Food & Mood
We all know that eating well is vital for promoting physical health, but there is growing evidence to suggest that better diet quality is also linked to improved mental health.
There is evidence that our gut and brain are connected, and that diet quality can therefore influence our mood. It can also play a role in reducing inflammation, supporting brain function, reducing Alzheimer’s risk and preventing cognitive decline.
Here are some ways you can eat to improve your mood:
Focus on fibre: The good bacteria in our gut (or gut microbiota) are key players in our mental health and rely on adequate dietary fibre to thrive. Include diverse types of fibre from plant foods such as wholegrains, fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds.
These foods also contain complex carbohydrates. These provide a slower release of energy into the body, avoiding spikes and crashes in our energy levels and a foggy brain.
Tips:
Choose whole fruit. Extracting the juice from fruit removes all the beneficial fibre. Eat fruit as a snack or blitz the whole fruit into a smoothie instead.
Fresh or frozen fruit and veg is best, though tinned and tried still count too!
Swap from white bread to wholegrain, white rice to brown and regular pasta to wholegrain or pulse pasta.
Antioxidants: Antioxidants help to reduce cell damage, reducing Alzheimer’s and mental health disorder risk. Antioxidant-rich foods include colourful veg, berries, citrus, tea, dark chocolate, nuts and seeds, seafood, milk and lean meat.
Tips:
At lunch and dinner, aim to include at least three different coloured vegetables.
When building your meal, fill at least half your plate with vegetable.
Aim to eat 30 different plant foods per week.
Protein: Protein-rich foods contain the amino acid tryptophan which is essential for production of serotonin, the happy hormone which is key for mood regulation. Aim to include a serve of lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy or soy products, legumes, seeds and nuts at each meal.
Swap to healthier fats: Reducing intake of saturated fats can help to improve gut health and protect the tissue of the area of the brain responsible for learning memory and emotions. Saturated fats are found in of fattier cuts of meat, butter, coconut oil, pastry and other baked goods as well as dairy.
Instead, research suggests that we should be swapping to more healthy fats such as omega-3 fatty acids to promote better mental and brain health. These essential polyunsaturated fats are found in foods such as oily fish and other seafood, nuts and seeds, avocado and olive oil.