You Are What You Eat: Mental Health & Diet By: Rayna Moiz

Everyone knows the implications of diet on physical health, and the importance of consuming healthy food to stimulate and energize your body. Unsurprisingly, there is also an intersection between your diet and your mental health. Increased research has confirmed this so-called ‘food-mood’ link, proving to us yet again the importance of maintaining a healthy diet. Just how does the food we eat affect the way we feel?

A stable mental health relies heavily on serotonin, the ‘feel-good’ neurotransmitter. This hormone helps regulate one’s mood through stimulating appetite and regulating sleep cycles. The production of serotonin is reliant on one’s intake of several nutrients like vitamin B1, copper, and calcium, commonly found in protein-rich foods like lean meats, lentils, and seafood. 

Consuming such foods diversifies your gut microbiome, or the healthy bacteria which communicate with the brain in order to produce neurotransmitters like serotonin. Fruits and vegetables are especially helpful in introducing new, healthy bacteria into the body, allowing for increased, efficient gut-brain communication and improved serotonin release. According to McLean Hospital, those who diversify their gut microbiomes through consuming foods high in fiber exhibit fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety disorder. 

The immune system also plays a hand in stabilizing your mental health, though it cannot function correctly without healthy food intake. Overconsumption of fatty and sugary foods stimulates the immune system’s inflammatory response, which results in reduced brain function. 

Specifically, the inflammatory response is known to result in damage within the hippocampus, a structure in the brain which releases the dopamine neurotransmitter, associated with feelings of happiness and satisfaction. Without proper hippocampal function, dopamine release is compromised, along with one’s mental stability. As such, instead of opting for ‘junk’ foods high in cholesterol, carbohydrates, and salt, help your brain stimulate the release of dopamine with natural mood boosters like chicken, avocados, bananas, and oranges.

Another source of nutrients vital to mental health are Omega-3 fatty acids, as they are known to reduce inflammation in the nervous system. The less inflamed the nervous system is, the more neuroplastic our brains become, meaning they become better adapted to creating new neural pathways to expedite neurological processes. Foods such as salmon, walnuts, and flax seeds are great sources of Omega-3 fatty acids, improving the condition of the nervous system and therefore alleviating symptoms of disorders such as ADHD, OCD, and more.

To put it simply, the effects of unhealthy food intake go beyond obesity and heart problems which frequent headlines. Your mental health is as vulnerable as your physical condition when it comes to a poor diet. Reducing chronic mental illness symptoms such as trouble sleeping, periods of depression, and fatigue can be done by eating clean–opting for fibery, protein-filled foods and home cooked meals rather than the stereotypical fast food options has much more of an impact than you think. The way you feel on the inside has everything to do with the diet decisions you make on the outside.