Source Database
A collection of books, studies, and articles that inform my writing on functional mental health.
Nutrition & Mental Health
Key Books
Ede, G. (2024). Change Your Diet, Change Your Mind: A Powerful Plan to Improve Mood, Overcome Anxiety, and Protect Memory for a Lifetime of Optimal Mental Health. Balance.
Shanahan , C., & Shanahan, L. (2017). Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food. Flatiron Books.
Pollan, M. (2006). The Omnivore's Dilemma : A Natural History of Four Meals. Penguin Press.
Research Studies
Solomou, S., et al. (2023). "A systematic review of the association of diet quality with the mental health of university students." Health Education Research.
Metabolism & Mental Health
Key Books
Palmer, C. (2022). Brain Energy: A Revolutionary Breakthrough in Understanding Mental Health. BenBella Books.
Means, C. (2024). Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health. Simon & Schuster.
Helpful Media
Metabolic Mind. https://www.metabolicmind.org/
Nature & Mental Health
Research Studies
Bratman, G., et al. (2015). "Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Deyo, A., Wallace, J., & Kidwell, K. (2023). "Screen time and mental health in college students: Time in nature as a protective factor." Journal of American College Health.
Li, Q. (2022). "Effects of forest environment (Shinrin-yoku/Forest bathing) on health promotion and disease prevention." Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine.
Sachs, A., et al. (2024). "Connecting through nature: A systematic review of the effectiveness of nature-based social prescribing practices to combat loneliness." Landscape and Urban Planning.
Shuda, Q., Bougoulias, M., & Kass, R. (2020). "Effect of nature exposure on perceived and physiologic stress: A systematic review." Complementary Therapies in Medicine.
Movement & Mental Health
Research Studies
Klemmer, B., et al. (2023). "The effectiveness of structured sport and exercise interventions in enhancing the mental health of adolescents with mild to moderate mental health problems: a systematic review." International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology.
Ashdown-Franks, G., et al. (2020). "Exercise as medicine for mental and substance use disorders: A meta-review of the benefits for neuropsychiatric and cognitive outcomes." Sports Medicine.
Chekroud, S. R., et al. (2018). "Association between physical exercise and mental health in 1.2 million individuals in the USA between 2011 and 2015: A cross-sectional study." The Lancet Psychiatry.
Social Connection & Belonging
Key Books
Hari, J. (2018). Lost Connections: Uncovering the Real Causes of Depression—and the Unexpected Solutions. Bloomsbury Publishing.
Hotz, J. (2024). The Connection Cure: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging. Simon & Schuster.
Jay, M. (2024). The Twentysomething Treatment: A Revolutionary Remedy for an Uncertain Age. Simon & Schuster.
Junger, S. (2016). Tribe: On Home coming and Belonging. Twelve.
Research Studies
Sleep & Mental Health
Key Books
Walker, M. (2017). Why We Sleep. Scribner.
Research Studies
Castiglione‐Fontanellaz, C., et al. (2023). "Sleep regularity in healthy adolescents: Associations with sleep duration, sleep quality, and mental health." Journal of Sleep Research.
Modern Life & Mental Health
Key Books
Hari, J. (2022). Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention—and How to Think Deeply Again. Crown.
Shrier, A. (2024). Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren't Growing Up. Sentinel.
Newport, C. (2019). Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World. Portfolio.
Research Studies
Hidaka, B. (2012). "Depression as a disease of modernity: explanations for increasing prevalence." Journal of Affective Disorders.
Kasser, T., et al. (2014). "Changes in materialism, changes in psychological well-being: Evidence from three longitudinal studies and an intervention experiment." Motivation and Emotion.
Virtanen, M., et al. (2011). "Long working hours and symptoms of anxiety and depression: a 5-year follow-up of the Whitehall II study." Psychological Medicine.
Environmental & Physiological Interventions
Key Books
Nestor, J. (2020). Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art. Riverhead Books.
Research Studies
Yankouskaya, A., et al. (2023). "Short-Term Head-Out Whole-Body Cold-Water Immersion Facilitates Positive Affect and Increases Interaction between Large-Scale Brain Networks." Biology.
Groeneveld, W, Krainz, M, White, MP, Heske, A, Elliott, LR, Bratman, GN, Fleming, LE, Grellier, J, McDougall, CW, Nieuwenhuijsen, M, Ojala, A, Pahl, S, Roiko, A, van den Bosch, M & Wheeler, BW 2025, 'The psychological benefits of open-water (wild) swimming: Exploring a self-determination approach using a 19-country sample', Journal of Environmental Psychology.