Diet and mental health have a close association. If you think the food you consume only strengthens your physical health, then you are mistaken. The brain acts as the central processing unit of our body. It means the brain controls every aspect of your life. From your thoughts, breathing, heartbeat, movements, senses, and others, the brain has control over all of them. When you pay close attention to the food you eat, you can have control over your brainâ€™s performance. It will influence your physical, intellectual, and emotional well-being. According to studies, there exists a correlation between your mind and the food you eat. Nutritional psychiatry is a growing field that uncovers the different connection between what you eat and the different types of bacteria residing in your guts. It also conveys how the bacteria in the gut make you feel and behave.

Including a good diet can have positive changes in your physical and mental health. Read ahead to know more about it and how you can make some changes in the diet for strong mental health. Implementing the suggestions will help you lead a happy life without suffering from mental health issues.

How Diet And Mental Are Connected?

The human digestive system aids in the digestion of food. But, its function does not end there. The digestive system also guides human emotion. The human body produces a specific neurotransmitter called serotonin, which helps regulates vital body functions like regulating appetite and sleep. It also mediates your mood and obstructs pain. The gastrointestinal tract has a lining of millions of neurons (nerve cells) and it produces a majority of (95%) of serotonin.

The function of the neurons in the gastrointestinal tract, as well as the serotonin production, depends entirely on the good bacteria. There are billions of good gut bacteria in the intestinal microbiome, which plays an essential role in your health. These bacteria offer protection to the intestinal lining. So, the strong barrier provided by the good bacteria offers protection from the bad bacteria and toxins. It also prevents inflammation and improves nutrient absorption from the food. So, it can activate neural pathways to ensure direct travel between your gut and brain.

Evidence Indicating Link Of Diet And Mental Health

According to recent studies, people taking beneficial food like probiotics improves the good bacteria in the gut. So, it helped people deal with stress, anxiety levels, and mental outlook. Other studies conducted on the effects of traditional diet (like the Japanese diet or Mediterranean diet) to a typical Western diet have shown reduced mental issues in people who eat a traditional diet. Such diets lower the chances of mental illness by 25% to 35%.

Diet And Mental Health: How Food Affects Your Brain?

How can you say that diet and mental health are associated with one another? Here are some of the ways your diet plays an important role in impacting brain health:

Nutrition Is Important For Brain Development

Food is important for your brain development. What you eat reflects on your brain health. Eating real food offers nourishment. It is essential for the easy transfer of information and signals from the different parts of the brain as well as the body.

It Puts Brain In Growth Mode

Certain nutrients and dietary patterns are linked to changes in a brain protein that helps increase connections between brain cells. A diet rich in nutrients like omega-3s and zinc boosts levels of this substance.

It Fills Your Gut With Healthy Bacteria

Good gut bacteria is beneficial for your brain. Your gut has trillions of good bacteria. They keep the bad germs away and strengthens your immune system. So, good gut bacteria help tame inflammation developing in the body. Certain types of gut bacteria can make B vitamins. B-vitamins are vital to make the brainpower. When you consume food rich in good gut bacteria (like probiotics), it makes it possible to maintain a biome (a healthy gut environment). With a healthier microbiome, you can effectively decrease inflammation. Inflammation affects your mood and cognition adversely. Consuming a bad diet can worsen symptoms with mental health issues like schizophrenia.

Â How to Eat To Improve Your Diet And Mental Health?

A nutritious and balanced diet ensures better brain function. Including high-quality foods contains the following can protect your body:

Vitamins
Minerals
Antioxidants
Fatty acids

A well-balanced diet nourishes the brain and protects it from oxidative stress. Oxidative stress refers to the waste produced during the use of oxygen. Oxidative stress is harmful to the body as it causes damages to the brain cells.

Brain Food For Better Diet And Mental Health

Brain foods are the food items that play a major role in keeping the brain healthy. It boosts your mental tasks like concentration and memory. Here are some of the brain foods you need to include in your diet.

Kale
Salmon
Garlic
Blueberries
Turmeric
Olive oil

Healthy Food For Better Diet And Mental Health

What you put on your plate will reflect on your health. It can affect physical and mental health. For better health, you need to include the following food items when you are shopping at the grocery store:

Whole Foods For Better Diet And Mental Health

According to certain studies, eating foods containing food colorings, preservatives, and other additives can trigger or worsen depression and hyperactivity. Always remember to eat real food or food that has undergone minimal processing. It must have a few healthy ingredients. Including fresh fruits and vegetables for a better diet and mental health.

Â Fiber

Plant-based foods are full of fiber, which helps your body absorb glucose â€“ or food sugars â€“ more slowly and helps you avoid sugar rushes and crashes. Fiber-rich foods include fruits, vegetables, and nutrient-filled carbs like whole grains and beans.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants are essential to fight off inflammation developing in the body. Foods containing antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids will help fight free radicals and other harmful elements affecting your health and mood. Include certain food rich in antioxidants to improve diet and mental health:

Green leafy vegetables
Turmeric
Berries

For omega-3 fatty acids, you have to include the following foods in your diet:

Black chia seeds
Salmon

While dark black chocolates contain antioxidants, it also contains sugar. So, you need to indulge moderately.

Folate

It is a type of B vitamin, which aids in dopamine production. It promotes production without causing surges like sugars. To include folate in your diet, you can choose the following:

Lentils
Leafy greens
Cantaloupes

Â Vitamin D

Vitamin D is vital for serotonin production. Humans can get vitamin D naturally by exposing themselves to sunlight. But, certain food items are a good source of Vitamin D. Add the following:

Cordyceps
Reishi
Maitake

Â Magnesium

Magnesium is an essential mineral vital for the body to ensure nerve and muscle function. It is also required to keep the heartbeat steady. Magnesium is also essential for maintaining the food-mood connection. The magnesium deficiency can hurt the bacteria present in your gut. So, it results in depression and anxiety. To avoid such issues, you need to load up your diet with natural sources of magnesium like

Cacao nibs
Dark chocolate
Cashews
Almonds
Spinach
Dark leafy greens
Beans
Bananas

Include Fermented Foods For Diet And Mental Health

Fermented foods are good for your overall and mental health. Such foods are packed with probiotics. Wondering what probiotics are? They are live bacteria, enhancing your digestive health. Try to include the following foods in moderation:

Kombucha (a fermented drink)
Tempeh
Miso
Kimchi
Sauerkraut

As fermented foods contain high sodium, you need to take them in moderation. People suffering from high blood pressure need to skip the food altogether.

Â Low-Quality Food Affecting Good Diet And Mental Health

Low-quality food like refined and processed food affects your brain health. It causes physical problems and mental issues. Such food items contain low fiber levels. So, the food items digest quickly. If you are consuming a diet with processed and refined foods, it results in a severe swing in blood sugar levels. The fluctuations in your blood sugar levels can cause harm to your brain health. It adversely affects your mood. Apart from blocking the regulation of insular, consumption of refined sugars can promote oxidative stress and inflammation. So, you need to avoid the following foods from your diet:

Regular Soda

Soda or carbonated drinks contain an excessive amount of sugar, which spikes blood sugar levels without providing nutrition. Sugar-sweetened drinks can cause depression and other mental issues in the long run.

Food Affecting Diet And Mental Health: Diet Soda

If you are opting for diet soda to safeguard your health, then you are making the wrong choice. No sugar does not mean any problem. While you may not feel the energy crash occurring due to high sugary drinks, the diet version can also make you depressed.

Light Dressing

Prepackaged dressings and marinades are not good for mental health. It contains high sugar, which you can see on the ingredient list as high-fructose corn syrup. The light and sugar-free versions of the dressings also contain artificial sweeteners like aspartame.

Ketchup

If you think ketchup contains only tomatoes, then you are wrong. Apart from the tomatoes, it contains high levels of sugar. One tablespoon of ketchup has four grams of sugar. Even the light ketchup contains high levels of artificial sweeteners. It can affect your healthy diet and mental health. So, you can link excess intake of ketchup to anxiety and depression.

Energy Drinks

Most people opt for energy drinks to stay awake and focused. But, energy drinks can trigger weird heart rhythms. It can cause mental health issues like anxiety and sleep problems. The high levels of caffeine in energy drinks are missed by people as it is masked as guarana. Energy drinks have high levels of sugar or artificial sweeteners that can affect your mental health.

Processed Foods Affecting Diet And Mental Health

Eating processed food regularly can lead to bad mental health. Including processed food makes you vulnerable to mental health issues like anxiety and depression. So, avoid the following from your diet:

Fried foods
Processed meat
Refined cereals
Pastries
Candy
High-fat dairy

Food has a direct influence on your wellness. So, a good diet and mental health are co-related. Your genes also affect the processing and absorption of nutrients. The bodyâ€™s reaction to stress and your sleep quantity will also influence your mental health.

Tips To Improve Diet And Mental Health

After reading the article, you may feel that it is not easy to follow a good diet that will improve your mental health. It is not true. You can incorporate good foods that will improve your mood with ease. The food you serve on the plate will help you lead a happy life. But, it requires some effort on your part. With little care and caution, you can improve your diet and mental health with ease. Here are some of the tips you can follow to achieve the goal:

Prepare In Advance

To ensure you include a good diet, you can prepare it in advance. Decide on your menu at the start of the week and prepare chopped vegetables to meet your need. You can cook beans ahead of time. So, it becomes easy to whip up a meal with the prepared ingredients within no time. The tasty and home-cooked meal will offer better benefits than take-outs.

Choose Wisely

People strapped for time can choose frozen or canned vegetables. It is better than opting for takeaways. But, make sure you use frozen/canned vegetables without salt. Making the right choices are necessary to follow a healthy diet. Are you wondering if frozen vegetables are a good option? It is the most affordable and convenient alternative to fresh vegetables. While they are cheaper, it is also easier to prepare delicious cuisines with them. They have a longer shelf life. So, you can purchase it for the year-around. You can also select other healthy alternatives like ten-minute brown rice, whole-grain couscous, or quinoa.

Make Healthy Swaps

To improve your health and mood, you can make some easy tweaks. Such simple tweaks have a huge impact on your health. According to a dietician, making some healthy food swaps will make a big difference in the diet. Healthy choices can provide your body with the necessary nutrients. It also improves digestion and promotes a healthy weight. Here are some of the significant food swaps you can make:

Swap White Pasta For Whole Wheat Pasta

White pasta has refined carbs, which is not good for your health. Refined carbs mean the nutrients are stripped off during the processing. So, you can simply fill your body with empty calories with no nutrition. While whole pasta is the healthier version with nutrients like complex carbs, fiber, protein, zinc, iron, and magnesium. So, eating whole wheat pasta will improve your diet and mental health.

Switch To Brown/Cauliflower Rice Instead Of White Rice

White rice is a staple food in Asian countries. Most people consume rice daily. But, it is linked to a lot of harmful effects. White rice lacks the necessary nutrients. It is stripped of the essential vitamins and minerals. You can digest white rice faster and it fills you faster. So, it increases your appetite. White rice breaks down into sugar swiftly by the body. It results in weight gain. You can swap white rice for other alternatives like brown rice. Brown rice has a high fiber content. So, aids your digestive system stay on track. Brown rice will make you feel full. You can also try cauliflower rice as it is the low-carb alternative to rice. Also, cauliflower rice has high levels of vitamin C, which offers benefits to your health.

Swap Fruit Juice For Fruit

You may think fruit juice is healthier compared to whole fruit. But, it is a misconception. The wrong idea fixes in the minds of people because you get fruit juice from squeezing the fruit. While it is a tempting idea to think that the fruit juice comes directly from the fruits, it is not an equivalent of fresh fruits. When you eat the whole fruit, the dietary fiber present in the fruit pulp binds to the natural sugar while it travels through the gastrointestinal tract. The binding action is responsible for making it longer for the body to absorb sugar. So, the sugar from fresh fruit accumulates in your blood at a slower and lower rate. Fruit juice does not contain dietary fiber as it is filtered out. So, it spikes your blood sugar levels easily.

Swap White Bread For Wholemeal/Rye

For most people, white bread is a food item they cannot avoid. They include it for breakfast, lunch, and at times dinner. But, the white bread you get from the bakery has refined wheat in it. The refined flour has no essential nutrients and fiber in it. So, when you eat white bread, it causes a big spike in blood sugar levels. As a result, you feel hunger and lead to increased calorie intake. Instead of white bread, you can include rye bread. Rye is a type of grain of wheat family. The bread made from rye looks darker and denser compared to regular bread. It contains high fiber content. So, rye bread can result in a low rise in the blood sugar levels compared to wheat bread.

Similarly, wholemeal bread is another option you can try. You can use bread made from whole grains. The grains are milled to a fine texture. So, the bread has a brown appearance. Wholemeal flour has high levels of fiber compared to white flour. It also contains more vitamins and minerals, which is beneficial for your body.

Swap Butter For Olive Oil For Better Diet And Mental Health

Butter is high in calories and unsaturated fat. Therefore, consuming it in moderation is advisable. You have a healthy substitute in the form of olive oil. It contains low saturated fat. Also, you can substitute olive oil in place of butter in many different recipes with ease.

Switch Crisps For Popcorn

Most people crave salty snacks between their meals. Such salty crisps are a must when you are watching a movie or having some fun time. Instead of crisps, you can eat popcorn. Air fry popcorn and do not add butter to it to get the desired benefits. The plain or lightly seasoned popcorn gives the body a boost of necessary nutrients, antioxidants, and fiber.

Diet And Mental Health: Swap Sweet For Cinnamon

Most of us like to start our day with a cup of coffee. But, starting the day with sugary sweetness can result in the body craving sugar all day long. Instead of loading your morning drink with sugar (regular or artificial), you can switch to cinnamon. Cinnamon has blood-glucose regulating properties. So, it does not cause your blood sugar levels to spike in the morning. You will not feel the craving to consume sugar.

Making such a simple yet effective swap positively impacts diet and mental health. Make some changes to see the results.

Include Fluids

While you are making changes in the diet, never forget about hydration. Drink at least eight to ten glasses of water for better nutrition absorption. You need to include fluids to keep the water balance in the body. But, you need to keep in mind your caffeine and alcohol intake. Both drinks can have an impact on your mood as well as anxiety levels. You need to discuss with the healthcare professional regarding drinking coffee and alcohol. The doctor can suggest the frequency and quantity needed to stay healthy.

Make Changes Gradually

You cannot make healthy changes in one go. Immediate changes are hard to follow. So, ease into each change gradually. Introduce one change at first and follow it a few days (at least a week) to introduce the next healthier option. You will find it easier to follow the diet change when you make it on a week-by-week basis. You can choose the way you want to tweak your diet as there is no right method to follow it. Here is an example to help you understand the concept better:

Start adding more vegetable to your diet on the first week
Reduce sweet consumption the following week
On the third week, replace meat with the healthier option of beans

Savor Your Food

To make healthy foods to become more effective, you need to savor the food. It helps combat cravings. You need to take time to appreciate the smell, texture, and taste of the food you eat. It will help you take note of how you will feel after eating nutritious snacks as well as the meal. For example, people who switch to a plant-based diet will see the difference in their energy and focus. They can feel the change throughout the day once they start taking time to taste the food.

Maintain A Food Dairy To See Link Between Diet And Mental Health

Certain food impacts your body negatively. You need to identify the specific foods causing negative reactions. Begin by including a clean diet for at least two to three weeks. The diet must have no sugar, processed foods, or other harmful food items. Now, you can introduce foods back into your diet gradually. It will help you identify nutritious options that offer a positive change in your mood and makes you feel good physically and emotionally.

Remain Patient To See Results

If you think you can see the results of the change in diet in your mental health, then you are mistaken. It does not happen overnight. You need to wait patiently to see the effects. Some people see the changes within days while others have to wait for weeks to start feeling the mood-boosting effects of a good diet. The results also depend on the number of changes you implement. As time progresses, you can see the positive effects linked to diet and mental health. Include exercise in the daily routine along with a good diet for your body to respond more favorably.

Does Diet Replace The Need Of Medicine?

For certain mental health conditions, you need to see a doctor and get the medication. Taking the medication as prescribed by the doctor will help you manage the symptoms of the mental health condition. While diet and mental health have a connection, it does not mean you need to stop taking the medication when you include a healthy diet. Instead of deciding by yourself, you need to talk to your doctor regarding stopping or taking a lesser dose of the medication you currently take. Irrespective of the mental health spectrum you come under, try to include a healthy diet as a part of your treatment. Include food that will make your body and mind healthy. It will improve the chances of feeling better and managing the symptoms of the mental illness effectively.

Consult your doctor regarding including brain-healthy foods containing nutrients. The doctor can provide you with an idea of what you should eat and the food you need to eliminate from the diet. In the future, a five-minute food assessment can become a part of psychiatric evaluation as it provides an idea of why a person suffers from certain mental health issues. Bringing nutritionists into the fold will help mental health professionals like psychiatrists to understand the cause of the problem.

Conclusion

Diet and mental health are associated with each other. There is increasing evidence establishing a strong link between including a poor diet and suffering from severe mood disorders like depression and anxiety. Therefore, you need to maintain caution while choosing foods to eat. The right foods will improve your physical and mental health. So, you can lead a high-quality life without suffering from physical or mental problems.

References

https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/d/diet-and-mental-health#:~:text=There%20is%20research%20to%20suggest,associated%20with%20feelings%20of%20wellbeing.

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20150820/food-mental-health#1

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/tips-for-everyday-living/food-and-mood/about-food-and-mood/