Joy and Walker are thrilled to have their good friend, Josh Gitalis, join them once again on the podcast this week. As frequent listeners will remember, Josh is a Clinical Nutritionist and Functional Medicine Practitioner who runs a Toronto-based private practice with a worldwide client base. He is a recognized expert in integrative healthcare, and provides professional courses, seminars and workshops including the Functional Nutrition Certification Program. He is the first Canadian nutritionist to become an Institute for Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner (IFMCP), and, in today’s episode, he shares his vast amount of expertise in the area of mental health.   The interview begins appropriately with a mental health check, and then Josh goes on to share the mental health issues that he is seeing in his practice, and the level of awareness among his clients regarding the connection between these issues and their lifestyle and nutritional habits. Josh then offers a masterclass on this connection looking at the two parts of functional nutrition, practicing emotions, addressing the pillars of mental health, and working with clients who are expressing feelings of depression. He also explains the makeup of the brain and nervous system, nutritional information regarding them, his perspective on biohacking, and some of the challenges with medications. This informative conversation concludes by highlighting the importance of talking to a health care practitioner when necessary, and Josh’s advice for supporting mental health. An important discussion at any time, today’s examination of mental health and Josh’s insightful recommendations are particularly critical given the impact of the pandemic on all our lives, rendering it as timely as it is valuable.   Episode Highlights:     A mental health check   The mental health issues Josh is finding in his practice   His clients’ level of awareness of the connection between healthy lifestyle and mental health   Information overload and the ‘take a break from news’ challenge   The two parts to functional nutrition   Practicing emotions   Josh’s pillars of mental health and addressing both of them   His process for working with patients feeling depressed   The importance of sleep   Brain and nervous system makeup and nutrition   Nina Teicholz’s The Big Fat Surprise   Cholesterol and how it works   Joy’s natural hair care challenge   Josh’s perspective on biohacking   What brain cells need to thrive   The challenges with medications   The importance of talking to a health care practitioner   Josh’s advice for supporting mental health   Resources: Josh's Homepage Josh's Courses The Big Fat Surprise   Josh’s Social Media:   Josh's Facebook  Josh's YouTube  Josh's Instagram   More about Joyous Health:  Check out our award-winning blog Joyous Health  Check out Joy’s bestselling cookbooks Follow Joyous Health on Instagram Find Joyous Health on Facebook Learn more about The Joyous Health Business Program  Check out our full line of Natural & Organic Haircare and Body Care. Join Joy’s Hair Care Challenge at Natural Hair Care Challenge