How to Use Nutrition to Boost Mental Resilience and Energy: Mission 2/10

Sam Kinsey-Briggs

Sep 17

3 min read

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Line drawings of an apple, broccoli, fork, and spoon on a pastel color background. Simple, minimalist design. — Nutrition to Boost Mental Resilience and Energy

Mission 2: Fuel for the Fight – Your Nutrition Strategy

Welcome back to the Mental Fitness Battlebox series by ACSIS Life Coaching. In Mission 1, we explored momentum, the driving force behind resilience. Today, in Mission 2, we unpack nutrition for mental resilience...your next essential tool.

Not just calories, but nourishment that strengthens body, brain, and mood.

In the field or onboard a ship, nutrition is survival. It sustains morale, stabilises energy, and keeps people mentally sharp. The same is true in daily life.

Whether you're juggling kids, meetings, or mental load, what you eat directly shapes how you cope, focus, and feel.

Why Is Nutrition So Important for Mental Resilience?

Your brain is fuel-hungry.

It uses over 20% of your body’s energy and needs a steady supply of quality nutrients. Whole foods rich in essential vitamins, fats, and minerals can reduce anxiety and depression by up to 20% (Harvard Medical School, 2021).

Nutrition doesn’t just support your body. It anchors your mood, focus, and recovery.

What the Right Nutrition Does:

Stabilises Mood:

Serotonin, the mood-regulating neurotransmitter, is directly affected by your diet.

Sharpens Focus:

Nutrient-dense foods like leafy greens and nuts boost cognitive performance.

Supports Resilience:

Anti-inflammatory foods protect your brain and reduce stress responses.

A Personal Mission: Lessons From the Galley

During her time in the Royal Navy on board HMS Edinburgh and HMS Southampton, ACSIS co-founder Sam Kinsey-Briggs saw nutrition in action on a mission-critical scale.

As a logistics officer, she coordinated the ship's supplies but soon realised food was about more than calories.

"Food wasn’t just fuel. It was connection. When the crew ate well, morale lifted. Energy returned. Focus deepened. I watched the galley become a place of wellbeing, not just nourishment. And to be fair, the chefs have a great sense of humour too which always helped during rough seas!"

With support from the ship’s chefs, Sam learned the tactical value of feeding both body and spirit. From ensuring fresh produce during port stops to planning energising meals in rough seas, food became a tool for readiness.

Sam’s sister, Taffryn Kinsey, a wellness director and nutritionist, echoes this mission. Her work, especially in bio-hacking post-menopause nutrition, proves that food is about empowerment, not perfection. Check out her guest blog here.

What Tactical Nutrition Looks Like in Real Life

You don’t need a military galley to fuel yourself with purpose. Here are some simple strategies you can adapt:

Mission-Ready Breakfasts

Start strong with a balance of protein, slow carbs, and healthy fats. Try scrambled eggs with spinach and avocado on wholegrain toast.

Hydration Drills

Aim for two litres of water daily. Dehydration mimics fatigue and reduces focus. Sam started to change her morning routine from coffee first thing to water/rehydrate first thing and then after some movement her coffee became a treat.

Smart Snacking

Replace sugar crashes with nutrient-dense choices: trail mix, apple with nut butter, or hummus and carrots.

Batch-Prep for the Week

Cook in bulk on Sunday so your future self doesn’t default to processed food under pressure.

Make Meals Enjoyable

Enjoyment boosts digestion and mental wellbeing. Cook with others, try new recipes, or eat without distraction. Sam recently learnt from a trip to Switzerland how bone broth with some fresh ginger, chilli and kale is a great breakfast or dinner alternative - she adds fresh herbs from the garden and spring onions or whatever else is in the fridge or in season.

Resilience in Action: Fuel for the Fight

Sam’s naval experience and Taffryn’s nutritional insight converge on one truth: what you eat directly impacts how you think, feel, and function. Nutrition builds resilience from the inside out. The key is fresh food rather than processed.

This aligns with the Resilience Agenda's principle of holistic wellbeing. Mental fitness isn’t just mindset. It’s cellular, hormonal, and biological. Nutrition is a daily tool you already have, you just need to figure out how to optimise for you.