Gopi's Nourishing Recipes
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How does the food we eat impact our mood?
Eating a varied balanced diet and keeping physically active are just some of the factors that can benefit our mental health. Evolving research shows that a good quality diet can be essential to prevent mental health disorders. Key nutrition areas that can help improve our mood include the role of omega 3 fatty acids, the status of our gut health, inclusion of plant-based foods and the Mediterranean diet (1).
The Smiles Trial
The Smiles Trial (Supporting the Modification of lifestyle in Lowered Emotional States) trial is the first of its kind to explore the questions ‘if I improve my diet, will my mood improve?
SMILES’ was a 12-week, randomised controlled trial of a derivative dietary intervention in the treatment of moderate to severe depression.
The dietary intervention included personalised dietary advice and nutritional counselling support, plus motivational interviewing, goal setting and mindful eating, from a clinical dietitian. This comprised the ‘ModiMedDiet’, which was based on the Australian dietary guidelines and the dietary guidelines for adults in Greece focusing on 12 key food groups whilst reducing processed foods, sugary drinks and alcohol.
The results of this trial depict that improving one’s diet in relation to current recommendations targeting depression may be a useful and reachable approach for addressing depression in both the general population and in clinical settings (2).
The Mediterranean diet
Depression and anxiety are the most prevalent mental health conditions worldwide, making them a primary cause of disability.
Research has shown that following healthy dietary patterns such as the Mediterranean diet-high consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts, wholegrains and legumes; reasonable consumption of poultry, eggs, and dairy products; and occasional consumption of red meat is linked with a reduced risk of depression.
There is also a good amount of evidence to show that the Mediterranean diet promotes mental and brain health (3).
Omega 3 fatty acids
The connection between long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), brain health, cognitive function and mood has been the talk of emerging research (4).
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, found in oily fish, flax seeds, walnuts, and oils such as walnut and soya oils, can have the potential in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety. Omega-3 fatty acids correlate with a host of physiological processes signalled in common mood disorders like the inflammatory response and the regulation of neurotransmitters known as serotonin (5).
Gut health
The gut microbiome interacts with the brain in several ways using neural, inflammatory, and hormonal signalling pathways as well as regulating emotions in the human brain.
Various factors can play a role in forming the gut microbiome such as diet, environment and health status. When the gut microbiome is altered due to stress, diet, antibiotics the make-up of the gut microbiome gets altered resulting in leaky gut syndrome. This can result in inflammation and chemical mediators can impact brain function via the gut brain axis and can lead to depression and anxiety (6).
The incorporation of protein slows down the absorption of carbohydrates and increases the release of dopamine which directly effects mood. Incorporating complex carbohydrates increases serotonin in the brain by aiding the transmission of tryptophan across the blood brain barrier.
To improve our gut health increasing fibre is beneficial and we should be aiming for 30g of fibre daily through a variety of plant-based foods.
Ultra processed foods
Emerging research shows that a higher risk of health outcomes can be linked with ultra-processed food exposure including higher risks of mortality, cardiovascular disease mortality, common mental disorders, overweight and obesity, and type 2 diabetes (7).
Ultra-processed foods can also have less vitamins and minerals we need. For example, not having enough B vitamins, folate, iron, zinc, magnesium and Vitamin D can result in low mood, fatigue and irritability.
Rather than trying to entirely cut out ultra processed foods, the aim should be to focus on balance in our food intake including minimally processed foods, consumption of fruit and vegetables with meals and drink more water instead of sugary drinks, as well as home cooking (8).
Take home message
What we eat and drink can impact on our mood. There is no one size fits all approach to mental health nutrition. Food choices can be correlated to one’s psychological state e.g. comfort foods when mood is low and appetite can become altered in times of stress and pleasure which are common human experiences.
Following a food first approach and seeing a registered nutritionist/dietitian to support your wellbeing can help you have a good relationship with food and understand how food can impact our energy levels and mood (9).
References
1 https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/early/2021/11/02/bmjnph-2021-000301
2 https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-017-0791-y
3 https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-021-01227-3
4 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S241464472030004X
5https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10118139/
Gopi's Nourishing Recipes 