National Nutrition Month^® is an annual campaign created in 1973 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. During the month of March, everyone is invited to learn about making informed food choices and developing healthful eating and physical activity habits.

This year’s theme is “Fuel for the Future.” Eating with sustainability in mind is a tasty way to nourish ourselves during every phase of life and protect the environment.

On March 23rd at 2pm, we present a talk entitled “Food and Mood.” It’s widely known that nutrition plays a key role in our physical health. But studies also show that nutrition directly affects our mental and emotional well-being, too. In other words, what we eat may also affect the way we feel.

Research shows that unhealthy eating patterns can cause mood swings and that some foods help improve your mood, outlook, and emotional health. Important nutrients in food affect brain chemistry, impacting mood, memory, and cognitive function. 

In this program, registered dietitian Lauren Crosta from Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, will talk about how what you eat can affect your overall health– and what foods in particular can nourish your mind, body, and spirit.

Here are some newish titles on nutrition, food recipes, and diet which are available with your Livingston Library card and will help reveal the transformative powers of healthy food choices and dietary practices. 

Anxious Eaters : Why We Fall For Fad Diets by Janet Chrzan and Kima Cargill

This book shows that fad diets are popular because they fulfill crucial social and psychological needs–which is also why they tend to fail. The authors bring together anthropology, psychology, and nutrition to explore what these programs promise yet rarely fulfill for dieters. They demonstrate how fad diets help people cope with widespread anxieties and offer tantalizing glimpses of attainable self-transformation. Chrzan and Cargill emphasize the social contexts of diets, arguing that beliefs about nutrition are deeply rooted in pervasive cultural narratives. Although people choose to adopt new eating habits for individual reasons, broader forces shape why fad diets seem to make sense.

The Better Brain : Overcome Anxiety, Combat Depression, And Reduce ADHD And Stress With Nutrition by Bonnie J. Kaplan

A paradigm-shifting approach to treating mental disorders like anxiety, depression, and ADHD with food and nutrients, by two leading scientists who share their original, groundbreaking research with readers everywhere for the first time, explaining why nutrients improve brain health, and how to use them.

The Brain Health Kitchen : Preventing Alzheimer’s Through Food by Annie Fenn

Fenn gives readers a guide to preserving cognitive ability through food, with 100 recipes to promote mental acuity. Fenn, a doctor turned chef, has organized the book into 10 chapters representing the most neuroprotective foods: berries, leafy greens, nuts and seeds, beans and lentils, whole grains, cruciferous vegetables, and more. Fenn walks readers through choices they can make to create a brain-friendly diet, like how to choose meats that will fuel instead of harm, how to understand the nuances between “good” and “bad” fats, and the difference between processed sugars and natural sugars.  Eating for brain health also means embracing cooking methods that preserve the nutrition of the food, such as braising, steaming, and smoking. 

Cook Smart, Eat Well by Jennifer A. Welper

Mayo Clinic’s Wellness Executive Chef brings you her expert tips, strategies, and more than 100 recipes to make healthy cooking at home more flavorful, less time-consuming, and a routine part of a healthy lifestyle.

Debating Your Plate : The Most Controversial Foods And Ingredients by Randi Minetor

This book examines the most controversial foods and ingredients, providing an objective, well-balanced look at the health benefits and risks of each. It equips readers with the information they need to make their own informed decisions about what they eat.

Eat & Flourish : How Food Supports Emotional Well-Being by Mary Beth Albright

Food has the power to nourish your mind, supporting emotional wellness through both nutrients and pleasure. Journalist Albright draws on cutting-edge research to explain the food/mood connection. She redefines “emotional eating” based on the science, revealing how eating triggers biological responses that affect humans’ emotional states both immediately and long-term.  Readers will come away knowing how certain foods help reduce the inflammation that can harm mental health, the critical relationship between the microbiome and the brain, which vitamins help restore the body during intensely emotional times, and how to develop a healthful eating pattern for life–with a 30-day kickoff plan included.

Fitter Calmer Stronger : A Mindful Approach To Exercise & Nutrition by Ellie Goulding

Combining a mindful approach to exercise with delicious, nutritious recipes, this book will help you kickstart healthy habits, develop a positive mindset, and establish clear, achievable goals. Going far beyond diet and exercise, Ellie shares a holistic approach to feeling and being your best.

Foodwise : A Fresh Approach To Nutrition With 100 Delicious Recipes by Mia Rigden

Conquer cravings, reset your eating habits, and heal your relationship with food with this 21-day reset program full of delicious, satisfying recipes from trained chef and nutritionist Rigden.

The Galveston Diet : The Doctor-Developed, Patient-Proven Plan To Burn Fat And Tame Your Hormonal Symptoms by Mary Claire Haver

A patient-proven eating and lifestyle program to balance nutrition and sustain weight loss–including more than 40 delicious recipes and 6 weeks of meal plans–tailored to women in midlife.

Genius Kitchen: Over 100 Easy And Delicious Recipes To Make Your Brain Sharp, Body Strong, And Taste Buds Happy by Max Lugavere

This book features shockingly delicious, nutrient-packed recipes that will energize your mind, strengthen your body, and pave a path to health that you’ll feel with the first bite. Max explains the importance of whole, fresh foods, how various nutrients work together keep you healthy, and how to get fit without counting calories. Breaking down each meal component, Max explains the art and science of nutrition without the dogma, so that you can feel your best every day without sacrificing your love of eating. 

I’m So Effing Hungry : Why We Crave What We Crave–And What To Do About It by Amy Shah

Dr. Shah shares her 5-step program for battling excessive hunger and food cravings by harnessing the power of psychobiotics and intermittent fasting.

Plant Power : Flip Your Plate, Change Your Weight by Ian K. Smith

An essential guide to harnessing the power of plants and enjoying the benefits of a plant-forward diet.  Readers will learn: – The unique power of plant protein vs. animal protein – How to buy fruits, vegetables, fish, and meat: Does organic matter? Is frozen OK? What about farm-raised? Or grass-finished? – If plant-based burgers and beyond are all they promise to be: the good, the bad, and the to-be-avoided – 25 key recipes to use as daily basics.

The online resource Universal Class that is available to Livingston Library cardholders has the following nutrition focused classes: Nutrition 101 and Nutrition 201.

— Archana Chiplunkar, Adult Services & Acquisitions Librarian