Stronger Minds

In this episode we move away, temporarily, from the prison studies to consider other research being conducted around the world showing the profound effects of nutrition on behaviour and mental health including decision-making and protection from stress and PTSD.

Contributors

Prof. Dr. Soyoung Park - Head of department of Decision Neuroscience & Nutrition and Joint professor of Charité – University Hospital Berlin and the German Institute of Human Nutrition

Prof. Julia Rucklidge - the Director of the Mental Health and Nutrition Research Group at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing.

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In 2002, a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial showed that nutritional supplementation could reduce violence in prison by 37%. This study has since been replicated in prison populations in the UK, The Netherlands and Singapore. So why, when violence in UK prisons, including assaults on staff, is at an all time high are we not using this cheap, low-risk, accessible intervention? In this episode I speak to scientists behind this inexplicably ignored research.

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This episode examines the evidence that shows a beneficial effect of nutrition on childhood behavioural disorders, and the surprising and worrying link between hunger and school exclusions.

Contributors

Dr. Alex Richardson - Founder Director of Food and Behaviour Research, Research Associate, Dept of  Physiology, Anatomy Genetics, University of Oxford

Carmel McConnell MBE - Activist and Founder of Magic Breakfast

Sarah Dove - Strategic Director Phoenix Education Consultancy. President of PRUsAP

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In 2019 acts of self-harm and violence in prisons across England and Wales hit an all time high. There were nearly 60,000 acts of self harm, over 34,000 assaults, and more than 10,000 assaults on staff. There is something going very, very wrong in the prison system.

But what if I told that there is already a scientifically proven way of reducing violence in prison by 30%? At current rates that could mean 20,000 fewer acts of self harm, 11,000 fewer assaults, 3000 fewer assaults on staff and perhaps 100 fewer deaths. And what if I told you that the evidence for this cheap, low-risk intervention has been available for nearly 20 years. Wouldn’t you want to know why this treatment wasn’t being used?

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How to Build a Healthy Brain - I realised that while those of you who follow on Instagram will know where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to I hadn’t officially announced it on the podcast. So, in case you didn’t know I have spent the last year writing a book all about taking care of your brain and I thought I would give you a quick audio overview of it.

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This is the audio recording of the February 2020 book club.

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In this session of the Thinking Space Book Club the featured book is Lost Connections by Johann Hari and in the discussion I give an overview of the biopsychosocial model of depression, The Serotonin Hypothesis, the difference between the colloquial ego and the analytical ego, how trauma can become lodged in the body and outline my manifesto for improving GP assessments.

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This week’s clinic question comes in the form of a podcast because I had a lot to say. In my reply I discuss the difference between acceptance and tolerance, the necessary additional features of true acceptance and round off with some thinking exercises for you to try. I hope this is helpful for some of you.

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This episode is the long-awaited Q&A with specialist performance and eating disorder dietitian Renee McGregor. Renee is the UK’s leading expert in Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport and is on the European Taskforce for Orthorexia. She has managed the nutrition for athletes at the the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympics and the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and she is currently working with the Scottish Ballet.

In this episode she answers a wide range of questions submitted by you. Everything from how important body fat percentage is for athletic performance, tips on challenging eating disorder beliefs and how to maintain hormonal health during training for sport. 

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Food and Mood - The October book was Brain Changer by Prof. Felice. Jacka. Felice was kind enough to give some of her time at the end of a very successful ISNPR conference and joins me for a live Q&A where she answered some audience questions. 

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