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The old adage, “You are what you eat,” is truer now that it ever has been. With the advent of an exploding food industry of processed, chemically-altered foods, fast food, pesticides, and more, food has undoubtedly changed over the last century. Home-cooked meals and naturally-grown foods are being overshadowed, and research is increasingly showing that widespread suffering mental health is one of the consequences of this cultural change. (Here is another example of the link between the modern diet and depression.)

The Case for Whole Foods

At the base level, every person has recognized that when you eat poorly and unhealthily, your body will respond similarly: it leaves you feeling low-energy, weighed-down, fatigued, and in a negative mood. Taken to its extreme, a bad diet can worsen and drag down your mental health into bouts of depressive episodes.

On the other hand, when you take care to choose minimally processed, natural, healthy food choices, you will notice a boosted mood, more positive thoughts and emotions, and increased energy and confidence. The mind and body are synced, and food is fuel for both!

Healthy food selections can put you in a good mood, promote gut health, maintain stable blood sugar levels, fuel your body correctly, and give you the energy and vitamins needed to live an active, happy life and maintain a  positive mentality.

We use “diet” here in the sense of your daily eating plan, not a weight-loss strategy; it is what you choose to fuel your body with! While not directly intending to make your diet low-calorie, having a healthy, natural, whole food diet will certainly keep you in a more balanced energy intake, which in turn balances your moods as well. The average American consumes more than 3,600 calories daily, but the recommended daily caloric intake is approximately 2,500 for men and 2,000 for women. A great deal of that is due to the increased choices for processed carbs and excess dietary sugar.

It is important to realize that how well you treat your physical health is also how well you treat your mental health. If you are striving to get over inexplicable mood swings or food-related bad moods, rethink your nutrition!

Did you know?

• According to an April 2016 study¹, only 2.7% of Americans meet these four qualifications of a "healthy lifestyle.”

• Being sufficiently active

• Eating a healthy diet

• Being a nonsmoker

• Having a healthy body fat percentage

• The rate of depression² has increased by 63% between 2009 and 2017 in adults aged 18 to 25 years old.

• Multiple studies³ have shown there is a decreased risk of depression, up to 32%, in those who follow a Mediterranean-style diet, high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fish.

• Only 9.3% of Americans meet the recommended daily intake of vegetables⁴, which is 2 to 3 cups.

• The health of approximately 149 million children has been stunted due to malnutrition⁵.

• Since 1970, the obesity rate⁶ among children has tripled and among adults, doubled.

• About 90% of Americans take in more sodium⁷ than what's recommended for a healthy diet.

• There is a strong link⁸ between excess dietary sugary and poor mental health.

• One study’s⁹ results found that consumers of fast food are 51% more likely to develop depression, compared to those who opt for whole foods.

• New research¹⁰ is showing that up to 30% of people have gluten sensitivities, not just those with diagnosed gluten issues or celiac disease.

Diet’s Role in Mental Health

In her book, The Diet Cure, Julia Ross discusses how caloric restriction, aka dieting, can severely impact thyroid health. Dieting is the number one cause of depression among overweight individuals, and that is because they are not receiving the essential vitamins and nutrients that their body is craving. Starving your body also affects your mind; food restriction literally shrinks your brain! Skipping meals throws off blood sugar levels, making your energy waver and flag unnecessarily.

Gut health is being found to be directly linked to mental health, as well: Happy gut = happy mind. The gut is composed of many healthy bacteria, all of which need maintenance through a healthy diet.

You may have heard of the Glycemic Index (GI), but are still relatively unsure of its meaning: the rate at which food causes increases in blood sugar levels. Ideally, you want to avoid blood sugar spikes, because after those sugar highs always comes a crash, which can drag down your mood and mental health.

Simple sugars and refined carbohydrates (foods with a high glycemic index) break down quickly into sugars in the bloodstream, jumpstarting a rapid increase of sugar in the bloodstream, whereas complex carbs (those foods with a lower glycemic index) break down more slowly and release sugar into the blood more gradually. The latter keeps your energy levels more stable, keeps you fuller longer, and normally contains more nutrients.

While carbs are an essential staple in daily nutrition, too often refined and processed foods are being chosen over whole ones. Choose whole carbohydrates with a lower GI, and you may notice a positive impact on your mental health!

Positive changes you can make in your daily nutrition plan to improve mood

• Eat whole, unprocessed foods.

• Eat more vegetables! Tip: The darker the color of the vegetable, the more nutrient-dense! Meaning foods such as: spinach, broccoli, squash, and sweet potatoes are more nutrient dense than foods such as celery, watercress, cucumber, and iceberg lettuce.

• Avoid added sugars or sugar-heavy drinks.

• Make sure you are getting and replacing your vitamins.

• Buy organic when possible.

• Eat fermented foods, which are incredibly beneficial for your gut health. Examples include: Sauerkraut, yogurt, kimchi, pickles, and kombucha.

• Have fish twice a week¹¹, for a healthy dose of omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamins D & B2, as well as iron, zinc, and magnesium.

• Ensure you are getting enough protein. The average American does not get enough protein in their every day diet!

• Make meals from scratch and eat at home more often, rather than eating out. Restaurant and processed foods are more likely to contain hidden, damaging substances.

• Attend your local farmers markets, whose produce is more likely to have retained more nutrients than even your local grocery store.

Swaps to consider making to improve your daily mood and energy levels

• Choose sourdough or whole wheat over white bread

• Drink tea over sugary coffee drinks

• Enjoy hot water with lemon or kombucha over store-bought beverages

• Find range-fed eggs and poultry, and grass-fed beef

• Swap corn tortillas for flour

• Try a Thai food restaurant as they are generally a good option for eating out, especially coconut soups and curries

• Make homemade salad dressings over store-bought

• Opt for oil-based salad dressings over heavier, creamy salad dressings

• Use natural stevia over sugar 

• Coconut oil is a superfood for the brain, reducing inflammation. Instead of adding this to your diet, replace the butter or vegetable oil you have been using.

• Swap white rice and pasta for brown rice, quinoa, or potatoes.

• Use almond flour instead of regular flour to fry your proteins in.

• Try making lettuce wraps or nori wraps, instead of sandwiches,

• Choose healthy snacks, like pita and hummus, over processed snacks like potato chips

Foods to avoid

• Canola oil

• Foods high in added sugars

• Foods high in saturated Fat

• Highly processed foods

Educating yourself on the complexity and importance of nutrition can be fascinating, not to mention mood- and life-changing. Dieting and nutrition needs will 100% differ from person to person, so before undergoing any major lifestyle or dietary changes, it is always recommended to speak with your physician to make sure you are getting the nutrients you need. And of course, independent research is highly encouraged and beneficial.

We hope you enjoy taking your nutrition decisions into your own hands and making the healthiest choices for you and your physical and mental health! If you find yourself in a funk, it's best to look inward and try to identify what might be causing your discomfort. From there, you can work on implementing some changes that could help improve your mood.

Read more on your own by checking out the following resources

• Grain Brain

• The Diet Cure

• The Mood Cure

• Deep Nutrition

• Sugar Nation

• Cereal Killer

• Brain Maker

References

¹ Healthy Lifestyle Characteristics and Their Joint Association With Cardiovascular Disease Biomarkers in US Adults, Mayo Clinic Proceedings​, 2016

² Mental Health Issues Increased Significantly in Young Adults Over Last Decade, American Psychological Association, 2019

³ Dietary Patterns and Depression Risk: A Meta-analysis, Psychiatry Research, July 2017

⁴ Only 1 in 10 Adults Get Enough Fruits or Vegetables, CDC, 2017

⁵ Malnutrition, World Health Organization, June 2021

⁶ Obesity, CDC, 2021

⁷ CDC: 90% of Americans Consume Too Much Salt, Medical News Today, 2016

⁸ Dietary Pattern and Depressive Symptoms in Middle Age, Cambridge University Press, 2018

⁹ Link between fast food and depression confirmed, Science Daily, 2012

¹⁰ Gluten Sensitivity – Challenged by a New Study?, David Perlmutter, MD, 2014

¹¹ Circulation, American Heart Association, 2018.