Have you heard of the mind-body connection? It refers to the intricate connection between our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs and the influence it has on our physical health. Furthermore, how we treat our physical body (what we eat, exercise, sleep) plays a significant role in our mental health. Learn more about this fascinating topic in our interview with Dr. Karin Hermoni, where she discusses just how powerful our thoughts and feelings can be.
1. Tell me a bit about yourself.
My name is Karin Hermoni. My journey into the world of molecular nutrition began with healthy curiosity about how the foods we eat affect our health at the molecular level. This is exactly what I focused on during my academic tenure. My Ph.D. research centered around the effects of phytonutrients on human health. I fell in love with the topic and over the last 20 years, I have been researching the effects of nutrition on human health and disease. I naturally found my path in the nutraceutical industry and followed my passion to help people use “food as medicine” and deliver healthy plant-based nutrients in the best, most bioavailable, and efficacious way possible.
During my journey in the wellness and nutrition industries, I observed the entire cycle from product development, from scientific and clinical research, and all the way to commercialization of natural ingredients and wellness products. Fast forward, now I run a boutique consulting firm specializing in science commercialization. Blending scientific expertise with extensive industry experience, I help companies create and deliver transformative nutritional solutions that are good for people and the planet.
This entire journey combined with my own personal experience led me to the tangible understanding that nutrition is powerful, but our mind is even more powerful…
2. Tell me about the professional journey that led you to view the placebo effect in a different light.
During my professional path, I designed and executed many pre-clinical and clinical studies. I learned first-hand how potent nutrition can be when utilized with know-how and precision. But not less important, through my clinical experience I also learned that our mind is an important “ingredient” in the mix, and the intention we put into the food we consume has the potential to amplify the overall effect…
Scientists call this “the placebo effect” and we know that while it starts with our mind and our thoughts, it does not stop there…
In the first studies I led, we measured the effect of tomato extract on different clinical parameters. The results were fantastic. The group that consumed the tomato extract showed significant clinically measured benefits over the group that received placebo. But what amazed me even more than the power of these healthy nutrients was the fact that we also saw a significant effect of the placebo itself when compared to baseline (the initial measurement before the people started the supplementation). The study was double-blinded, which means that neither the participants, nor the researchers knew which participants were on the “active compound”, and which were simply receiving a placebo). I was puzzled. What caused such a profound effect with the group that took the placebo? I figured that maybe since we explained to the participants that tomatoes are good for them maybe they simply ate more tomatoes in their diet… As a scientist I wanted to outsmart this phenomenon and “get rid” of that placebo effect, so in the next study we asked participants not to eat tomatoes (or other carotenoid-rich foods) several weeks before the study and throughout the course of the entire study, so that we can better understand the effect of the supplementation. In another study we asked people not to change their eating habits or we changed the carrier oil that served as the placebo and so on and so forth, but no matter how we tweaked the protocol, we always recognized some effect in the placebo group. And what fascinated me is that this was not only with “self-reported outcomes” (that are “in our heads”) like how their skin feels but also with biomarkers we tested in the lab! Something in their biological signature changed simply by thinking they might be taking the active compound and doing something good for their bodies (this is without diminishing the significant effects of the nutrients). This experience really opened my eyes to the profound interplay between nutrition and the mind.
3. Tell me about the personal journey that triggered your passion of marrying the power of nutrition with the wisdom of our mind?
Later on, at the very beginning of COVID, I truly embodied the potential this interplay holds in helping better our lives. In February 2020 I injured my knee and tore my ACL. Every doctor I saw recommended surgery, but at that time, all elective surgeries were postponed, so whether I wanted to or not – I had to set on a journey of self-healing. Naturally, I turned to what I know best – nutritional strategies, with turmeric to reduce inflammation and ginger to help detoxification, tomato to support collagen formation and rosemary for extra antioxidant support and so on. In parallel, and to help manage the pain – I also turned to meditation, mindfulness and harnessing the power of my mind to induce healing. It worked! Every day I visualized and put all of my intention to tuning my body and mind to embrace the healing effects of my meticulously chosen herbs, spices, and foods and set my mind on small and practical goals, e.g., – reduce the inflammation and swelling just enough for me to bend my knee 20 degrees. Then 45 degrees. Then take the few steps to the bathroom and later to run laps at the local track! One step after another. Since I knew so much about the molecular mechanisms of using “food as medicine”, I imagined very vividly what each nutrient I chose was doing in my body. This is when everything clicked for me, and it became my mission to help people achieve their wellness goals through synergizing the science of nutrition with the biology of belief…
4. What are the core concepts of what you refer to as ‘thoughtful nutrition’?
At its core, it’s the simple realization that it’s not only what you eat but also what your mindset is when you eat. Or in some cases, what’s eating you…
I call it “eating out of love vs, eating out of fear”. We are used to being educated mainly about what we shouldn’t be eating. In other words – we are taught to eat out of a mindset of fear (reduce sugar so we don’t get diabetes, reduce salt so we don’t get heart disease, etc.). While this is generally positive, even if we eat the best quality organic food, and we chose good-for-you clean nutrients, but we eat out of stress, what we end up with is “organic stress”. I am suggesting that simply by changing our mindset to “eating out of love” even with the same nutrients in our plate, we can achieve more health benefits. As a scientist that spent her entire adult life researching topics like precision nutrition, and perfecting ways we can elevate nature and use “food as medicine”, I came to realize that ancient wisdom is the best “neurohacking” methodology. And the intention we put into the food we eat matters…
So, when I say thoughtful nutrition, I mean not only precisely choosing how to nourish our body and what nutrients might work best for us, but also mindfully choosing how to nourish our mind and our soul. Understanding that our thoughts are part of the cycle for better and for worse. It’s the difference between expectation and intention.
And when we put our mind to it – we can actively “extract” more health benefits from the healthy nutrients we consume…
5. How can we apply these concepts in our daily lives, can you give small actionable examples of things we can do?
My philosophy is starting small, for example, simply incorporating a “Tea Ritual” into your day. Borrowing from ancient traditions to master how to harness and take advantage of what we scientists refer to as the placebo effect – not instead of, but together, with the power of nutrition.
Start with reflection. At this moment, what is my most pressing need/discomfort or main goal that I would like to focus my intention on? It could be reducing stress, boosting energy levels, getting better sleep, or even aiding our body heal to from injury or illness.
With this intention, we mindfully choose how to “fill our cup”. What nutrients and herbs do we need right now (e.g., green tea for energy and focus or chamomile for relaxation and embracing a good night sleep)? Next, what thoughts or rituals will serve me to embody those effects and amplify the benefits of the herbal system? You can call it intention, you can call it guided imagination, or you can call it meditation. You can also simply call it “me time” Whatever feels right to you. These few mindful moments do not require a long time or physical effort, it’s also not about making extreme changes to your diet, simply better utilizing your “cup of tea.”
6. How can these concepts help in stress management?
Stress has a biochemical signature. It is expressed in our body and mind in a series of molecular pathways. Stress depletes the brain’s serotonin reservoir and shifts the brain’s biochemistry towards the short-term dopamine circuits. This is why we tend to eat unhealthy foods when we are stressed or upset – it activates that instant gratification pathway… Simply understanding the mechanism behind it already helps us accept our evolutionary conserved reaction with love.
Processes like oxidative stress and inflammation are at the core of our stress response and it is those same pathways that influence our body and mind. Taking the concepts of thoughtful nutrition – replenishing our body with healthy antioxidative nutrients to calm and balance every cell in our body, while also nourishing our mind with relaxing experiences – helps us cultivate a “relaxation response” of body and mind.
Even small changes happening in our cells hold the potential for a broader and meaningful impact on our experience as a whole.
Think for a minute about the fight or flight mechanism. It’s a great mechanism to help us withstand short periods of stress, after which we need that “rest and digest phase”. This is when we replenish lost nutrients, hydrate, and secrete all those inflammatory molecules through the urine. [So, our grandma was right when she said- if you are stressed drink water!]
Chronic stress, such as in modern daily lives, comes with a price tag. Those stress molecules accumulate and persist over time. Chronic inflammation and oxidative stress are also at the core of many aches in our body, and over time can lead to different diseases. The doctor may give us a drug to treat the symptoms, tame the inflammation and relieve the pain; the food scientist will offer a fruits and veggie rich diet for antioxidant support; the herbalist will offer natural herbal remedies and the spiritual teacher will recommend meditation. They are all correct. But combining the different disciplines is where magic happens. So next time you are stressed, understand what your body is going through (and signaling to you), treat it with love and compassion, and take some mindful moments to nourish body and mind.
Karin Hermoni, Ph. D., is a globally recognized nutrition and wellness expert known for blending cutting-edge scientific expertise with extensive industry experience. A respected scientist, industry leader, and public speaker, Dr. Hermoni has led many clinical trials and is passionate about holistic wellness and women’s health. She also co-chairs the Science Committee at Women in Nutraceuticals (WIN). Her consulting company, Imagine Health, was “imagined” to help companies in their journey of science commercialization, delivering products that are good for people and the planet.
