We all know about physical fitness, but what if we treated mental fitness with the same urgency and structure? In this episode, psychiatrist and author Dr. Drew Ramsey joins Gabe Howard to reveal how everyday choices like eating more vegetables or going on a daily walk can profoundly reshape our brains and protect our mental health.

No fancy meds or complicated therapy — just smart, doable actions that turn your mind into a powerhouse. Discover why mental fitness is the missing piece in our mental health crisis and how stacking simple changes can protect your brain for life.

Listen in and learn:

simple tenets of mental fitness that anyone can start today
how your diet and daily routines shape your brain health
why connection and engagement are brain superfoods
how to unburden trauma and build purpose for lasting strength

If you're looking for real, science-backed ways to feel better and stay better — without gimmicks — this episode will change how you think about your mental health forever.

Cold Open Transcript:

Gabe Howard: People psych themselves out and say, oh, well, I put butter on my broccoli. I've ruined it. Everybody seems to think that if they're not a raw vegan, then there's no point in eating healthy. And I think that's a mistake.

Drew Ramsey, MD: That's a huge mistake. It's also not what the data says, if you look at research. What I've tried to bring to the mental health world is the notion that we need to think about food when we're thinking about things like depression, anxiety, bipolar illness, trauma recovery, substance use disorders, psychotic disorders, all of these have big nutritional implications.

Our guest, Drew Ramsey, MD, is a board certified psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and author. His work focuses on evidence-based integrative psychiatry, Nutritional Psychiatry and male mental health. He founded the Brain Food Clinic, a digital mental health practice, and Spruce Mental Health in Jackson, Wyoming. Using the latest research along with decades of clinical experience, he hopes to help people improve their mental health and build resilient mental fitness.

He and his team have created three e-courses: Healing the Modern Brain, Eat To Beat Depression, and Nutritional Psychiatry for Clinicians; along with free downloads, the free nutritional psychiatry cooking class the Mental Fitness Kitchen, a weekly mental health update newsletter Friday Feels, and a mental health and mental fitness focused podcast.

His latest book, “Healing the Modern Brain: Nine Tenets To Build Mental Fitness and Revitalize Your Mind,” will be published by Harper Collins in March 2025. His previous books helped establish Nutritional Psychiatry and explore the connection between food and mental health: the international best-seller “Eat To Beat Depression and Anxiety” (HarperWave 2021) now translated into 9 languages; the award-winning cookbook “Eat Complete: The 21 Nutrients that Fuel Brain Power, Boost Weight Loss and Transform Your Health” (HarperWave 2016); the bestseller “50 Shades of Kale” (HarperWave 2013) and “The Happiness Diet: A Nutritional Prescription for a Sharp Brain, Balanced Mood and Lean, Energized Body” (Rodale 2011).

Learn more at DrewRamseyMD.com.

Our host, Gabe Howard, is an award-winning writer and speaker who lives with bipolar disorder. He is the author of the popular book, "Mental Illness is an Asshole and other Observations," available from Amazon; signed copies are also available directly from the author. Gabe is also the host of the "Inside Bipolar" podcast with Dr. Nicole Washington.

Gabe makes his home in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio. He lives with his supportive wife, Kendall, and a Miniature Schnauzer dog that he never wanted, but now can’t imagine life without. To book Gabe for your next event or learn more about him, please visit gabehoward.com.

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Mental Fitness: Daily Hacks That Strengthen Your Mind

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