In recent years, many experts have recognized the mind-gut connection.
It seems more people are paying attention to how our moods and emotions impact our digestion—and vice versa. Namely, research has found that what we put into our bodies can directly impact our mental health.
“Just as we recognize that diet plays a role in conditions like heart disease or diabetes, we now understand that food choices can affect brain function, mood, and mental health disorders,” said Wolfgang Marx, deputy director of the Food & Mood Centre at Deakin University in Australia and president of the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research, per National Geographic.
These Foods Could Be Making Your Mental Health Worse
Specifically, Marx noted that “diets high in ultra-processed foods and low in nutrient quality are consistently associated with a higher risk of depression and anxiety,” according to a 2024 study by Marx and his colleagues.
The study concluded that “greater exposure to ultra-processed food was associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, especially cardiometabolic, common mental disorder, and mortality outcomes.”
What’s more? Harvard Health published an article exploring the concept of “nutritional psychiatry” back in 2022, quoting studies showing that the risk of depression is 25 percent to 35 percent lower in those who consume traditional diets, like the Mediterranean diet or the traditional Japanese diet, vs. the typical “Western” diet.
“Scientists account for this difference because these traditional diets tend to be high in vegetables, fruits, unprocessed grains, and fish and seafood, and to contain only modest amounts of lean meats and dairy,” Harvard Health reported. “They are also void of processed and refined foods and sugars, which are staples of the ‘Western’ dietary pattern. In addition, many of these unprocessed foods are fermented and, therefore, act as natural probiotics.”
The less processed foods you consume, the happier and healthier you will likely be.
Of course, that’s not to say that diet is the only contributing factor to poor mental health. However, you can implement these dietary changes with other mental health treatments, like therapy and medication, for more promising results.
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