don't seem sweet

and are marketed as healthy.

- Unfortunately, things likethings like french fries

from fast food restaurantsare actually made

with added sugar.

We don't taste that, but they'remade to be hyper palatable.

So just be aware thatthere's hidden sugars.

- [Lorie] Also, stay awayfrom most of the fake ones.

- Several of the artificial sweeteners,

unfortunately, can driveanxiety, worsen depression,

and disrupt those gut microbes.

- [Lorie] Dr. Naidoo recommendsadding colorful vegetables

like leafy greens to yourmenu, which contain foliate.

- [Uma] Foliate, when there'sa low level in the brain,

actually can lead to depression.

- [Lorie] Antioxidant richfoods, like blueberries.

- We are combating oxidativestress, which is really good,

and much better for our mental wellbeing.

- [Lorie] And healthy fats like olive oil,

avocados, plus thingslike salmon and walnuts,

which include omega three.

- It doesn't exclude the useof medications when needed,

but it provides individualswith an additional tool

in their toolkit to reallyuplift their mental health.

- [Lorie] An added benefitis that a healthy diet can

also increase amedication's effectiveness.

So while junk food may brightenyour mood in the moment,

it could deepen depressionand anxiety in the long run.

By breaking that cycle, you might find

over time that you feel so good,

you can say goodbye to thatcomfort crutch forever.

- Lorie joins us now, Lorie,I was so fascinated at one,

an embryo was being formedthat the split comes

between the brain and the gut,

and the vagus nerve connects them.

- [Lorie] Absolutely,isn't that fascinating?

- And it is at birth.

- So this is what we've been talking about

for so many years, eversince we started talking

about the importance ofthe gut microbiome is that

that gut-brain connection,it's a very real thing.

And so much of what happensin the gut directly affects

the brain, not only theway we think, cognition,

two plus two equals four,but also the way we feel

when we're depressed orwhen we have anxiety.

So how the gut goes, the brain goes.

- So, comfort food, they giveyou a big bowl of ice cream

with chocolate sauce anda few cherries on top,

and that's supposed to makeyou feel good, but it won't.

- You know, this is the same thing we find

with alcohol, with drugs like cocaine,

with cigarettes, that you dohave that momentary pleasure,

but in the long run, ithurts you very badly.

So the same thing is true with sugar.

And you know, studieshave shown that sugar is

as addictive as someillicit drugs like cocaine

and also things like nicotine.

- I have been at war with the well,

the high fructose corn syrupthat's added to everything.

There's sugar in everything.

- There's sugar in everything,

and you were right backin the day to point out

high fructose corn syrup isso dangerous, but guess what?

The food manufacturershave figured out a way

to get one step ahead of that.

They've changed the nameand now they just call

it corn syrup to try to fool people.

But even worse than that, there are

about a hundred other types of sugar

that people won't recognize on the labels,

but they're all various types of sugar.

So pretty much allprocessed food has sugar.

And as Dr. Naidoo pointed out, some things

that don't even seem sweet,like french fries contain sugar.

- And this is going to makeus, now we have in front of us,

these are foods that'll keep us healthy.

Can you only tell us what you got here?

- So, a lot of people say,okay, well if I can't eat

processed food and sugar,what is there left?

And that's true, a lot ofpeople eat mostly processed food

and sugar all the time.

And so this wonderful book,I highly recommend it,

has lots of different recipes of foods

that are good for your brain.

She gets into the details aboutwhat foods specifically are

good for certain mental problems.

For example, down herewe have this wonderful,

hearty vegetable soup,which is particularly good

for people who struggle with depression.

It has peas for magnesium,broccoli for iron, sweet potatoes

for vitamin A, and it's loadedin fiber and antioxidants.

- [Pat] It looks pretty good.

- It is good, and I know you make

a wonderful vegetable soup, too.

- Oh man, my minestrone is, I've got

20 different vegetablesin it, it's fantastic.

- Well, vegetables are the way to go.

Those are the healthiest foods in general.

So here we have for anxiety, adish that's particularly good

for people who arestruggling with anxiety.

It's called a spinachand mushroom frittata.

Before the segment began,you said, what is a frittata?

A frittata is basically aquiche without the crust.

Now it has eggs in itthat has wonderful choline

for your brain, also spinach, which has

wonderful magnesium,mushrooms for vitamin D.

And the great thing aboutthis particular dish is

you can put it in the refrigerator.

It doesn't have to be a breakfast food.

- I eat strange things(laughs), this looks strange,

but it tastes good.

- Well, some people think it'sweird to eat eggs at dinner.

I don't, I eat frittatas all the time.

- Sure.

- And another good thing about this,

you can freeze it forup to a month and put it

in the refrigerator.

It lasts a couple of days.

Now this is really oneof my favorite dishes

because it's something that'sgreat for people on the go.

This is chia puddingwith nuts and berries.

I know some of your favoritefoods and it's especially good

for people who have suffered from trauma,

and over this lastyear, who hasn't, right?

So this has chia seeds in it.

- [Pat] Chia, they're likethe little chia plants?

- Right, and these are so wonderful

for all those wonderful chemicalreactions in your brain.

- [Pat] They have blueberries and-

- Blueberries with the antioxidants.

And then we have walnuts onthere, are a wonderful source

of healthy fats, and what'sespecially good about this is

it's a great breakfast foodthat you make the night before.

- What gives it the sweet taste?

- There's a little bit of a honey in it

and also a little bit of almond milk,

but the great thing about this,

you can make it in a bowl the night before

or put it in a little jar, aMason jar or any type you have,

so then you grab it inthe morning when you leave

so that you don't have apoptart or a donut or something.

- [Pat] This is delicious,it's really good.

Have you ever tasted it?

- Oh yes, I love chia,I have chia every day.

I try to eat blueberriesevery day, walnuts every day.

And I know you do, too,you're a big berry person.

- You know, I look at,you know, for example,

those bran flakes and everything,they've got sugar in 'em,

but all bran, just plainbran, you know, has no sugar.

It's just very good.

- You know, most of thecereal aisle is a no go zone.

Even the healthy things likegranola sometimes are loaded

with sugar, but every once in a while,

you can find something on the cereal aisle

that doesn't have sugar in it.

And one of those thingsis old fashioned oats.

- Oh yeah.

- And every once in a whileyou can find a boxed cereal

that doesn't have sugar in it,

but they're very few and far between.

- Well, the oatmeal istrue, and the all-bran,

not bran flakes, but theall-bran, and you remember

those advertisements of the little girl

who was going to stuff thosethings in her daddy to eat?

Those things are loaded with sugar.

- I know, and that's why they're so good.

- Sugar loafs.

- So many different foodmanufacturers are marketing

terribly unhealthy foods as healthy.

So we just need to be on our guard

because food manufacturers know

that consumers want healthy foods.

So they make it seem healthy.

You've got to read those labels.

- This stuff is good,and that soup is great,

and I would sometime I'll come back

and make my famous minestrone,

which is my 20 vegetableminestrone, and it is so delicious.

- So vegetables, that's what'sso great about your soup

and that's what's so great about so many

of the dishes here, andby the way, the recipes

for these three items are on our website.

So folks can go to our websiteright now and get the recipes

for these three thingsfor absolutely free.

- Well this has all kinds of stuff.

And ladies and gentlemen, there's no sense

in being depressed, youmight as well be happy.

You know (laughs), youknow what the song was?

- [Lorie] Don't worry, be happy.

- (laughs) We want you to be happy.

I have, literally at the university,

I've set up a center for humanhappiness, student happiness,

and I believe God wants us to be happy.

So Lorie you're terrific,thank you so much.

- My pleasure, thanks for having me.

- Well, this book is called"This Is Your Brain On Food."

You can find it wherever books are sold,

and also you can findrecipes on CBNnews.com.

Thank you.