DIY diet psychiatry: Foods that are good for your mood and mental health

Every week we hear new concerns that our mental health is suffering from the stressors stemming from the pandemic.

These reports tend to highlight the “crisis” in access to treatment and support, especially when infections increase.

This is also difficult for people diagnosed with serious mental health problems who require professional help.

In general, one could be forgiven for feelings of hopelessness.

Reality check: There’s a lot you can do to improve your mental health, even when you’re hurting.

What are we meant to do?

At the start of the pandemic, Dr. Monique Tello, a Boston physician and regular contributor to the Harvard Health Blog, wrote about the need for doctors to talk more about diet and self-care when consulting with patients suffering from depression .

“Self-care includes things like sleep, physical activity and diet, and it’s just as important as medication and therapy, sometimes more so.” she writes.

Dr. Tello advises: “Diet is such an important component of mental health that it has inspired an entire field of medicine called nutritional psychiatry.”

She points out a helpful explanation of nutritional psychiatry that you may find here.

“It all boils down to what we eat is important to all aspects of our health, but especially our mental health,” he writes.

“Several recent research reviews looking at multiple studies support that there is a link between what one eats and our risk of depression, specifically.”

The good news

The good news is that nutritional psychiatry is a DIY skill.

There are some very simple rules to follow. Dr. Tello points out that the basic concepts can be found in a 2017 meta-analysis of dietary patterns and risk of depression:

• A dietary pattern characterized by a high consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, olive oil, low-fat dairy and antioxidants, and a low consumption of foods of animal origin (red meat, chicken, pork) is associated with a lower depression risk.
• A dietary pattern characterized by a high consumption of red and/or processed meats, refined grains, sweets, high-fat dairy products, butter, potatoes, and high-fat sauces, and a low consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with an increased risk of depression.

The short version: The sugar, unhealthy fats, and refined foods that underpin much of the Western diet are not only bad for your heart, blood vessels, and blood sugar, but also your brain.

anxiety loves sugar

You’ve probably heard the expression, “Cancer loves sugar.”

Well, anxiety and depression love sugar too.

Sugar is not just the crystal you put in a cup of coffee. It’s in the overly refined foods that we love: cakes, pies, baked goods, cereals, bread, sodas, and popsicles.

The evil trick being played here is that these high-sugar foods have a feel-good factor. They are the so-called comfort foods that, in fact, give a small wave of pleasure. And they are so delicious.

In fact, one study found that sugar is more addictive than cocaine. It is more insidious than the big drugs.

But its effects on the brain are life-threatening, and not just in the long term.

But how?

In October, the new daily reported in a study that found: “It only takes four weeks for a diet of highly processed foods to inflame the brain and cause behavioral signs of memory loss.”

Chronic inflammation is also linked to metabolic disorders, cancer, and asthma.

Sugar is a driver of this inflammation, which is linked to depression.

Researchers, recognizing sugar’s role in diet-induced depression, are now talking about treating major depression with insulin.

There are already studies showing promising results. read more here.

Diet plans that work against depression

The Mediterranean, NorwegianY Japanese all diets are high in fish and low in unhealthy fats and sugars.

These antidepressant benefits of these diets have been well supported by research.

We’ll be back in this issue, with a breakdown of how certain healthy foods work to improve your mood.

In the meantime, if you’re feeling mentally overwhelmed, take a good look at what you’re eating and maybe try something new.