We all know that what we eat and drink everyday impacts our physical health, but now more than ever, we need to be conscious of how our diet impacts our mental health.  With many of us working from home and feeling more anxiety or depression than we generally might, maintaining a diet that promotes a healthier mental outlook has never been more important.

Image

Why it matters.
Just like any organ in your body, your brain runs on food that you eat throughout the course of your day.  How that food impacts your brain’s function may determine how well you think, work, feel, and cope with the stressors that exist in day to day life.  In the same way your muscles perform better with a high quality diet, so does your brain.  Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that regulates your emotions and moods and allows you to alleviate stress, depression, and anxiety.  While normally associated with the brain, the epicenter of moods and emotions, serotonin is actually produced in the gut and is determined, in large part, due to the ratio of good and bad bacteria in your gut.  

Put more simply, a happier gut translates to a happier mood.

What to eat.
Harvard University has found that diets rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats can reduce symptoms of depression by as much as thirty-five percent.  These diets leave little or no room for processed and refined foods (think junk food!).  There’s really no limit to the amount of variety you can achieve by combining your favorite fresh produce with your favorite lean proteins.  This is one of the reasons the Mediterranean diet is generally considered among the world’s healthiest diets.

If you’re already keeping track of your calories in and calories out, this is the perfect time to experiment with logging your moods and emotions, too.  Looking for patterns between what we eat and how we feel the following day can help us better understand our unique biochemistry and dietary needs.

What to avoid.
During stressful periods like social-distancing and self-quarantining, you may be more prone to reach for comfort foods or easy foods.  These foods tend to exacerbate feelings of anxiety and depression.  Harvard discovered that sugar, specifically added sugar, causes blood sugar spikes that mimic the effects of anxiety and depression throughout the body.  That sugar is hiding in places you might not expect.  While you’re stuck at home, check the labels on your food to better understand how much sugar you accidentally consume in one day.  The results might surprise you!

Other foods to avoid for a healthier mental makeup include caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine.  Adding fresh fruit to your day can healthfully eliminate the sugar cravings you might experience.  Filling up on plan water or sugar-free sparkling water can also help keep you hydrated, maintain a healthy blood sugar level and alleviate the mental stressors you may be experiencing during a pandemic.

Do you log your moods and foods? What works for you?