Your brain chemistry is shaped by what’s happening in your body.
Mental health starts in the body. Your gut, hormones, and nervous system all play a role in how you feel. Through nutrition that supports your whole system, we help you build steadier energy and lasting calm.
MENTAL HEALTH
Our mental health nutritionists can help with these conditions
Concerns we support
Racing thoughts, restlessness, low appetite due to stress/anxiety
Anxiety
Low motivation, low energy for cooking and eating, brain fog
Depression
Inattention, trouble with cooking/food routines, body cues
ADHD
Nutrition is the foundation of your mental health
Your brain chemistry depends on the health of your entire body, especially your gut, hormones, and metabolism. We use a functional nutrition approach to identify what’s driving your symptoms and create a plan that incorporates food, supplements and lifestyle changes to restore balance naturally.
We believe
How does nutrition affect mental health?
BALANCE. RESTORE. THRIVE.
Vitamins, minerals, and amino acids are the raw materials your brain uses to make neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.
Chronic inflammation disrupts brain signaling and mood regulation. Anti-inflammatory nutrients, like omega-3s, colorful produce, and antioxidants help calm the body and support mental clarity.
A healthy gut microbiome supports serotonin production (over 90% of serotonin is made in the gut),, reduces inflammation, and helps regulate mood and stress response.
02. inflammation
01. Nutrient status
03. Stress & the Gut–Brain Axis
In-network with:
Aetna
United Healthcare
Cigna
Our insurance-
based nutritionists
don’t sacrifice on
quality of care
If your insurance isn’t listed here, you can still see us! Out-of-network sessions may be partially reimbursable by your insurance. See our FAQs for details.
Insurance & Pricing
Being insurance-based means we can support you for longer, while still providing the in-depth, custom guidance you need.
Out-of-network pricing:
Intake: $150
Subsequent: $120
Calm your mind, nourish your body, and restore balance from within.
How we approach mental health
Remember, we don’t try to do it all at once. We make sustainable changes, one at a time.
Here’s how we do it
We start by listening deeply — not just to symptoms, but to your story. Together, we’ll look at your nutrition patterns, stress levels, sleep, conventional and functional labs, and life rhythms to understand what’s truly driving anxiety or low mood.
Before layering “advanced” nutrition, we help you stabilize foundational systems: steady meals to avoid blood sugar spikes/crashes (which affect mood) and support sleep & recovery.
Your brain chemistry depends on nutrition. We target nutrients that directly support serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. If testing shows deficiencies , we correct them strategically through food and supplements.
We evaluate digestive health to see if bloating, IBS, past antibiotics, or food sensitivities may be influencing your mood. This phase focuses on restoring microbial diversity and reducing inflammation and improving brain-gut signaling. Clients are always surprised what a difference having a calm gut does for their mental health.
Chronic inflammation and oxidative stress can impair neurotransmitter function and worsen depression or anxiety. We emphasize anti-inflammatory nutrition: for example, colorful vegetables and fruits for polyphenols, omega-3-rich foods.
Hormones like cortisol, insulin, estrogen, and thyroid hormones all influence mood and energy. We support these systems through meal timing, mineral balance, movement, and stress-reduction practices that regulate your circadian rhythm. If indicated, we may use functional labs to assess thyroid, sex hormones, or cortisol patterns to fine-tune your plan. Balanced hormones equal a calmer mind and more consistent energy.
Once your body feels balanced, we shift toward long-term support. You’ll learn to translate the science into everyday life, how to eat intuitively while maintaining blood sugar stability, support gut and brain health through diverse foods, and recognize early signs of imbalance before burnout returns. We reinforce habits that create safety, nourishment, and joy because true healing isn’t just physical, it’s emotional.
01. Identify root causes
02. Foundations
03. NUTRIENT REPLETION
04. Support the gut-brain axis
05. Lower inflammation
06. bALANCE HORMONES
07. Cultivate lasting change
You deserve to feel calm and clear again.
60-minute initial intake session
Weekly or bi-weekly 55-minute sessions
Personalized nutrition, supplement, & lifestyle plan
Ongoing communication with expert dietitians
Intentional. Specialized. Supportive.
Maybe you’ve tried therapy, meditation, or medication but something still feels off. At Plenish, we bridge the gap between mental health and nutrition, helping your brain and body work together again.
Meet our mental health nutritionists
get evidence-based care
Our dietitians specialize in using functional nutrition to address mental health with practical,
sustainable care.
Based in: Washington, DC
Areas of focus: Relationship with food, body image, eating disorders
MA, MS, CNS, LDN
Kate Brock
Areas of focus: Pediatric nutrition, eating disorders, gut health, hormone health
MS, CN, LDN, CNS, NBC-HWC
Saundra Kamman
MS, CN, LDN, CNS, NBC-HWC
Saundra Kamman
Saundra is a functional nutritionist with advanced training in Ayurveda, holistic nutrition, and Western herbalism. Her approach blends evidence-based strategies with traditional wisdom to create highly personalized care that supports gut health, hormone balance, eating disorder recovery, stress management, and whole-body wellness.
Testing options may include:
- GI-MAP Stool Test: Evaluates your microbiome, inflammation, digestion, and detox pathways.
- Organic Acid Testing: Assesses nutrient metabolism, neurotransmitter precursors, mitochondrial function, and gut imbalances that can contribute to anxiety, fatigue, or low mood.
- Micronutrient Tests: Provides insight to current nutrient status for key vitamins & minerals
- Genetic Testing: Looks at SNPs that may affect mental health and can be altered with diet, for example, COMT or MTHFR
We also only suggest testing if it makes sense for your goals, and we’ll translate the results into plain English, with a clear, sustainable plan for moving forward. Testing is completely optional and never required to work with us.
Functional Testing
Optional Add-On
Bailey
“I’d had tests and dismissive doctors telling me ‘You’re healthy,’ but I was in pain after every meal. My diet was already limited, and I felt a lot of shame around not sticking perfectly to an elimination plan. Plenish changed that. They ask about my lifestyle, history, and mindset—not just what I eat—and help me make sense of test results. Now, I feel more in control of food, and I have habits that have really helped me reclaim my approach to nutrition.”
“I had stomach pain for a very long time.
Eventually, I decided enough was enough.”
Book a free 20-minute call to make sure we’re a great fit
After your free consultation, we’ll pair you with one of our mental health nutritionists.
Liberate your plate
Do you work with clients who are trying to lose weight?
Do you accept HSA and/or FSA payments?
Do you take insurance?
What are your practitioner's qualifications?
Can nutrition really affect anxiety or depression?
Are there specific foods that help with mental health?
Are there specific foods that help with mental health?
Supporting your mental health isn’t about one “magic” food, it’s about creating balance and consistency. Gut health, micronutrient status, genetics, hormone health and lifestyle all play into your mental health. We look at each person individually to help you build a diet that honors all of these facets of your mental health.
Can nutrition really affect anxiety and depression?
Yes. Nutrition plays a key role in supporting brain chemistry, inflammation, and blood sugar regulation — all of which influence mood. While it’s not a replacement for therapy or medication, it can be a powerful piece of your overall care plan.
What are your practitioner's qualifications?
Our practitioners are Licensed Dietitian-Nutritionists (LDNs), Certified Nutrition Specialists (CNS), and Registered Dietitians (RDs). This means each person has a master's-level degree in nutrition. They also have undergone extensive training focused on their areas of specialization.
Do you take insurance?
Yes! We accept Aetna, Cigna, and United Healthcare. If you plan on using insurance, please check with your insurance before booking a call to verify benefits. Most people pay $0 for their nutrition sessions through insurance.
For out-of-network, we can create a “super bill” for reimbursement. With this, you can coordinate with your insurance company to see what they will and will not reimburse.
Do you accept HSA and/or FSA payments?
Yes, we accept both HSA and FSA payments.
The Plenish Framework
A Guide to True Nourishment