Nutrition Archives - THIRA Health

Meet THIRA’s Registered Dietitians!

March 13, 2019

At THIRA, we’re fortunate to have the guidance of two registered dietitians on staff. Emily Fitch and Allison Thompson bring their expertise to all things food and help our patients to create positive relationships between food and mental health. Check out our interview with the dietitian team below to learn more about their work and a few great tips for approaching your own relationship to food. Tell us about what you do at THIRA Health. Emily: My time is mostly spent seeing individual patients for nutrition counseling and education, supervising meals and snacks, and supporting our wonderful staff and programs. Alli: Similar to Emily, I provide individual nutrition counseling and work to support our patients during meal and snack times. I also teach weekly classes for our partial hospitalization program, in which we explore the connection between nutrition and...

Understanding Hunger: Decoding Important Messages from your Body

March 29, 2018

Education, Food & Mood, Lifestyle, Mental Health, Nutrition

By Emily Fitch, Resident Dietician Food is among the greatest, simplest pleasures of being human. Every piece of food we digest offers our bodies something different, and personally understanding our relationship to food is the first step in building health and mental well-being. For example, upon tasting something naturally delicious—like an apple—the human tongue sends immediate sensory reward signals to the brain, and within 15 minutes the apple’s carbohydrates are converted to blood glucose that gives our body a burst of energy and endorphins. Apples are rich in a variety of phytonutrients (plant chemicals), and studies have linked the consumption of apples with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, asthma, diabetes, and some forms of cancers. Food is a fundamental fuel for our personal and collective mind,...

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How to Spot a Fad Diet — A Few Red Flags to Watch For

March 19, 2018

Food & Mood, Health, Mental Health

The characteristics of a fad diet are built around the intense, contagious enthusiasm for a niche weight-loss strategy, and the general promise of a faster and easier pathway to results. These crazes seem to emerge without scientific credibility or precedent, and are most often accompanied by the toned abdomen of a popular, fast-talking swami. Unfortunately and predictably, the individuals who are most easily victimized by the false pretenses of a fad diet are those concerned with so dramatically altering their physical appearance that they resemble another person—and to make matters worse, they want a shortcut for doing so. The language of dieting diversions is meant to exacerbate these feelings of insecurity and inaction, and to prey upon the confusion felt by an unsupported individual in need...

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Healthy Brain Checklist: Different Ways to Feed Your Mind

March 7, 2018

community, Education, Food & Mood, Health, Mental Health, Nutrition, Tips & Resources

Despite the fact that the hardest working part of the body is the brain, one is far more likely to hear commentary about nourishing only the visible parts of the body. Informed with new research, it’s clear that what we put into our guts—personally and collectively—has more influence on our brainpower and social wellness than previously thought possible. And while it’s admittedly harder to observe the gains of a well-fed brain than it is to appreciate the physical earmarks of time spent in the gym, nutrition is the key to getting the most from our work, our work-outs, and our brains in general. Here are four simple habits for building your brain up each day, and a friendly reminder that you’re a mental and physical by-product...

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Meet Emily, THIRA’s Resident Dietician

March 6, 2018

community, Food & Mood, Health, Nutrition, Tips & Resources

At THIRA, we’re fortunate to have the guidance of a resident dietician. Emily Fitch brings her expertise in all things nutrition to each THIRA program and helps our patients to create positive relationships between food and mental health. Check out our interview with Emily below to learn more about her work and a few great tips for approaching your own relationship to food. Tell us about what you do at THIRA Health. My time is mostly spent seeing individual patients for nutrition counseling and education, facilitating a weekly group called Food and Mood, and ordering all the food and snacks for patients. I also help to supervise breaks and meals and support our fabulous team as needed! When did you first decide to create a career around...

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The Many Benefits of a Well-Balanced Dietary Regimen

September 20, 2017

Health, Lifestyle, Mental Health, Nutrition, Partial Hospitalization Program

By Dr. Mehri Moore, M.D. At THIRA Health, much of what we do is guided by our commitment to holistic healing. When it comes to treating serious conditions like anxiety and depression, the best, most sustainable recoveries are achieved by fostering the wellbeing of the entire self, not just the mind. This is why many of our programs include components like yoga, art therapy, and, perhaps most importantly, communal meals. Though the clinical research community has yet to establish an undeniable direct link between eating certain foods and disorders like anxiety and depression, there is ample scientific evidence drawing connections between diet and what the average person might call “mood” The Importance of Eating Well Considering that the human body – including the brain, of course – is little...

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