Diet and Mental Health: Can What

Research suggests there’s a connection between your gut and brain, which may play a role in how you feel. Eating certain foods and adopting some dietary habits may help improve your mood.
It’s well-established that diet plays a fundamental role in health and well-being.
But as time goes on, we’re learning more about diet’s important role in social, emotional, and mental health specifically.

Keep reading to learn more about the relationship between diet and mental health.
Diet and mental health: Is there a link?
Historically, mental health conditions have been treated with psychiatric therapies like counseling, medication, and sometimes hospitalization.

Today, an emerging field called nutritional psychiatry emphasizes how diet and nutrition affect the way people feel mentally. It aims to support the treatment of mental health conditions with diet and lifestyle changes.
Your food choices may affect your brain through the gastrointestinal system — commonly referred to as “the gut” — because it’s closely connected to the brain.

The gut is home to trillions of living microbes that have many functions in the body, such as synthesizing neurotransmitters that send chemical messages to the brain to regulate sleep, pain, appetite, mood, and emotion.
In fact, there’s such an intricate network of interactions between the two that the gut has been nicknamed the “second brainTrusted Source.” Formally, the relationship between the two is called the gut-brain connection or gut-brain axis.

Some research suggests that the foods we eat influence the health of gut microbe colonies, which subsequently influence our brains and, thus, our mental and emotional health.
Dietary patterns linked with improved mental health
Eating a well-balanced, nutrient-dense diet may be the best dietary plan to help improve your mood.

For instance, some research suggests that eating more fruits and vegetables is linked with improved mental well-being, lower stress levels, and greater life satisfaction.
Consider focusing on eating nutrient-rich whole foods that are high in protein, fiber, and healthy fats.

If you’re not sure where to begin, the Mediterranean diet may be a good place to start. Some researchers and health agencies recommend a Mediterranean-like diet to support gut health and lower the risk of depression.
For instance, a 2019 review found that a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes and low in red and processed meats was associated with 10% lower odds of depressive symptoms.