Kicking the Habit & Making Your Diet Work for You

Join NAMI Mississippi for a Hearts+Minds Lunch & Learn focused on practical strategies for improving mental and physical wellness. Chapters 6 and 7 explore how everyday choices - from addressing smoking and substance use to making healthier food choices - can become powerful tools for whole-person health.

Participants will learn strategies for breaking unhealthy cycles, identifying triggers and building supportive coping skills. We’ll also explore the connection between nutrition and mental health, including the gut-brain axis, managing cravings, food as medicine, hydration and simple ways to create a personal food plan.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this Lunch & Learn, participants will be able to:

Identify strategies for kicking the habit, including recognizing triggers, replacing unhealthy behaviors with positive coping strategies and building a support system.
Explain the physical and mental cycles of addiction and recognize how substance use can affect both mental and physical health.
Recognize steps for breaking the cycle of substance use, including self-reflection, motivation, treatment and behavioral support.
Describe the connection between nutrition and mental health, including the role of the gut-brain axis in mood, immunity and overall wellness.
Identify factors that influence food choices and cravings and practice strategies for making healthier substitutions.
Use nutrition as a health tool by incorporating whole foods, hydration and targeted “food prescriptions” into everyday meal planning.
Develop practical strategies for creating a personal food plan that supports both mental and physical wellness.

Small changes can make a meaningful difference. Discover practical tools to help you take a more active role in your mental and physical health - one choice at a time.

Contact the host of Hearts+Minds Lunch & Learn Session 2