The link between diet and mental health is becoming clearer. While you may have long suspected that food influences how you feel, emerging research verifies that both your brain and gut can impact your mood. While there’s no miracle diet that can suddenly undo trauma, grief, or mental illness, we can take charge of certain aspects of mood and mental health by understanding the link between things like gut health and brain function. Here’s a glance at some of the things we now know about nutrition and mental health.
Uncovering the Link Between Diet and Mental Health
The gut’s role in brain health and mood is so strong that research shared by Harvard refers to the connection as the gut-brain axis. The brain and gut communicate biochemically through signals that pass through the nervous system and digestive tract using the main nervous system, enteric nervous system, and vagus nerve.
Did you know that 90% of a feel-good neurotransmitter called serotonin is produced in the gut? In fact, the gut is largely responsible for producing dopamine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and other mood-regulating neurotransmitters. With this in mind, it’s not shocking that research shows that probiotics that boost the proliferation of good gut bacteria over bad gut bacteria have been shown to also boost mood.
Practical Ways You Can Use Healthy Food for Mental Health
Here are some easy, down-to-earth ways you can use healthy food to nourish your body and brain, too.
Choose the Right Foods
What foods are good for your gut and mental health? There are so many natural, inexpensive foods that support the gut-brain connection.
- High-fiber foods – First, foods that are high in fiber “feed” the good bacteria. This helps reduce “bad bacteria” that can cause illness and inflammation. Prebiotic foods that are easy to incorporate into your diet include bananas, apples, oats, onions, garlic, leeks, and asparagus.
- Fermented foods – Kimchi, yogurt, and other fermented foods contain live cultures that support gut health.
Avoid ultra-processed foods like cookies, chips, candies, and reconstituted meat products. These negatively impact gut health and contribute to inflammation, which is linked to mood disorders and anxiety.
Consider Revamping Your Diet
For some people, a complete diet overhaul may be an option for controlling mood and mental health. For example, there’s a growing body of research suggesting that something like a Mediterranean diet may help to curb symptoms of depression. In 2024, a study involving 1,507 adults ages 22 to 53 with depression ranging from mild to severe found that participants who followed a Mediterranean diet experienced a greater reduction in depression symptoms compared to control groups. In the same vein, a 2021 study found that adherence to a Mediterranean diet at middle age was associated with a lower risk of depression later in life for women.
Final Thoughts: Using Food to Fuel Your Mood
Is there a link between gut health and mental health? Research certainly seems to be pointing in this direction. Prioritizing gut-healthy foods is a great way to support both mental and physical health. However, it should be looked at like any other tool in your mental health kit.
For most of us, food can’t undo symptoms of trauma or grief that we haven’t properly processed. Luckily, tried-and-true options exist. Bloom Therapy is here to help you find tools for growth and healing using talk therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), art therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and more. We offer both virtual and in-person appointments from our PA office. Book your appointment today!