#BlogTour #AuthorInterview for Depression by Ray Griffiths @fayerogersuk @authoright #DepressionBook @raygriffiths9

The part of the brain most heavily associated with mental health, memory, emotion and mood is called the hippocampus; the biological name for the seahorse. It is the unusual seahorse-like shape of the hippocampus that has led to its evocative name. Just as the seahorse charms the depths of oceans, our own hippocampus, when supported and nurtured, can help to enchant our own lives. Worryingly, there are an increasing number of scientific papers linking problems with the hippocampus to depression, in particular, the shrinking or failure to regrow this part of the brain after prolonged stress. Depression, anxiety and mood disorders are often seen as entirely psychological in cause. However, more and more research is highlighting that chronic health issues, poor diet and lifestyle choices can, and will, negatively impact our vulnerable hippocampus, and consequently, our mental health.

Personalised nutritionist Ray Griffiths examines how we can modify our dietary and lifestyle choices to nourish our brain and hippocampus. These choices can help to cushion us from the harm we may encounter as we navigate the challenges of modern everyday life. This nourishment is absolutely vital, as every day our hippocampus can potentially regrow 700 brand new neurons, but it needs a huge amount of assistance to do so. Nourishment for the hippocampus can come from not just diet but also from balanced gut bacteria, social connection, exercise, an outdoors environment, music and dance. Learning how to support your brain health begins with what you eat.

Purchase Link for Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Depression-Mind-Body-Diet-Lifestyle-Connection/dp/1912850982

MY INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR

When did you know that you wanted to be an author?

As a boy and younger man I was extremely introverted, not believing that I had much to give to the world. In 2004 I was nutritionally supporting a Labrador dog with cancer and the tumour actually started to shrink – it blew my mind! How come people with infinitely more knowledge than myself were not trying similar things? This led me to start lecturing on nutrition, study for a Masters degree and then write my first book on mitochondria. Mitochondria are the microscopic power plants that supply every part of our body with energy.

What inspired you to write this book?

Writing about mitochondria highlighted just how much energy the brain needs to function every day. We have 86 billion neurons (a type of brain cell) in our brain. The human brain consumes around a quarter of all our energy and oxygen intake. Think about it, a quarter of every mouthful of food and a quarter of every breath of air is needed by the brain to maintain our thoughts and mental wellbeing. The brain is only 2% of our body weight and yet its energy needs are literally colossal! I really felt the need to get this incredible information out.

At the centre of our brain is the hippocampus, the sea horse shaped structure which plays a pivotal role in our mental health and wellbeing. Under stress the hippocampus has a tendency to shrink, but diet and lifestyle factors mentioned in the book can help protect or even help regrow the hippocampus. Interestingly, antidepressant drugs can also protect the hippocampus from shrinking during stress.

If you could sell this book in one sentence what would it be?

Nourishment for the brain and our mental wellbeing comes from so much more than just food – read this book to find out how!

What are you up to next?

I am presenting at a Nutritional Psychiatry conference in London on 20^th September. I will also continue working with clients with Parkinson’s disease and Multiple Sclerosis – and lecturing at a college for nutrition students.

Who is your biggest inspiration?

The poet and author Robert Bly is my biggest inspiration. His book Iron John gave me insights into the difficulty I was having finding my voice before 2004. Iron John is the wild man or woman within us all that civilisation tends to crush so that we ‘fit in’. For many of us Iron John is locked within our inner cage and we are too frightened to open the door. The book helped me to befriend but not tame Iron John. In 2007 I spent a week in America at a poetry camp with Robert Bly.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ray Griffiths MSc is a Registered Nutritionist and Lecturer and hails from the South of England, living on the borders of Essex and Suffolk. He has been researching and practicing nutrition for 20 years and lecturing for over 10 years. His lectures and webinars have covered diverse subjects such as: cancer and nutrition, chronic fatigue, depression, cardiovascular health, neurodegeneration, MS and ageing. Ray has a background in Engineering and likes to apply a similar style systems philosophy to nutrition and biochemistry – using this approach to challenge and greatly expand existing ideas and concepts. He is a keen water skier, was once a professional Speedway rider. He enjoys Pre-Rapaelite art and his favourite author is the American poet Robert Bly.