The Impact of Nutrition on Mental Health & Suicide Risk
*Content Warning: This post discusses sensitive topics related to eating disorders, mental health, and suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 for immediate help. Additional crisis resources and hotlines are provided at the end of the post. The world is a better place with you in it.
In recognition of Suicide Prevention Month, we’re bringing together two perspectives to address the complex intersection of mental health, suicide risk, and nourishment. This post combines the personal reflections of Janet Steady, registered dietitian at CV Wellbeing (with contributions by Alison Swiggard, a Registered Dietitian at CV Wellbeing), and Anmarie Reed, Owner and Clinical Director at Solstice Psychotherapy. By blending their expertise and experiences, we hope to offer a comprehensive discussion around mental health and suicide risk reduction, with the hope of fostering a greater understanding.
If love were enough to keep you alive, you would have lived forever.
Janet Steady, Registered Dietitian, shares her personal and professional experiences with mental health and suicide, along with tips for eating when it feels hard.
I am writing this post in recognition of September as Suicide Prevention Month, having lost my son Connor to death by suicide less than one month after his nineteenth birthday.
As I sat down to write about how nutrition relates to suicide, I was flooded with the memory of the eyes and the grasp from the sea of people who supported us and grieved the loss of Connor. Each watery gaze, each touch, each wordless expression of a question that felt like a collective: What happened? Why? What did we do? What could we have done? What can we do now? How do we prevent this from happening again—to someone else, our family, my child?
Overcome with emotion, I rested my “pen” and headed to the park for a walk. With each footfall, I asked myself: How do I want to write this? What is my message?
Of course, it needs to relate to nutrition, but this is so deeply meaningful to me. Its essence is about saving lives. I didn’t want this to be something that can be easily Googled or explained by AI. As I walked, I unexpectedly ran into a friend, visibly shaken by the community’s recent loss of a fourteen-year-old boy to suicide. Understanding my own loss, she offered a heartfelt embrace and then shared her worry about her two young sons who had played sports with the boy.
“I’m a lawyer,” she said. “I need to understand the facts. What happened?” At that moment, the direction of this post became clear. They are two-fold:
First, as a parent and a loss survivor, I want to address the question that haunts so many of us: What happened? By sharing parts of Connor’s story, I seek to acknowledge the curiosity around death by suicide, especially in such promising young people. I hope to dismantle the stigma and shame surrounding suicide (preferring risk reduction over prevention) and raise awareness of how we may reduce the risk for each other and our loved ones.
Second, as a nutrition professional, I want to provide insights into how nutrition relates to mental health and suicide risk in meaningful and relevant ways. Regarding my scope of practice and to ensure safety, I am partnering with Anmarie Reed at Solstice Psychotherapy so that she may provide relevant clinical insights from the mental health arena and the field of psychology.
What happened? The curiosity around suicide and what preceded it. Causality is complex, layered, elusive, and has longevity. Although the questions of “why?” and “what happened?” plague loss survivors and their communities, no single or straightforward answer exists.
The “if onlys” that inevitably follow suicide are not only painful but moot. There is no such thing as “proximate causation.” It wasn’t something you did or did not do that day that was likely to make a difference or change the outcome. For us, it likely began when Connor was in fourth grade. One day after soccer practice, he told me out of the blue, “Mom, I keep seeing things that I’ve lived before.” “Like déjà vu?” I asked, explaining the meaning as we walked. “Yeah,” he nodded, “like that. It happens all the time.”
Or when his fifth-grade teacher told us, “He wasn’t always there, seemed distant like he wasn’t in the room with us.” After that, I took Connor to neurologists, searching for answers—epilepsy? A brain tumor? When testing revealed nothing, we were suggested to “keep an eye on him and monitor his symptoms.”
Fast forward to the spring of his junior year in high school, things had changed. After a hike up Bradbury Mountain with his dad and brothers, he told me a few times that he never felt the same after that. His appetite diminished, he lost over 20 pounds, his sleep patterns became erratic, and his motivation to complete tasks, including important markers in school, waned. That summer, he became more isolated, refused family trips, and spent long hours online. We wondered if something like a parasitic infection activated a stress or autoimmune response.
Becoming increasingly concerned with changes in his sleep, eating, activity patterns, and motivation, I took Connor to several doctors —neurologists, cancer specialists, psychiatrists— but every test came back “normal.” He was, however, diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), paired with a therapist (with whom he met a handful of times on Zoom), and prescribed 20 mg of fluoxetine, an antidepressant. All of this happened at the time he turned 18, a critical age when healthcare management shifts dramatically.
The remaining year, Connor seemed to rebound. He had his first girlfriend, attended the prom, graduated from high school, and continued to work at the aftercare program in South Portland. He was drug and alcohol-free (yes, I am sure), and he was present in each of the lives of his family members - me, his dad, his two brothers, and three sisters.
If suicide prevention were truly possible, then no one would die by suicide. I prefer risk reduction instead—especially to honor the loss survivors and their unique experiences.
In hindsight, there were signs and symptoms that I offer with insight:
Connor often talked about how other people irritated him, saying he could barely stand to be around them. He confided in me about his “bad” thoughts—“really bad ones,” he said. His presence in the house was erratic. He drifted in and out, sometimes playing music, dancing, or laughing with us, but he rarely made eye contact and often seemed out of sync with what was really happening. He spent a lot of time in front of the mirror, perfecting what I imagine was his social media image — the tilt of his head, the purse of his lips. Some of his actions became riskier. He skateboarded down one of the steepest streets in South Portland in the dead of night without a helmet or any protective gear. His sleep schedule became irregular — staying up until 3 or 4 a.m. and then sleeping until the afternoon. His eating, activity, and social patterns lost rhythm and routine. He also struggled with taking his medication. He would let the prescription run out and have lapses in getting it refilled, not taking it as prescribed.
Takeaway Messages
If you or someone you know starts experiencing changes in eating, activity, sleep, or social connections, I urge you to stop and take these signs seriously. Ask questions. Listen—truly listen—to any response, even if they’re hard to hear. Hold space for them without judgment. Seek support and share your concerns with trusted people in your life. If medications—especially those with a black box warning—are prescribed, take an active role in overseeing their use. It could make all the difference.
How nutrition relates to mental health and suicide risk
Clearly, an adequate, balanced, and consistent (ABC) meal pattern enhances overall health, including mental and emotional. Adding a range of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and flavors—not to mention the joy and social connection that food brings—further enriches the experience and helps nourish the whole self.
That said, I am always quick to dispel myths about "perfect" eating and urge my clients to adopt a mindset rooted in care rather than control. I’ve seen firsthand how rigid food rules and fear-based nutrition approaches can deeply harm individuals. They can contribute to poor self-image, low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and the development of eating disorders.
It is also vital to understand that when someone is deeply depressed, overwhelmed by anxiety (or any other mental illness), or is in the presence of an eating disorder, the idea of nourishing may feel impossible.
If you or someone you know is struggling with disordered eating, an eating disorder, or experiencing changes in eating patterns for any reason, please take it seriously and intervene. Encourage them to seek help from a health professional—a dietitian, doctor, and/or therapist—and offer your support as they navigate their recovery.
Lastly, it is so important to meet that person where they are at. If nourishing seems like an insurmountable task, it is important to offer support to match and validate their experience.
Here are some suggestions for how to eat when you are not feeling well.
Create a Go-to List When you’re too exhausted to think about food, having a ready-made list of easy meals and snacks can take some pressure off. Choose options that require minimal effort (no more than 10 minutes of prep/cooking) and include your major food groups.
Here are a few ideas:
Peanut butter and banana on toast with yogurt
Hummus and pita chips with pre-cut veggies and hard-boiled eggs
Instant oatmeal with nut butter, honey, and berries
Smoothies with frozen fruit, Greek yogurt, nut butter, and oats
Crackers with cheese, sliced deli meat, dried fruit, and nuts
Be Aware of Hunger, Timing, and Eating Strategies It's common for hunger cues to diminish during times of increased depression, anxiety, or stress. Medications can also interfere with hunger signals, so if you’re not feeling hungry every 2-4 hours, it’s important to be aware and intentional about timing and eating.
Use alarms (within 1 hour of waking and then every 2-4 hours after), post-it notes, or calendar notifications as reminders to eat.
Break down the task of eating—don’t tell your brain you’re getting a meal or snack. Just go into the same room as the meal/snack. Be near it and give yourself permission to do only a tiny part, like opening the fridge. Once you’re in proximity, it may become easier to take the next small step.
Modify your environment to make food-related tasks more accessible. For example, keep a snack box, silverware, and drinks in places like your bedroom, by the couch, or by the medicine cabinet.
Notice what makes eating easier—does having someone nearby help? Or maybe having a distraction, like music or eating outdoors?
Outsource Cooking and Groceries If cooking feels like an impossible task, give yourself permission to take a break. There’s no shame in ordering takeout or asking a loved one to help with food. During tough times, it’s okay to lean on others. Grocery shopping can also be simplified with delivery services like Instacart or FreshDirect, which bring groceries right to your door, saving energy.
Remember, human survival has always depended on community support—you’re not meant to do everything alone.
Ditch the Dishes It’s okay to use paper plates and plastic utensils when you need to. While it might not be the most eco-friendly option, reducing the number of tasks on your plate can prioritize your mental well-being.
Embrace Kitchen Shortcuts Take advantage of every shortcut available to make eating easier.
Stock your kitchen with time-saving options, such as:
Bread and pasta
Pre-chopped veggies (onions, broccoli, shredded carrots, etc.) and fruit
Pre-cooked grains like microwavable rice or quinoa
Frozen meals for quick microwave options
Bagged salad kits paired with simple proteins like beans or chicken nuggets
Canned soups or pre-made meals
Toaster-friendly meals like burrito wraps or breakfast sandwiches
Pressure cookers or air fryers to speed up cooking
Pre-packaged snacks like trail mix, cheese sticks, or individual yogurts
Plan Ahead When You Can When you have more energy, try cooking extra servings and freezing them for later. Having pre-prepped meals or meal components ready to go can be a lifesaver when fatigue sets in. Some great options for freezing include soups, chili, casseroles, meatballs, rice, baked goods, and smoothie packs.
For some, earlier in the day might be easier to tackle meal planning and preparation. If this is true for you, try preparing your lunch or dinner early in the day. On the flip side, if mornings are challenging, consider prepping breakfast the night before.
Anmarie Reed, LCSW, CCS, shares her expertise on the importance of dismantling shame and stigma around suicide, making a safety plan, and providing crucial crisis resources, including hotlines and apps.
Reducing shame around suicide is essential to fostering an environment where individuals feel safe to seek help. Read on for some effective strategies to reduce the stigma and shame surrounding suicide.
Open Conversations Normalize talking about mental health and suicide. Encourage open dialogue without judgment, allowing people to express their feelings without fear of being misunderstood.
Educating the Public Increase awareness about the complexities of suicide and mental health through education. Highlight the fact that suicidal thoughts can affect anyone and often stem from treatable conditions like depression, trauma, or anxiety.
Using Non-Stigmatizing Language Shift away from harmful language like "committed suicide" to alternatives such as "died by suicide." This removes the connotation of criminality or moral failure and focuses on the issue as a health matter.
Highlighting Stories of Hope and Recovery Share success stories of individuals who have overcome suicidal thoughts and are now thriving. This emphasizes that reaching out for help is possible and effective.
Community Support and Advocacy Foster community initiatives that promote mental health care, create safe spaces for discussion, and advocate for policies that support mental health awareness and resources, especially in areas like Maine, where suicide rates may be higher than the national average.
Encouraging Professional Help Promote seeking therapy, counseling, or crisis support without labeling it as a sign of weakness. Provide access to local crisis hotlines and professionals in Maine, such as the Maine Crisis Line, to demonstrate that help is readily available.
Challenging Myths About Suicide Educate people about common myths, such as "talking about suicide encourages it," and replace these myths with facts—such as how open discussion can help prevent suicide.
By addressing suicide in a compassionate, informed way, you can reduce shame and encourage people to seek the support they need. If you or a loved one is having thoughts of suicide, a safety plan is a great resource. Suicide safety plans are structured tools designed to help individuals cope with suicidal thoughts and stay safe during crises. The following are typical components of a comprehensive suicide safety plan: warning signs, coping strategies, supportive people, professional contacts, crisis resources, reasons for living, reducing access to means of harm, and safe environments. Here are some phone applications for safety planning:
My3 is available on both iOS and Android and allows users to identify three trusted people they can contact when feeling unsafe, helping to create a network of support. It also includes a customizable safety plan, where users can list coping strategies and important support contacts tailored to their needs, and provides a direct connection to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. For more information, visit the My3 App website.
Stanford's "Now Matters Now," available on iOS and Android, is designed to help users create a safety plan with personalized coping strategies. The app focuses on skills for managing distress and promoting mental well-being. In addition to practical skills, "Now Matters Now" features video testimonials that offer coping strategies based on Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). For more information, visit the Now Matters Now website.
Virtual Hope Box is available on both iOS and Android, offering a variety of tools for relaxation, distraction, and promoting positive thinking, all aimed at helping users manage difficult moments. It also allows users to create personalized safety plans and coping strategies tailored to their needs. Additionally, Virtual Hope Box provides a space for users to store photos, videos, and notes that inspire hope during times of crisis. For more information, visit the Virtual Hope Box website.
Suicide Safety Plan is available on Android and offers a simple, user-friendly interface for creating and managing a personalized safety plan. The app helps users identify warning signs, list coping strategies, and establish a support network to lean on during difficult times. It also provides access to immediate help by including crisis hotline numbers. For more information, visit the Suicide Safety Plan website.
5. Stay Alive
Stay Alive is available on both iOS and Android, offering a comprehensive safety plan template, life-saving tips, and access to local resources. The app encourages users to write down their reasons for living and coping strategies to refer to in times of distress. It also provides direct access to crisis helplines, ensuring immediate support is available when needed. For more information, download the Stay Alive app.
For immediate help, here are some crisis hotlines available in Maine:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: call 988, available 24/7, or visit the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline website for a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential support to individuals in distress, including residents in Maine.
Maine Crisis Line: call 1-888-568-1112, text 741741 (Crisis Text Line), available 24/7, or visit the website Maine Crisis Line that provides immediate assistance and connects individuals with mental health professionals across Maine. Also assists in coordinating further care if needed.
NAMI Maine (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Helpline: call 1-800-464-5767 (press 1 for Helpline), text 207-386-4637, or visit NAMI Maine that offers support, education, and advocacy for individuals dealing with mental health issues in Maine.
Veterans Crisis Line: call 988 and press 1 for veterans or text 838255, available 24/7 or visit Veterans Crisis Line that provides specialized support for veterans, active-duty military members, and their families.