        Growing up in an Italian-American household, an abundance of healthy food has never been an issue for my family. Being served anywhere from five, to sometimes six courses over a relaxing Sunday family dinner is commonplace in my household. Hearing my Nona's (grandmother) voice, tempting me to try her homemade ravioli she worked hours to prepare; food has always acted as the reliable backbone to my family. It would be a catastrophe, in my eyes, if we were to discontinue these dinners because of our financial obligations. This starts me thinking what necessities are essential in order to sustain human survival, but the answer is clear to me. Primarily one's life revolves around two key necessities to remain alive; food and water.  For the people who lead less fortunate lives, reliable food sources are seen as sporadic, and unreliable; too often leaving many to wonder when their next meal will present itself. 

As a nursing student here at the University of South Carolina, health and helping those less fortunate has always been the source of fuel for my passion. As a college student, you witness the late night fast food runs or the insane food creations our friends generate with little to no resources. As a result of this culture, some may experience rapid weight gain; however, others may not. Analyzing this scenario via cause and effect, sheds light on an insidious issue sweeping the country. What role does a poor diet play, if it did not result in an immediate adverse effect? And, if afflicted by weight gain, what role does food consumption and dieting play on someone's overall mental health?

According to Tara Parker-Pope in her article "A High Price for Healthy Food", there are three important differences which separate healthy food from the not so healthy: price, the amount of high/low energy (calories), and density. Foods such as fruits and vegetables contain fewer calories, but excel because they offer essential nutrients one needs for proper nutrition. On the other hand, Pope discusses how foods which contain high starch and sugar content can be bought in bulk. In fact, a scientific survey directed by Dr. Adam Drewnowski at The University of Washington discovered that, "Energy-dense munchies cost on average $1.76 per 1,000 calories, compared with $18.16 per 1,000 calories for low-energy but nutritious foods. (Drewnowski)" This allows for lower income consumers to sustain weeks on a limited budget. The survey also proves that the relationship between price and quality, and the amount of calories found in foods, resulting in poor dietary habits. Scientists found that, 'low-calorie foods were more likely to increase in price, by a surging 19.5 percent over a two-year period. While high-calorie foods remained at a relative bargain, dropping in price by 1.8 percent (Pope).' This goes to prove that with low-calorie foods rising at such an astonishing rate, inflation subjectively forces lower income citizens to consume high-calorie less nutritious foods. Clearly with the low-calorie, nutritious food prices on the rise, it can hinder the choices which still remain to burden lower income citizens. As Dr. Drewnowski states, "Vegetables and fruits are rapidly becoming luxury goods." Therefore, inflation makes the odds of improving lower income citizen's nutritional health possibly decline even more substantially over an extensive period of time.

Humans are much like a clock, from the outside we presented not all the same but hold similar characteristics which distinguish us as a whole. From the inside we perform many complex tasks which allows us to sustain a normal daily routine. Every component has to work in seamlessly: from gears, to the pendulum, to the weights which balance everything out. Our bodies are constantly working to sustain life, similar to a clock constantly working to sustain a steady pace. Try visualizing the key to the clock, you enter the key and twist right as a result, everything begins to function properly. Similar to poor diet, the food one consumes correlates directly to the 'key' component of human functionality (i.e. the brain). If we apply this metaphor to Dr. Eva Selhub findings in the article, "Nutritional Psychiatry: Your Brain on Food" we can analyze this concept even further. According to Dr.Selhub, studies have proven that "diets which consist of foods mostly containing high refined sugars, increase the chance of influencing brain function. Specifically, individuals with mood disorders such as depression, found these type of foods caused an even worsening effect of their symptoms. The neurotransmitter serotonin presents an interesting relationship with depression; high or low levels can alter a person's mental state/mood completely." She states that, "serotonin is produced by not just the brain, but by the gastrointestinal tract; which is accountable for producing 95 percent of serotonin levels located throughout the human body. (Selhub)" The issue at hand lies in the gastrointestinal tract and its two primary responsibilities; to digest the foods you consume and protect your intestinal tract from the good and bad bacteria. Just like a clock, the gastrointestinal tract works in sync with the brain. The good and bad bacteria found in the gut not only share a bidirectional relationship with a person's mood and directly affect that person's mental state. As previously mentioned, foods which create these bad bacteria are found largely in energy-crammed munchies (Pope). These foods not only cost less, but provide lower income citizens a substantial amount of food for weeks, all while maintaining within a set minimal budget. With inflation rates on the rise, this stirs a major issue for lower income citizen's mental health and in the years that follow. Hence the substantial price differential found in high and low energy dense foods, studies have found that people who take probiotics compared to those who did not, experienced positive results. Probiotics are supplements which contain the 'good bacteria' lower income citizens do not consume. The distribution of probiotics throughout homeless shelters and organizations could present an affordable solution to decrease mental health problems amongst the less fortunate. Ultimately reducing their anxiety levels, perception of stress, and overall mental outlook; they could feel inspired to make a better life.

According to the previously mentioned article, "Nutritional Psychiatry: Your Brain on Food" Shelhub states that in America, traditionally we thrive on what is called a "western" diet. Western diets contain processed and refined foods which are high in carbohydrates, refined sugars, and starches. Studies have compared "western" diets to "traditional" diets, like the Mediterranean diet and the traditional Japanese diet. Traditional diets eliminate "western" diet staples and are usually high in vegetables, fruits, unprocessed grains, fish, and only a sparse serving of meats and dairy. "In fact, traditional diets have shown to reduce the risk of depression by 25-35 percent (Shelhub)." However, in the longitudinal study, "A Western Diet is associated with a smaller hippocampus: a longitudinal study", 'scientists motive was to discover if there is a correlation between hippocampal size and diet in humans (Polivy).' The hippocampus is primarily responsible for one's ability to learn, generating emotion, and carry memory; these functions are all affected by mental illness. To understand this, they studied how diet affects hippocampal brain development size found in rats. The study leads to discover that for "everyone standard deviation increase in healthy "traditional" dietary pattern was associated with a 45.7mm3 larger left hippocampal volume, while higher consumption of an unhealthy "Western" dietary pattern was (independently) associated with a 52.6mm3 smaller left hippocampal volume(Polivy)." Based off this evidence, one can state that lower income individuals who consume unhealthy "western" diet staple foods to temporarily sustain themselves, could indirectly result in a smaller left hippocampal size development. This longitudinal study leads scientists to believe there is a direct relationship between hippocampal size and a person's mental state. As a result, this proves that dietary patterns in America have a more significant impact on lower income citizens not just physically, but mentally as well.

In conclusion, there are many factors that influence one's mental health, but we've learned that the brain is not the only factor governing a person's mental state; the gastrointestinal tract plays a more crucial role then most would assume.  Receiving proper nutrition is absolutely essential for proper hippocampal brain development, as well as serotonin levels. While some could argue that environmental factors play a larger roll on a person's mental outcome; research proves that there is a distinct bidirectional relationship between nutrition and the brain. Essentially, this results in an overall negative impact on lower income Americans who simply cannot afford the price tag of eating healthy foods. Based off our research, what are some ways we can help improve lower income citizen's mental health in America?

