Dr. Uma Naidoo on Food-Mood Connections

We all know that humans need daily nourishment to survive. But to thrive? That’s a bit more complicated than vitamin and mineral counts. We’re social creatures, too, meaning we crave—require, actually—connection on a regular basis. So much so that social isolation has been found to be as detrimental to our health as smoking 15 cigarettes per day¹. Yet one oft-forgotten opportunity remains key to satisfying both of these innate human needs: mealtime.

“Eating is a powerful tool that supports one’s physical and mental well-being, and nurtures our relationships with others,” says Uma Naidoo, MD, a first-of-her-kind triple threat in the intersecting worlds of food and mood. A…