This weeks question was about the things we couldn’t live without and for me, the longer I’m in recovery, the more I appreciate the things that help support great mental health.

A friend of mine invited me over to her house the other day while she was making some juice and that reminded me of three things that really help me with my mental health: 1) nutritious food, 2) things to prepare and store that food, and 3) friends (and a fourth: animals. Especially animals with eyes the color of green juice).

It’s a huge privilege to have access to nutritious food and be able to buy it and prepare it. Without that access, it is so difficult to maintain or improve your mental health and fitness. And that access is a thing that most people do not have.

I recently joined the board of a charity called Meal Exchange (check them out here:www.mealexchange.com) that helps communities get engaged in their local food systems. It might seem like a bit of a departure from the work I do in mental health but I got involved in food systems change precisely because creating a more just food system where people have greater access to food is going to be a tremendous support for tackling the mental illness crisis we’re facing in society. Health is fuelled by food. No food, no health.

So if I was going to give somebody a gift that I thought would be great for their mental health, I’d give them access to food (and maybe a blender, definitely some friends, and probably a pretty cat, too).

– Mark

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