Can Your Diet Impact Mental Health?

We have long known that what we eat is very important for our physical health and well-being. Eating well has been associated with many beneficial health outcomes, including better cardiovascular health, a reduced risk of developing many cancers, and even a better ability to fight a common cold!  However, over the last decade, we have also seen is a strong level of evidence linking the quality of people’s diet to their risk for developing so-called common mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety.  

Across the world, research has shown that people who typically eat diets high in vegetables, fruit, whole-grain cereals, legumes, nuts, and seeds with optimal amounts of good fats (preferably from seafood and olive oil), are approximately 30% less likely to develop depression. Considering that the rates of depression are on the rise across the globe, knowing that we can support our mental health with food is noteworthy, to say the least! 

On the other hand, studies show that people who do not eat enough healthful foods that supply lots of various fibres, good fats, complex carbohydrates, lean proteins, and phytochemicals (compounds that are naturally occurring in plants) might be at increased risk for developing various physical and mental conditions.  

Importantly, the link between the quality of one’s diet and their mental health is independent of many other factors, including body weight. Furthermore, it appears that better food relates to better mood across the life stages.  

At the start of life, diet quality in expected mothers has been linked to neurocognitive outcomes of their children, including their emotional states and cognition. In children and teenagers, diet quality is directly associated with quality of life and mood, showing the critical role food plays at this age not just for healthy physical growth, but for mental well-being as well! In older adults, eating well also helps in feeling well, as poor dietary intake and malnutrition have been suggested as one of the risk factors for developing low moods later in life.  

Unfortunately, although many of us know that good food is important, our busy lives present many challenges, such as lack of time, knowledge, or skills to buy and prepare healthy and delicious meals! Grabbing food on the run is common but hardly an optimal solution as convenient food could be lacking when it comes to quality.  

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30254236/
• https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/obr.13146
• https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-021-03130-4
• https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/abs/10.12968/bjcn.2019.24.Sup7.S12?rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed&url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org