I remember sitting in that room feeling deeply grateful, and at moments close to tears. I couldn’t believe how far I had come in my own journey with depression, anxiety, and disordered eating, or how much I had learned from practitioners who changed the way I thought about the connection between nutrition, biochemistry, and mental health.
I originally wrote this article in 2014 as a list of the lessons I took away from that experience. More than a decade later, some of those ideas still resonate strongly with me. Others deserve more context because research has moved forward, clinical guidance has changed, and I have had many more years of experience working with clients.
So rather than pretending nothing has changed, I wanted to revisit those lessons through the lens I use today: brain health is personal, complex, and influenced by far more than any single nutrient, gene, medication, or lifestyle factor.
1. The brain depends on a network of antioxidant defenses
Glutathione, selenium-dependent enzymes, metallothioneins, and many other antioxidant systems help cells manage oxidative stress. I still think of these pathways as important, but I no longer reduce the brain’s antioxidant protection to only three players. The system is broader and more interconnected than that.
2. Broccoli sprouts are an interesting food for cellular defense
Broccoli sprouts are rich in glucoraphanin, which the body can convert to sulforaphane. Sulforaphane has been studied for its effects on cellular defense and Nrf2-related pathways. I see broccoli sprouts as a nutrient-dense food worth including, not as a stand-alone treatment for a neurological condition.
3. Nutrition can influence gene expression, but genes are not simple switches
Food, sleep, stress, activity, medications, exposures, and other factors can influence metabolic and epigenetic pathways. That is different from saying that a single food turns a ‘bad gene’ on or off. The relationship between genes and environment is much more nuanced.
4. Genetic information is useful, but it is not destiny
A genetic variant can sometimes tell us about susceptibility or probability, but it rarely tells the whole story by itself. A result needs context: individual biochemistry, gut health, age, health history, environment, medications, nutrition, inflammatory factors, and actual symptoms all matter. This is one reason I am cautious about self-diagnosing from a single SNP.
5. Brain health and whole-body health are deeply connected
The brain does not operate in isolation. Blood pressure, blood sugar, cardiovascular health, sleep, movement, hormones, digestion, mood, and other systems can all influence how we think and feel. In many cases, the habits that support heart and metabolic health also support cognitive health.
6. Sleep is a foundational part of brain health
Sleep supports memory, learning, emotional regulation, attention, and physical recovery. Chronic insomnia, severe snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, or suspected sleep apnea deserve proper evaluation rather than being written off as normal stress or aging.
7. Regular movement supports the brain as well as the body
Physical activity is one of the most consistently supported lifestyle habits for cognitive and overall health. The exact amount and type should fit the individual, but regular movement is a much bigger part of brain health than I appreciated when I first wrote this article.
8. Nutrient deficiencies can matter, but symptoms alone do not prove a deficiency
The nervous system depends on adequate protein, essential fats, vitamins, minerals, and energy. Deficiencies can contribute to neurological or psychological symptoms in specific circumstances, but a symptom list cannot tell you exactly which nutrient is low. Diet, history, medications, digestion, and appropriate testing all belong in the picture.
9. Zinc and copper are best understood together and in context
Zinc and copper interact in the body, and both matter for normal physiology. I still pay attention to these minerals in my work, but high copper does not automatically mean low zinc, and neither mineral should be diagnosed from symptoms alone. Individual lab values, ceruloplasmin, diet, supplements, hormones, inflammation, and health history all matter.
I explore zinc deficiency and depression and copper toxicity in more detail elsewhere on Eat for Life.
10. Methylation is important, but supplement responses are highly individual
Methylation is involved in many cellular processes, including pathways related to neurotransmitters, hormones, and gene regulation. I’ve written extensively about methylation because of my own history and clinical training. However, we must be cautious about broad use of methylfolate based on genetic testing alone. Folate can be beneficial depending on methylation biotype, pregnancy status, elevated homocysteine, and other factors but it is a demethylating agent and contraindicated in undermethylation.
Methylation is one area where context matters far more than a one-size-fits-all rule.
11. Mental health is multifactorial
Depression, anxiety, cognitive symptoms, and other mental-health concerns can involve biological, inflammatory, psychological, social, medical, nutritional, and environmental factors. Nutrition may be an important part of a person’s care, but it should not be treated as the only explanation for every symptom.
12. Medication effects need to be evaluated one medication at a time
Some drugs have specific nutrient interactions or risks, and those deserve to be discussed accurately. Medication changes should be made with the prescribing clinician, not based on a general rule from a nutrition article.
13. Environmental exposures matter, but dose and context matter too
Some environmental exposures can affect neurological health, and individual susceptibility does vary. At the same time, it is too simplistic to explain neurological disorders as toxins acting on susceptible genes. Dose, timing, duration, genetics, medical history, and many other factors influence risk.
14. Connection, learning, and mental engagement deserve more attention
Brain health is not only about food and supplements. Social connection, meaningful activity, learning new skills, creative work, and staying mentally engaged can all support quality of life and cognitive health. This is an area I would give much more space today than I did in 2014.
15. Personalized care works best when we look at the whole person
The lesson I still carry most strongly is that people are biologically different. Good care looks at the whole picture: nutrition, digestion, nutrient status, sleep, stress, hormones, medications, lifestyle, mental health, medical history, and individual biochemistry. Personalization should make care more thoughtful, not more absolute.
What I Would Tell My 2014 Self
I would tell her that she was right to keep asking questions, right to take nutrition seriously, and right to believe that people deserve to be treated as individuals.
I would also tell her that good science requires us to change our language when the evidence changes. Some ideas become stronger with time. Others need to be softened, reframed, or left behind. That is not a failure. It is part of learning.
My work today is still rooted in curiosity about the connection between nutrition, biochemistry, and mental health, but I hold that work with more context than I did a decade ago. That is probably the most important brain-health lesson of all.
Related reading
What Is a Methylation Disorder?
Zinc Deficiency and Depression
How Copper Toxicity Impacts Health
References and current guidance
World Health Organization. More than 3 billion people affected by neurological conditions. 2024.
National Institute on Aging. Cognitive Health and Older Adults.
CDC. 2025-2026 Flu Season guidance on thimerosal-free single-dose influenza vaccines.
31 Responses
Hi Samantha! Hope you enjoyed Chicago, my 2nd hometown & where I traveled from to get to Portland. Thanks for all of your information, I read it all & find it very interesting & helpful too. Happy life to you!
Thank you Penney! Glad you enjoy my articles and I trust you are doing well! Big hugs! 🙂
Can you please explain why Methyl Folate is a ‘suicide nutrient’?
Hi. What if you’re pretty balanced, and don’t under or over methylate? Should you take methyl folate?
Hi Lisa,
Then there’s no reason to take it.
I appreciate the succint, clear list. Gives lots of great info in quick easy read…and inspired me to look deeper when I have time. EXCITING stuff!!! I have found relief experimenting with food and supplements. SO great to find some science to back up my intuition and my own self research.
Thank you JK! Best to you in your research! 🙂
I was considering getting the genetic testing done from 23@me to see if I have a problem with methylation. From what I am understanding from your great research I would be better off discovering whether I am an under or over methylator. How does I figure out if I am either an under or over methylator?
Thanks in advance for such great information
Hi Steve,
Thank you, I’m glad my posts are beneficial for you. Simple blood tests are all that’s required to figure out methylation status. I’m happy to offer you a complimentary session to see how I can help.
Hi Sami
I have enloyed reading several of your articles and appreciate the information provided
My wife has health issues with a auto immiunne disease called Crest (breakdown of the collagen in the joints) which causes the joints in her hands especially and feet to be severely inflamed and swollen and painful all of the time. She sees a rheumatologist as she is told she has RA along with reynauds but all her Dr. has prescribed are cortisone shots in her hands and prednisone. She take Advil for the pain daily.
We have discussed changing her diet to gluten free to help with this auto immune disease but wanted to ask if you feel this would help and how could we het her tested to see what may be causing this Crest and what is a better holistic approach. Appreciate any help you can give us as she is getting to the point where she cannot do her job as a bookkeeper and tax advisor typing on the computer all day and taking care of our grandkids which she loves to do
Help !
her husband
Ron
Hi Ron,
Thank you, I’m so glad you are enjoying my posts. Diet is a key piece of the autoimmune puzzle. If you’d like a complimentary session to see how I can help, please email my assistant Shannon at info@samanthagilbert.com and she’ll get you scheduled.
Hi, Ron
My mother has inflammation on her joints and started taking Sam-e, primrose oil and omega 3 oil. The inflammation reduced in a matter of days. She added Boswellia and AvoVida and got even better. She researched GLA. Gamma linolenic acid.You will find info. at http://www.arthritis.org/living-with-arthritis/treatments/natural/supplements-herbs/
I hope this helps your wife.
Hi Samantha!
I was wondering if you could give me some words of encouragement? My health and methylation journey has been long and arduous. I went to Dr. Mensah back in 2011, tested very low for histamine and started he and Dr. Bowman’ protocol for overmethylators. After about 4 months, things started shifting in a good manner. Like so many people I stopped the protocol. I got on Facebook and other places and read about MTHFR and got a full genetic panel. I was found to have three of the MTHFR genetic abnormalities and they said I was under methylated. Needless to say, it has been confusing. All I know is, any little amount of methyl B 12 makes me very sick. After going back through and watching Dr. Mensah’s videos – I now realize that it’s the sum of methylation in your body, not snps you need to treat. I am set up with one of their associates here in Asheville, NC to get tested again – but it’s hard to pull the trigger. Being on methyl B12 and methyls nearly wrecked my life.
I want to take a dive, but it’s hard. Any encouragement?
Ben
Hi Ben,
Thank you for sharing your story. I really appreciate the journey you’ve been on. Sharing your story is a great example of why genetic testing for individual SNPs leads to outcomes that create more negative results. This is why we don’t recommend them. Keep up your great work and please do keep me posted!
Same here, Ben. I actually described it the same way you did, methylfolate/b12 wrecked my life. It’s been a few years, how are you now?
Samantha,
Just to add to that – SSRI’s drive me bonkers and make my anxiety go out the roof. This further justifies what Mensah told me about being an over methylator.
My health has gradually been improving using a low amine, sulphur, salicylate, and oxalate GAPS diet so eat few foods and don’t use salicylates on my skin since I use guaifenesin for fibromyalgia per Dr. St. Amand’s protocol for fibromyalgia. I quit using a gas stove a few years ago and replaced the original furnace in my 1968 mobile home with an auto ignite model which made a big difference in my brain health.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for sharing your story. I’m so glad your health is improving!
Though I don’t go to Dr. Mensah, I go to a practitioner who has studied under Dr. Walsh and knows him well. She helped me to learn that I am undermethylated, pyroluric, and high copper/low zinc.
Dr. Walsh’s research has helped me heal in ways I cannot fully explain. Methylation affects more than your mental status. Even though I am undermethylated, I don’t express as depression. My methylation affects me physically. I will be excited as this research grows to include more physical aspects.
Bottom line, juicing green veggies on the Paleo diet ended up giving me ulcerative colitis. Too many folates!! Too much niacin! Too many salicylates. Too many oxalates. As an UM, our gut seems to get hit easily, and when it is damaged, we become toxic with these other things. We don’t detox them quickly, either — our genetic pathway is so slow.
Once I put all of the pieces together, I realized that the damage done to my gut caused oxalate toxicity — and my undermethylation was a key point keeping me from dumping them. So, thanks to the research of Susan Owens and low oxalate, I am healing even further. There is always more than one piece of the puzzle.
I just want to give hope to others out there that Dr. Walsh’s research and protocol saved my life. Between the ulcerative colitis and fibromyalgia symptoms — followed by the oxalate toxicity — understanding methylation has given me a new lease on life. It has taught me how to manage my diet — and my supplements. My old doctor told me I must take high doses of niacin for my heart — and high doses of folic acid. He had no clue he was contributing to my crash.
Give me another 2 years s– and I’ll be running with the best of you 🙂 If Dr. Walsh reads this — THANK YOU. THANK YOU. There are no words to express my gratitude for your research. Thank you for training doctors like my doctor. She’s in another state, but it was worth the drive to go see her.
I have many food sensitivities and recently was told the lead on my Doctor’s Data 8 hour urine element test provoked with 300 mg DMPS & 500MG DMSA was 38 and should be less than 2. A hair element test in 2006 showed I was very toxic with various heavy metals including lead but in 2013 showed I was within “acceptable” limits. Ironically, to help me detox by improving sulfate levels in my body, since 2008, I have taken epsom salt baths every few days in my 1968 mobile home so now suspect the tub is a source of some of my chronic health challenges. http://www.mommypotamus.com/lead-leaching-bathtubs-the-dirtiest-secret-in-your-bathroom/. I am now using a BPA free plastic foot size tub for my epsom salt soaks. I also started using a stainless steel mug for my steaming hot water instead of an old porcelain mug that may contain lead.
Hi Kathy,
Thank you for sharing your story. I’m so glad you are doing well and understanding your body on a whole new level! Dr. Walsh is an amazing man. 🙂
I like your site a lot. We we are trying to save up the money to get testing done for a daughter. She I had more anxiety than the normal four year old I first noticed it. By the age of 7 she developed selective mutism. It became progressive mutism which was complete silence for almost a year. She was put on fluoxetine which made no difference. That you started speaking again was a complete miracle for which we had prayed for in the name of Jesus. God has led me to find out about the book by dr. Walsh. I believe that that the healing knowledge contained in it is a blessing from God.
Thank you for sharing your story Bettina. Dr. Walsh most certainly is a blessing from God.
Hi Sami,
I just came across your site and am looking at setting up a consult with your office in Jan (first available). I have been on the Mensah protocol for about 1 month for Pyrrole. I have seen some benefits but feel like I am still missing something as some days my anxiety comes back in full force. I have taken a SSRNI in the past and felt the medicine within 24 hours of working. I couldn’t stand the side effects though. Walsh mentions that people who are undermethylated respond well to SSRI’s. Would undermethylated people also respond well to SSRNI’s? Thank you for your time!!
Hi Ryan,
I encourage you to discuss this with Dr. Mensah. I look forward to working with you soon!
Hi there,
how do you test for under or over methylation? Is it the histamine blood test? My holistic Dr thinks I might swing between the 2, is this possible? My histamine appeared to be in the labs normal range. She says I have traits of both. I have always been a bit ADHD & suffer from mild anxiety, I have no problem getting to sleep & at times struggle to stay asleep. I am heterozygous for MTHFR C667T, MTRR A 664A CBS C699T, CBS A36oA & homozygous for all these COMT V158H, COMT H62H, VDR Bsm, MAO-A R297R, BHMT-08. I am on supplements for Pyroluria ( level was 37.5)
Where to from here??
Thank you
Dawn
Hi Dawn,
We use whole blood histamine and/or SAM/SAH ratio to check methylation status in addition to other functional labs such as copper and zinc.
Thank you for all you do to teach and shed light in the name of achieving peace in mind, body and spirit. So much Hope Sami! You helped me find my way. So much love to you!
Thank you, Karen! I’m so glad you are doing well! xoxo
My daughter was tested by Dr Mensah & her test results showed she had copper off the charts, was an under methylator and had a pyrrole disorder. Since both you, Sami & Dr. Mensah have been working with her, she has become a new person!! She is now back to school, (accelerating nursing program), & accomplishing every day things she never could before!!
Thank you!! Thank you!! Thank you!!
P..S.
Your Low Copper Cookbook has also been a great help too!!
You’re so welcome Anita! I’m so happy she is thriving and that my Low Copper Cookbook is a great tool for you! Keep up the great work! 🙂