You Can't Pour from an Empty Cup
May is doing a lot of heavy lifting this year. It's National Mental Health Awareness Month, it's the month we celebrate mothers, and here I am — your friendly neighborhood dietitian — thinking about how perfectly these two things are connected.
Because here's the thing: the same advice applies to both. Whether you're a mom running on three hours of sleep and cold coffee, or anyone quietly struggling through a season of stress and brain fog — what you eat genuinely matters for how you feel. And not in a "eat your vegetables, they're good for you" kind of way. In a real, neurochemical, your-gut-is-talking-to-your-brain kind of way.
First, a word about moms!
The World Health Organization estimates that about 1 in 5 mothers experience a mental health condition during pregnancy or in the year after childbirth. And May — the same month we celebrate mothers with brunch and flowers — is also World Maternal Mental Health Month. That's not a coincidence. It's a reminder.
Research published in 2025 found that mothers' self-compassion, social support, and self-care behaviors were all meaningfully associated with their physical and mental health. Here's the part I love: self-compassion made mothers more likely to eat healthily, exercise, and get enough sleep — not less. Treating yourself kindly is not a luxury. It is the foundation.
"Self-care isn't selfish. You can't pour from an empty cup — and proper nutrition is one of the most fundamental ways to fill it."
Your gut and your brain are in constant conversation.
Here's the science that genuinely delights me every time I talk about it: approximately 90% of your body's serotonin — the neurotransmitter most associated with mood and emotional balance — is produced not in your brain, but in your gut. YOUR GUT. The thing you might have thought was just for digestion is, in fact, a major mood-regulation organ.
This gut-brain axis is a two-way communication highway. What you eat shapes your gut microbiome, which in turn influences your brain's stress responses, emotional regulation, and even your risk for depression and anxiety. A clinical trial found that people following a Mediterranean-style eating pattern showed significantly reduced symptoms of depression compared to those receiving only social support. Food is not a replacement for mental health care — but it is a meaningful part of the picture.
The nutrients to focus on:
If you want to eat in a way that supports your mental health and hormone health, a few key players show up again and again in the research:
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Omega-3 fatty acids
Salmon, sardines, walnuts, flaxseed, chia seeds
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Magnesium
Dark leafy greens, pumpkin seeds, whole grains, dark chocolate
🥚
B vitamins (esp. folate)
Eggs, leafy greens, legumes, fortified cereals
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Probiotics
Greek yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, miso
Omega-3s support the structure of brain cells and reduce inflammation linked to mood disorders. Magnesium — deficient in nearly half of Americans — helps regulate neurotransmitters and calm the nervous system. B vitamins, especially folate, are critical for serotonin production. Low folate levels are consistently linked to higher rates of depression. And fermented foods? They seed your gut with beneficial bacteria that help keep that gut-brain conversation healthy and productive.
On the flip side, diets high in ultra-processed foods and refined sugars disrupt the gut microbiome, promote inflammation, and have been consistently linked to higher rates of both anxiety and depression. This isn't about guilt — it's about information.
A Mother's Day recommendation list: simple and small ideas
Eat breakfast — even something simple. Blood sugar swings affect mood more than most people realize.
Add one handful of dark leafy greens per day for a magnesium boost.
Include fatty fish twice a week, or add walnuts and chia seeds to what you're already eating.
Try a serving of fermented food daily — a spoonful of yogurt counts.
Stay hydrated. Dehydration quietly affects concentration and mood.
Let someone take care of you, too. Accepting support is not weakness; it is wisdom.
Mental health is complex, and food is not a cure. But as we spend this month raising awareness around mental wellbeing, and celebrating the often-exhausted, often-underappreciated women who hold so much together — I want us to remember that nourishment is an act of care. For ourselves. For the people we love.
This Mother's Day, maybe the most radical thing we can do is make sure the moms in our lives — including ourselves — Eat well. Sleep. Rest. Receive.
The research says it matters. I promise it does!
In health,
Maura
PS- for more information on any of these topics, please reach out to me via email or phone.
717-991-6217
Sources & further reading
Edited by Claude AI
World Health Organization. Maternal mental health. who.int
Bord et al. (2025). Self-compassion, social support, and self-care in mothers. NCBI/PMC
Mayer et al. (2015). Gut-brain axis and serotonin production. Referenced in: Home for Balance (2025).
Jacka et al. Mediterranean diet and depression: 12-week clinical trial. BMC Medicine
Tuck, Farrow & Thomas (2019). Vegetable consumption and psychological health. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 110(1).
Grosso et al. (2014). Omega-3 fatty acids and depression/anxiety. Via Eating Recovery Center, 2025.
National Alliance on Mental Illness. Mental Health Awareness Month. nami.org, 2024.
National Maternal Mental Health Hotline: 1-833-TLC-MAMA (free, 24/7, English & Spanish)
Romm, Aviva. Hormone Intelligence. First ed., HarperOne, 2021, San Francisco.
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