Jan 24, 2020
Psychology Today – If there’s one concept health researchers have come to agree on it’s this: What you eat matters.
Although they don’t always agree on what constitutes a healthy diet, medical experts have long understood that while certain foods can help to improve your physical well-being, others have the opposite effect.
Now, a new collection of evidence clearly demonstrates that what you eat also affects your mental health.
A review article published last month in the journal European Neuropsychopharmacology details the emerging evidence on how our diets affect our moods and mental well-being.
It makes sense, the researchers write, because “the composition, structure, and function of the brain are dependent on the availability of appropriate nutrients.”
People with specific mental health conditions—including epilepsy, depression, and anxiety—may need to alter their diets in different ways.
Here’s what the research has shown to date:
- Several credible systematic reviews have shown that a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins can help to improve overall mood and general feelings of happiness; it can also reduce symptoms of depression.
- Specific diet interventions can help improve the symptoms of some mental health disorders.
For example, there is credible evidence that the ketogenic diet, which cuts back on carbohydrates and focuses on calories from protein and fat, reduces the frequency of seizures in children with epilepsy. - Not getting enough of a specific nutrient can affect your mental health.
For example, a deficiency in vitamin B12 leads to fatigue, lethargy, depression, poor memory, and is associated with mania and psychosis … Read more.
