Pilates Soulful Sunday: Feeding the Brain — Is Our Diet the Missing Link?

A whole fish served with fresh vegetables highlights the importance of brain nourishing meals.

Over the last two decades there has been a growing debate about how we developed the incredible brain we have today. For a long time we believed our physical development alone set us apart. But new evidence continues to point to something far more subtle yet powerful. Our diet.

It turns out the key may have been found not on land but in the sea. Our ancestors had access to an abundance of seafood and with that came vital fatty acids, especially omega 3s. These nutrients are essential for brain growth and maintenance. Researchers now believe that without this seafood rich diet the brains we rely on today might never have developed to their current complexity.

This made me think. We often blame the rise in mental health challenges on screen time, constant stress or the fast pace of modern life. And yes, these all play a role. But what if part of the answer lies in something much more fundamental. What we eat.

Dr Michael Crawford, among others, warned as far back as the 1960s that a shift away from essential fatty acids in our food would first bring cardiovascular issues and eventually affect mental health. And here we are, decades later, seeing both rise at an alarming rate.

What really struck me was reading that our brains are actually shrinking. Yes, measured shrinkage in brain size compared to what our ancestors had. And the strongest correlation researchers are seeing is diet. We are consuming more processed food, less seafood and fewer nutrients essential to brain health.

The NHS currently recommends eating fish twice a week. But is that really enough? And not all fish are the same. Salmon, tuna, cod, sardines and prawns each come with their own unique balance of nutrients. Perhaps we need to be more mindful not just of how often we eat fish but also which types we include.

What if we the Pilates teachers were to make simple changes? Introducing a variety of seafood regularly, choosing wild over farmed when possible and considering the wider nutritional picture. Some clinical studies have shown promising results when fatty acids were added to diets in mental health trials. Although not all participants knew whether they were on the active or placebo diet, changes were still observed.

Of course no one is saying that eating fish will cure mental illness. That would be far too simplistic. But it is becoming increasingly clear that our current diets are a long way from what our brains evolved on. Perhaps it is time to reflect not only on what we are eating today but what that means for the generations that follow.

We are what we eat. And maybe, just maybe, our minds are too.