From Plate To Mind – A Comprehensive Strategy To Eat Well For Mental Health

There’s nothing bad about occasionally enjoying an indulging meal. Food can make us feel better – comfort food is proof of that – and sometimes, we need a meal to give us that pick-me-up.

Now, turning to food for mood regulation on a regular is bad for both your physical and mental well-being. So, it’s important to have a comprehensive mental health strategy, which requires you to establish a mindful approach to food.

In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know to do just that. From what foods boost your health to how you can implement them in your diet without feeling like something’s “missing.”

Let’s dive in.

Incorporating Comprehensive Strategies

The connection between mental health and healthy food is the subject of many studies done to this date, and most of them point out the connection between the two. A healthy diet is comprised of vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and fiber, all of which contribute to your brain health and neurological function.

You see, nutrient deficiencies, especially in vitamins and minerals, can result in mental health issues. For instance, B vitamins (especially folate, B6, and B12) play an essential role in producing neurotransmitters important for our mood, like serotonin and dopamine. So, low levels of vitamin B can lead to depressive symptoms. 

In fact, Joel Fuhrman, board-certified family physician, goes as far as to say that: 

“Diet and nutrition [are] likely the major contributor[s] to anxiety and depression, not life’s circumstances.”

With this in mind, it’s clear that a well-rounded diet is vital for keeping your mental health in check. However, I’m by no means advocating a utilitarian approach to food. In other words, your diet shouldn’t just be tailored with just your mental well-being in mind, but also physical and emotional. 

As Dr. Deborah Fernandez-Turner, Deputy Chief Psychiatric Officer at Aetna, says:

“It makes sense that what we put in our body would also impact our mental health. Good health describes a condition of optimal well-being. That means the body and the mind – operating in harmony.”

In other words, you should have a holistic approach to diet, meaning you’re eating for your mind, body, and soul.

What does that mean, though? Well, at its very core, that means basing your diet on nutrient-rich foods.

First, that means eating whole foods – foods that are as minimally processed as possible. This includes fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean meats, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Basically, a very colorful plate. 

Fiber is especially important for your health. Plant-based foods are rich in fiber, which helps in keeping your hunger and blood sugar levels in check. 

Of course, we also can’t forget about antioxidants, which are also found in fruits and vegetables. As the name suggests, antioxidants protect your body from oxidative stress, which is degenerative to your health.

Omega-3 fatty acids are also an essential part of a diet. Among other things, they:

With these benefits in mind, it’s clear that omega-3 acids can improve your mental health. And since our bodies can’t make these acids on their own, they need to come from the diet. Omega-3 acids are mainly found in fatty fish, algae, flax seeds, chia seeds, and walnuts.

Finally, let’s not forget about probiotics. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that improve your gut health. And by doing so, they also help with your mental health. While these microorganisms already live in your body, there’s always room for more. Fermented foods, such as yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, miso, kimchi, and kombucha.

In case the aforementioned foods sound like a far cry from what you typically eat in a day, it’s not the end of the world. No one is pressuring you to change your whole diet at once. In fact, you should take one step at a time, allowing you to adapt to the changes slowly. 

For example, you can start by taking out refined sugar from your diet and swapping it with fresh fruit. Next week, you can swap white for wholegrain flour, and so on. 

The only “rule” you should follow is to eat regularly. No matter how healthy you eat, you won’t see the benefits of that diet by starving and then overeating. Plus, that would cause your blood levels to suddenly drop and rise, which doesn’t do good for your physical or mental well-being.

Nutritional Strategies for Mental Health

Today, we know many ways our diet can, directly or indirectly, affect our mental health. That’s why what you eat should be beneficial for both your physical and mental well-being.

Anti-Anxiety Diet Plans

Anxiety is one of the most common mental issues. Over 301 million people in the world struggle with the disorder, but many more may experience symptoms on certain occasions. Of course, there are medications that help with anxiety symptoms, but diet also plays an important role.

As you probably know, anxiety can trigger a body’s fight-or-flight stress response. This stimulates your body to release adrenaline and cortisol, which further cause rapid heart rate, blood sugar spikes, and other physiological changes. 

In this case, food can help keep these symptoms at bay – thus keeping you more calm. 

According to a study, anxiety is correlated to reduced antioxidant status. This means that eating antioxidant-rich foods, like berries, beans, leafy greens, and dark chocolate, can help alleviate anxiety symptoms.

Magnesium can aid with regulating overwhelmed neurotransmitters in the brain – such as during a stress response. Basically, it turns them down like a switch, preventing your anxiety symptoms from escalating. At the same time, it lowers levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. 

The best sources of magnesium are leafy greens, nuts, whole grains, seeds, and legumes, so make sure to add them to your diet.

Depression-Fighting Breakfasts

While a diet on its own is no cure, it can definitely help in alleviating depression symptoms. 

A recent study showed that the Mediterranean diet can help with that. This diet is based on:

While red meat is eaten only once in a while, seafood, dairy, poultry, and eggs are included moderately. 

The Mediterranean diet is rich in omega-3, vitamins, and minerals, all of which are beneficial for mental health.

A simple, Mediterranean-style breakfast is an excellent way to add these nutrients to your diet. Some of the easiest meals including this cuisine are:

Omega-3-Rich Meals

Whatever diet you might be on, omega-3 fatty acids must be a necessary part of it. As we already established, our bodies can’t produce them, so we need to get them from our diet. 

Now, there are three types of omega-3 fatty acids:

• Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)
• Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)
• Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)

While the first two primarily come from animal foods, ALA is mainly found in plants and works as a precursor for the other two. In other words, our bodies only need ALA to turn it into EPA or DHA. 

But there’s a catch. You see, that conversion process is not very efficient. Only a small percentage of ALA gets converted – the rest is simply stored or used as energy. 

Essentially, this means that plants rich in omega-3 won’t actually satiate your body’s need for these fatty acids. In other words, your diet needs to include sources of DHA and EPA.

The primary source of those two acids is fish, particularly fatty fish like mackerel, tuna, salmon, sardines, and herring. Eating fish twice a week can do wonders in keeping your omega-3 levels in check. Seafood, oysters, and caviar are also good sources of this type of fatty acid.

What about vegan or vegetarian diets, you might ask? While plant-based omega-3 sources aren’t enough, there’s one more ingredient you can include that actually contains DHA and EPA – algae! In fact, the only reason fish contains these acids is because they eat, you guessed it, algae.

Gut-Healthy Recipes

As you know, the gut is home to bacteria – both good and bad. The key lies in balancing the two to reduce inflammation, keep the weight in check, prevent chronic diseases, and keep your brain healthy.

As we already mentioned, probiotics are beneficial bacteria in your gut, and you can increase them by eating fermented foods like yogurt or kimchi. But being living organisms, probiotics also need to eat something – and that something is prebiotics. 

Prebiotics are fibers we can’t digest, which allows them to reach the colon. In the colon, the beneficial bacteria feed on those fibers, which help them grow. Some of the best prebiotic sources are:

Featuring these ingredients in your helps you maintain a healthier digestive system. As a result, your gut will take better care of your brain health as well. 

Aside from non-digestible fibers (by that, I mean prebiotics), our bodies also need digestible fiber. A high-fiber diet is important for maintaining bowel health, but it also aids in lowering blood sugar levels and cholesterol.

According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, we should eat 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories we eat in a day. Some of the best fiber sources include avocados, berries, chickpeas, lentils, and chia seeds. 

Did you know that popcorn is also a great source of fiber? It makes sense, given it’s a whole grain. Popcorn also contains vitamins, minerals, and polyphenol antioxidants, so this is a great option for snacking.

We mentioned nutrients you should include in your diet to keep a healthy gut, but what should you avoid? 

First things first, artificial sweeteners are bad for your stomach. As you probably know, artificial sweeteners have no calories. What this essentially means is they’re not digested by the body. 

But since they’re consumed, they must pass their way through the gastrointestinal tract – and this is where issues occur. To put it simply, artificial sweeteners alter the composition of the microbiome in the gut, causing inflammation and other problems.

Processed foods aren’t much gentler on the gut. They contain little fiber but tons of trans-fat, added sugar, salt, and food additives, all of which are ready for digestion right away. Without much effort, the body absorbs these simple compounds, causing a quick spike in blood sugar. 

Additionally, processed foods also alter the bacteria in the gut, triggering the immune system and causing inflammation.

Finally, the gut might not signal the brain that it’s full when eating refined sugar, salt, and trans-fat, thus causing overeating. 

Brain-Boosting Foods

One thing’s for sure, no food can prevent cognitive decline that comes with age. However, certain foods do help in keeping your memory, concentration and focus as sharp as can be. According to research, the best foods for your brain are those that are good for your heart as well. 

Leafy greens, including spinach, broccoli, and kale, are excellent for both organs. These veggies are great sources of beta-carotene, folate, lutein, and vitamin K, which help in slowing the decline in cognitive abilities in older age. 

Flavonoids, which are the pigments that give berries their vibrant color, help in keeping your memory sharp. According to a study by Harvard researchers, women eating two or more servings of berries each week showed delayed memory decline by up to two and a half years.

Interestingly, walnuts are a great brain-boosting snack. A UCLA study showed a connection between walnut consumption and better scores on cognitive tests. This is probably due to the high level of omega-3 acids in these nuts.

Seasonal and Cultural Perspectives

When tailoring a mental-health-supporting diet, you may notice your meal preferences change with the weather. 

In winter, you might crave warm dishes, whether it’s a hot soup or a creamy plate of mac and cheese. This is mainly because the body needs more calories during winter time, so it’s “asking” for heartier meals.

Likewise, when the summer kicks in, you might resort to lighter and more refreshing dishes to fight off the sweat. From fresh fruit and veggies to summer BBQ, some meals are synonymous with the summer weather.

Seasonal availability plays a huge role in what foods are more suitable for a specific time of the year, and you should adopt that in your health strategy. Spring is when you can find the most leafy greens, so make sure to add them to your diet during these months. In summer, you can enjoy tomatoes and berries, as they’re in season. While fall is the perfect time to eat pumpkins, winter is reserved for warm dishes like broths.

The seasonal availability is pretty apparent when you consider cultural food practices around the world. This is not that much of a surprise when we take into consideration how weather impacts agriculture and farming in different parts of the world, thus tailoring their cuisines.

If you think about it, every culture has its staple ingredients. Take rice, for example – it’s a fundamental ingredient in regions where it’s grown in abundance. Likewise, it’s also a staple in comfort dishes in these regions.

There’s also a noticeable difference in cooking techniques between different regions of the world when it comes to comfort food. So while many Europeans may turn to slow-cooked stews, for instance, stir fry is a more comforting option in many Asian cuisines.

The preparation of comfort food is also an important subject. In Middle Eastern culture, for example, making dishes together and sharing them reinforces a sense of community. Likewise, hot pots in Japan gather people around, fostering the importance of togetherness.

To Sum Things Up

What you eat affects your mental health, so a diet should be an important part of your comprehensive strategy. Food is not just calories, so make use of its benefits on your health – both physical and mental.

Tailor your diet to include more foods that boost your well-being, like whole foods, and avoid those that are nothing but harmful to your health, like heavily processed foods. But don’t be pressured to make changes at once. Taking one step at a time can help you transition into a healthier lifestyle in a natural manner, which is way more likely to stick.