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Food for a Better Mood

PART 1 Can You Fight Depression with Diet?

What you eat can definitely affect the way you feel.

Clearly, if you eat an unhealthy diet—like fast food, too much caffeine and sugar to keep yourself going, and maybe too much alcohol to unwind—you’re going to become unhealthy and feel worse physically. That will make you feel worse mentally, too. READ MORE

But studies have shown that some foods can have a positive effect on your mood, as well. This is especially true if you are deficient in certain vitamins and minerals or amino acids and essential fats. LESS

PART 2 Food to Feed Your Mood

It’s vitally important, say nutritionists, that you consume a large variety of foods instead of eating the same things every day. According to Andrew McCulloch, head of Britain’s Mental Health Foundation, there’s no “magic ingredient” for depression. Eating a balanced, varied diet will provide your brain with all the mood-boosting proteins, fatty acids, and micronutrients you need. Others point to the need to eat food that is as natural and unprocessed as possible. Your brain is a heavy feeder, and eating high-calorie, low-nutrition foods can deprive it of essential nutrients.

PART 3 The Mediterranean Diet

Research Report

This study found...

Mediterranean countries have low rates of depression compared to more northerly countries, and it may be that the Mediterranean diet has a lot to do with that. The Mediterranean diet, sometimes called “the world’s healthiest diet,” features abundant fresh fruit and vegetables, olive oil, fish, nuts, and whole grains. READ MORE

Researchers have looked at the effect of the Mediterranean diet on depression, and results have been encouraging. One large-scale study followed over 10,000 people over the course of 4 years and found that those who ate a Mediterranean diet were 30% less likely to develop depression. Other studies have had similar results.

It may be that the foods in the Mediterranean diet act synergistically with each other. Olive oil, nuts, and fatty fish contain plentiful amounts of omega-3 and other unsaturated fatty acids, and fresh fruits and vegetables contain flavonoids and phytochemicals rich in antioxidants and folates (B vitamins). Together, they may have a protective effect against depression. LESS

PART 4 Top Five Foods to Fight Depression

Rogues Gallery

The Three Worst Foods

Just as eating the wrong foods—like trans fats and refined carbohydrates—can worsen your health and your mood, eating the right foods can improve your physical and mental well-being. READ MORE

Top Five Foods for Mood

Fatty fish and fish oils. Fatty fish, like albacore tuna, salmon, halibut, mackerel, lake trout, and sardines, are rich in omega-3 and other natural, unsaturated fatty acids—vital for brain health. Some studies have shown the omega-3s can improve your mood.

Almonds and other nuts. Low in saturated fat and high in lots of other nutrients (like calcium and magnesium), almonds and other nuts are phytochemical powerhouses.

Extra-virgin olive oil. A mainstay of the Mediterranean diet, olive oil is high in monounsaturated fats and boosts HDL-cholesterol levels while lowering LDL-cholesterol.

Cabbage and cousins: broccoli, kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and bok choy. All vegetables contain health-boosting phytochemicals, but the cruciferous vegetables are particularly nutritious—high in folates and fiber. Folate deficiency is associated with depression.

Colorful whole fruits. Colorful fruits, especially red and purple fruits like plums, cherries, berries, and grapes, contain anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants.

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