Hello everyone! It has been quite some time since I’ve blogged, but I’ve been working on something to share from really interesting research.  I am truly excited to be sharing with you today how certain foods affect us and our mental health.  As a teacher, I do care about the children I work with, their families and community they are apart of.  Mental health has had a stronger focus in just the past decade, and it has even become more of an issue and discussion topic due to COVID-19.  According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, they reported a 24% increase of mental health emergencies for 5-11-year-olds and a 31% increase for 12-17-year-olds all between March and October 2020 (2021).  The information being shared is to help you, your children, and families to be aware that not only are certain foods healthy for our bodies but also our brains.

Food affects our mental health? Mental health issues can be labeled as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and more.  The food we eat affects our mental health because it affects our brain on a physical level.  Studies have shown that the “Western Diet”, which is mostly sugary processed fast-foods and drinks, actually causes our brains to shrink (Jacka et al., 2015). Yes, you read that correctly.  Parts of our brain have been found to shrink due to what we often eat here in the United States.  If one part of the brain is affected by diet, then its inability to function and communicate properly with other important parts of the brain could create chemical imbalances. As a result of these imbalances it can cause us to become anxious, stressed, and depressed more often. Our mental health suffers directly from what we eat and drink. 
 
According to First Things First, our brains grow up to 90% of its size by 5 years-old (2022).  Since we specifically work with 3-5-year-olds at our school, we are aware of how much growth  children make during their short time with us.  In case you didn’t know, we operate and approach teaching children at my school with scaffolds and learning through discovery or playing.  If there is a weakness in a child’s mental development due to lack of proper nutrition, then they may have a more difficult time regulating emotions and stress could cause unhealthy behavioral and thinking patterns.

So, which foods have been found the be the most beneficial to our bodies and mind?  Researchers point to fish, greens, nuts, and beans. Think of it as sort of a rhyming jingle, and they’re all mostly classified together as a “Mediterranean Diet”. These major foods carry the crucial nutrients for our bodies and brains. Most of the healthy promotions for years have been about healthy foods helping our bodies be physically strong and reduce chances to high blood pressure, heart attacks, and other chronic illnesses.  This is all true indeed, and the biggest indicators are what’s in the foods we eat and how they affect our brain.  Omega-3, B vitamins, minerals, and more allow parts of our brain like the hippocampus to retain its regular size and operate normally to create new nerve cells (Deans, 2015).
 
How do scientists know that fish, greens, nuts, and beans help our minds and prevent mental health issues?  Well, a study over 4 years following more than 10,000 college students in Spain showing that those with a Mediterranean diet had a 42-51% decrease risk of depression (Sánchez-Villegas et al., 2009). Another study showed results for those already depressed in a dietary intervention over 12 weeks showed 33% of the participants in remission (Jacka et al., 2017).  Over 80,000 Japanese women showed proven results that the intake of fish during pregnancy lowers the chance of postpartum depression (Hamazaki et al., 2020).  These studies and more are just a brief testament showing how foods within a Mediterranean diet are keys to helping our mental health.

According to Mosconi in her book Brain Food, these are comparing images of two 52-year-old women especially indicating the black areas of the one who has eaten much of the Western Diet indicating atrophy (shrinkage) causing neuronal loss accelerating aging (2018).  Again, these are tools of information given to you to be aware of the health issues and how to help you, your family, and your children.  I am not saying fish, greens, nuts, and beans are the only foods you must eat every day for the rest of your life, but to regulate your eating at fast-food establishments in moderation.  If you already don’t eat any of these four food groups very often, then my suggestion is starting small. Ideas could be to include protein such as fish once a month, greens and beans a few times during the week, or nuts as a substitute snack instead of chips. 
 
How to get such foods?  I understand many parents and people in a community may have a difficult time to include these foods for their children and families, and I didn’t want to share a problem without a resolution to acquire some of these foods.  Here are a few free food options specifically within the Southwest Denver region of where I work. 

Fish, greens, nuts and beans is a simple rhyme to help remember some of the most important foods for our bodies and minds.  I realize I have shared a lot of information, and I hope it was understandable, helpful, and caused you to pause and think about the sort of foods you’re even eating yourself.  There’s so much more to this topic of mental health and how it affects us, our children, our communities, and more, but this is certainly one tangible step to making a difference and change in our own lives. I will miss my past years’ students, and I earnestly wish them the best in Kindergarten and the years to come as they grow and mature.  If you have any questions about this topic or obtaining healthier foods wherever you live, then feel free to ask. I’m available to communicate even all summer via email.

• Brian Barrett (Coach B.)

Physical Education
brian_barrett@dpsk12.org
 
                                                                         References
 
American Academy of Pediatrics. (2021). Mental Health During COVID-19: Signs Your Child May Need More Support. HealthyChildren.Org. https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/COVID-19/Pages/Signs-your-Teen-May-Need-More-Support.aspx
 
Deans, E. (2015, October 9). Does a Western Diet Shrink the Brain? Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201510/does-western-diet-shrink-the-brain
 
First Things First. (2022). Brain Development. https://www.firstthingsfirst.org/early-childhood-matters/brain-development/
 
Hamazaki, K., Matsumura, K., Tsuchida, A., Kasamatsu, H., Tanaka, T., Ito, M., Inadera, H., & Japan Environment and Children's Study Group (2020). Dietary intake of fish and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and risk of postpartum depression: a nationwide longitudinal study - the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS). Psychological medicine, 50(14), 2416–2424. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291719002587
 
Jacka, F. N., Cherbuin, N., Anstey, K. J., Sachdev, P., & Butterworth, P. (2015). Western diet is associated with a smaller hippocampus: a longitudinal investigation. BMC medicine, 13, 215. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-015-0461-x
 
Jacka, F. N., O'Neil, A., Opie, R., Itsiopoulos, C., Cotton, S., Mohebbi, M., Castle, D., Dash, S., Mihalopoulos, C., Chatterton, M. L., Brazionis, L., Dean, O. M., Hodge, A. M., & Berk, M. (2017). A randomised controlled trial of dietary improvement for adults with major depression (the 'SMILES' trial). BMC medicine, 15(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-017-0791-y

Mosconi, L. (2018). Brain Food: The surprising science of eating for Cognitive Power. Avery Publishing.

Sánchez-Villegas, A., Delgado-Rodríguez, M., Alonso, A., Schlatter, J., Lahortiga, F., Serra Majem, L., & Martínez-González, M. A. (2009). Association of the Mediterranean dietary pattern with the incidence of depression: the Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra/University of Navarra follow-up (SUN) cohort. Archives of general psychiatry, 66(10), 1090–1098. https://doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2009.129

It's true.  I've been planning this trip since August 2018 to attend a home game at each of the 30 MLB stadiums across North America.  I start the event here in Denver, CO for a Rockies game on May 31st, and that just happens to be the last day of school in DPS.  The last game will be in Atlanta on August 3rd to see my Braves play at home. 

There's so much to share about this trip that I've designed a whole new website for it.
www.mlbsummerroadtrip2019.com.  Check it out and share with your sports friends if you like!  I'm also using the trip as a platform for raising awareness and support for 5 sports-focused non-profits. An easy way to see my social media posts is using #CDTLH.  Not sure what it means?  That's ok,  It's clean I promise.  I have a tab on my website just for that question. 

Thanks for visiting this website, and despite not updating a blog on it for 3 years I'm still appreciative of all those who check it out and are encouraged. :)

Getting to Colorado and living here for a year is the tip of the iceberg of what I believe is me stepping into my “promise land”.  Yet, there’s the story of years and years of mountains and valleys with dreams and desires of my heart. 
 
Putting words together for this blog is very difficult, because this is a culmination of my life experiences.  It’s not made up, it’s real. It’s authentic. It’s joyful and heart wrenching. It’s a journey most importantly being pursued by God.  It’s not me pursuing Him.  Whenever I do search for Him, He’s already there.
 
I know deep down He’s given me a heart for kids, for community, for adventure, and much more.  I’ve had these deep down dreams and desires of my heart for years that have been buried under let downs, failures, uncertainty, dead-ends, closed doors, loneliness, and life.  It hurts.  It can lead to a life of loneliness, frustration, depression, and more. You feel stuck...and you just want to scream WHY!?!?!?!?! How do I get to where I want to go!?!?!

Yet, I kept going.  Because I knew in my heart, that I know, that I know, that I know…what I  desired, but didn’t know how to exactly get there.  It’s like I could get a glimpse of where I want to go, but no matter how hard I planned or tried I couldn’t seem to get there.  Hoplessness came and went. Realizing to give Him my hopes and dreams and rest in Him is a very tough and humbling lesson as a Christian.  To find rest and peace in Him was/is tough, because I like to have my hand on things to control.
 
Transitioning back into American culture after the World Race in 2011 isn’t/wasn’t easy at all for me.  How can one go back into a familiar cycle of life after experiencing so much growth, heartache, healing, and more?  Not being able to verbalize the experiences and view of God in a totally new and different way with the people where you came from is tough.  Wanting to be understood, yet hungry for people to get a(n) taste/encounter of Him that you yourself have had was/is a cry of my heart..

Then, coming back from G42 Leadership Academy in 2012 and running into what at the time seemed to be a disaster of a planned trip to South Sudan really hurt, after planning and fundraising for over a year.  It hurt more when trying to find a PE job for 2 years with no avail.  Application after application after application, hoping for some school to give me a chance.  Thoughts that maybe something was wrong with me, not being qualified enough, and so much doubt all from the Enemy bombarded me on a weekly basis for about 2 years. 
 
A shift happened when I went to Ukraine and Spain for 6 weeks in the summer of 2014.  A peace came over me, finally grasping that my support community from college and home had been there all along no matter how many times I “failed”, an idea of moving to a new place, and much more started to come together during that time.

Finally.  A move, a shift, doors opening, getting a job, coming to a new place and everything that I had hoped for and more are coming to light leaves me speechless with a thankful heart.  A community of amazing Kingdom-minded young adults I can confidently call my friends.  A playground of mountains and wilderness on my doorstep that I can explore and never grow bored.  A foothold of a teaching job that I was finally given a chance to show how good of a teacher I knew I was in a school and environment that I absolutely love.  And…this is just the beginning?! 
 
If you know anything about the Israelites in the Old Testament and their journey to and in the Promise Land, the entire story is covered in several Books of the Bible.  Once they got to the Promise land, the work didn’t stop…it had only just begun. There were battles, good times, tough times, and so much more to be learned from their journey.

I’ve written about this time in my life back in August 2015, and sitting here now looking back makes me even more grateful for all that has happened.
 
I realize people reading this are in so many different stages of life.  I’ve learned that in order to get to a promise land, you have to go through a desert time.  It’s not fun, but You Choose how to handle the circumstances.  Find rest in Him.  He’s preparing you for what’s next…even if you don’t believe it. 
 
This song, Explode My Soul, has been my heartbeat and lyrically prophetic for what happened and is happening in my life.  Enjoy, and thank you for reading.  Here’s to the journey.

I've recently created this obstacle course off the top of my head combining multiple skills taught in previous lessons.  Just the name of it grabs the attention of the students. 

This is a large activity combining many past skills students have been learning in previous lessons.  This lesson is oriented towards Pre-K to 2nd Grade, but can easily be modified for the 3rd through 5th grades. 
 
My objective: Students will be able to demonstrate and explain the different pathways using words straight, curve, and zig-zag.
 
Equipment: scooters, balance beam (or tape), mats, chairs, cones, and directional polyspots.
 
Setup: Balance beam or tape on one border, it leads to a makeshift tunnel made out of 2 adult sized foldout chairs with a mat across the top.  Afterwards, cones with directional polyspots or tape are to point in the direction of which way to move around the cones in a curve line.  Students return back to the original starting line to go on the longest straightaway of the course.  Use cones or chairs to create barriers to prevent students from detouring frequently from the designed path.

Core lesson:  Students are to move along the pathway first using locomotor movements starting with walking.  Then, they will move on to galloping, side-sliding, skipping, and running.  An emphasis on different levels can also be taught or practiced in this lesson since students are to move low by passing under a tunnel, medium while on curve and straight pathways, and high while on the balance beam.

After about 5-10 minutes using locomotor movements, I transition over to using only scooters.  Students review how to move forwards and backwards using their legs of vocabulary “push and pull”.  After a demonstration students are to move at their own speed in their "line".  I try to keep them from “cutting each other off” by detouring those who are fast, or I encourage those going a little slow to try moving on the scooter the other way.  I don’t allow any of them to move on the scooters on their stomachs to avoid finger and head injuries.
 
You could introduce some form of shooting item at others, but I think that’s too much for certain ages.  After some time I usually allow for a break due to the constant movement of the students.   Most need to stretch their muscles after about 7 minutes of constant play.  I go over content vocabulary again with them during the breaks too.  They may have to talk to a partner, or answer a question I directly ask them. 
 
At the beginning of each pathway I use an illustration of each pathway and level that I ask them which one they’re about to go on.  They have to say the pathway along with correctly point to it.  I work using this style for the really young ones.
 
A modifier is that one can connect the scooters together (if they have that feature), so 1 student is pulling and the other is pushing together in unison.  This really encourages teamwork and communication amongst the students. 

Overall, this whole activity is great due to many factors.  Students demonstrate each pathway using full body movement, there are multiple skills being used, many opportunities for students to communicate with each other, and more.