In partnership with

🦆 CHILL THE DUCK OUT

Volume 022: Lettuce be real.

🍪 Cold Open

I'm sitting here enjoying a peanut butter deluxe cookie from Insomnia Cookies (oh, they are so good) while writing this week's newsletter and, from the title alone, I'm sure you're wondering, "What the heck? I was under the impression this was going to be about healthy eating?"

You're right. It is. But it's also some accountability for me because my nutritional choices aren't always the best. Breakfast. Lunch. A mid-afternoon snack. I’m awesome. After that though, the wheels often fall off. Heck, this cookie that is almost the size of my face isn't even my first one I'm polishing off this evening.

I know I could boost my mental well-being just by being more intentional about what I choose to put in this temple. And as much as I'd love to argue that peanut butter counts as protein and therefore this cookie is "basically a health food"... my brain (and my energy levels) aren't fooled.

Food isn't just fuel. It's mood. And yes, I'm using “mood” as a verb here because what you eat literally moods you. How we fill our plates ends up shaping not just our waistlines, but our brain chemistry, stress levels, and emotional resilience.

I won't sit here and preach that sugar is the devil or that you need to give up bread to live your best life, but I'd like us to take a trip into the science of nutrition and mental health so that we can be each other's accountability partner to make better choices more often.

🧠 The Science Bit

Speaking from experience, and maybe you’ve been in the same boat, but have you ever wondered why you feel like you could conquer the world after a good, nutritious meal, but want to hide under your desk after surviving on diet soda and leftover cake?

Turns out, your brain and your stomach have been having secret meetings behind your back. And your plate has more influence on your mood than your boss’s “quick chat” has on your blood pressure.

You see, your brain is basically running a very sophisticated chemistry lab up there, and it needs the right ingredients to make the good stuff. We're talking about neurotransmitters… serotonin (your happiness chemical), dopamine (your "let's get stuff done" motivator), and GABA (your chill-out manager).

Think of it like this: trying to make these mood-boosting chemicals without proper nutrients is like trying to bake cookies with just flour and hope. You need the amino acids, vitamins, and minerals or else the recipe is gonna flop.

Let’s look at just some of the ways nutrition plays with our brains.

The Blood Sugar Rollercoaster Nobody Asked For.

You know that 3:00 PM crash that’s got you hankering for a nap while also being soooo close to snapping at the next person who so much as looks at you the wrong way? That's your blood sugar doing its best impression of a poorly designed amusement park ride. Balanced meals keep you off this emotional rollercoaster and prevent you from becoming the society's least favorite person.

Fat Is Your Friend (The Good Kind).

Omega-3 fatty acids from salmon, walnuts, and flaxseeds are like premium fuel for your brain. Studies show they're linked to lower depression rates and sharper thinking. So yes, you can literally eat your way to a better mood. Take that, kale haters.

Your Gut Has Opinions.

Your gut is like your brain's chatty neighbor who can bring the joy or “Holy crap, please stop talking” energy, depending on its contents. A happy gut microbiome reduces inflammation and sends good vibes straight to your head via something called the gut-brain axis (science is wild, right?). Load up on probiotics and fiber-rich foods, and your gut will return the favor with improved mood.

The Tiny Powerhouses.

B vitamins, magnesium, and zinc might be small, but they pack a punch. When you're running low on these micronutrients, anxiety and depression symptoms can crash the party uninvited.

The bottom line is that food matters for mental health just as much as physical health. So the next time someone judges your grocery cart full of salmon and blueberries, just tell them you're investing in your mental real estate.

🍟 This Week’s Happytizer

This is a healthy edition of the newsletter, but I'm not ditching my french fries emoji for this section because I like it too much. This week's challenge is to upgrade one meal this week with a brain-friendly swap.

• Add a handful of walnuts to a bowl of oatmeal

• Throw some spinach in your smoothie

• Grab salmon instead of a burger (bonus: reduced risk of a nap-inducing food coma)

Small tweaks = big impact.

And hey, an Insomnia Cookie every once in a while absolutely counts as soul fuel (see: I’ve had enough chicken soup for my soul, I want chocolate, damnit). But maybe tip the scale in favor of vegetables.

🎉 Unsolicited Joy of the Week

Even Cookie Monster knows balance is key. In one of those Autocomplete Interview and Answers sessions, he answers the internet’s most searched questions about himself and admits that he eats his veggies, takes care of himself, and still loves cookies. Basically, the fuzzy blue icon is living proof that you can eat smarter and still leave room for joy.

👉 Watch Cookie Monster drop the wisdom here

If he can do it, so can we. Veggies first, cookie second. Or… cookie first, veggies second. Honestly, the order is negotiable.

💬 Tell Me…

What’s one brain-boosting food you actually like? (No points for kale because you’re probably lying.)

Hit reply or email me at [email protected].

And hey, if this brought you even 1% more chill, forward it to a friend. Or I’ll sneak into your pantry and swap your chips for chia seeds.

🤓 Finally, Supplements That Don't Just Look Pretty on Your Counter

The Standard American Diet (fittingly abbreviated as SAD) is deficient in a few key nutrients so it's alright to call in reinforcements. Whether you know your nutrition intake could improve or are already including supplements to pick up some slack, Momentous is worth checking out.

The ad below may be about creatine, but I bet you weren’t aware (something that I learned too) that studies show that creatine can reduce mental fatigue and improve cognitive performance, and also that people with lower creatine levels tend to have higher depressive symptoms. Momentous has a bunch of other quality products that could make a difference for you.

Unmatched Quality. Proven Results. Momentous Creatine.

Creatine is one of the most effective and well-researched supplements for improving strength, power, recovery, and cognitive performance. Momentous Creatine contains Creapure®—the purest, pharmaceutical-grade creatine monohydrate—single-sourced from Germany for unmatched quality and consistency. Every batch is NSF Certified for Sport®, meaning it’s independently tested for safety, label accuracy, and banned substances.

With no fillers, no artificial additives, and clinically validated dosing, it embodies The Momentous Standard™—a commitment to science-backed formulas, transparency, and uncompromising quality. This is why it’s trusted by professional teams, Olympic athletes, and the U.S. military’s top performers.

Whether you’re starting your creatine journey or returning after a break, Momentous Creatine gives you the confidence of knowing you’re fueling your body with the very best—precisely formulated for results you can feel and trust.

Head to livemomentous.com and use code HIVE for up to 35% off your first order.

Elevate Your Performance

🫶 Duckin’ Done

That’s Volume 022. Here’s to feeding your body, fueling your brain, and knowing cookies still have a place on the happiness food pyramid.

Jason

🧐 Behind the Curtain

The science backing up the diet-mental health connection isn't just trendy wellness talk. It's legitimate research. A review in The Lancet Psychiatry concluded that "diet is as important to psychiatry as it is to cardiology, endocrinology, and gastroenterology." What you eat matters just as much for your brain as it does for your heart. Harvard researchers have found that people eating traditional diets (like Mediterranean or Japanese) have a 25-35% lower risk of depression compared to those on typical Western diets. So fill your plate with the good stuff more often… but, like Cookie Monster taught us, it's okay to still like cookies.