Incorporating more of these healthy foods into your diet may boost your mood naturally.
A symphony of factors, including genetics, hormones, illness, and stress, can trigger depression. Now, scientists say your daily diet may also influence your risk for this mental illness. A growing number of studies—including the first randomized controlled trial on this subject—suggest that food choices “may play a role in the treatment and prevention of brain-based disorders, particularly depression,” according to a report published in the World Journal of Psychology. We took a closer look at the foods singled out in the report and also asked food and mood researchers for their top dietary picks. While they won’t replace depression treatment–like therapy, medication, or both–these are the key elements of a healthy, mood-boosting diet.
Nutrients to Prevent and Treat Depressive Disoders
The report includes a review of 34 essential nutrients, 12 of which were identified as relating to the prevention and treatment of depressive disorders: folate, iron, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, potassium, selenium, thiamine, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, vitamin C, and zinc. But rather than focus on single foods or nutrients as a panacea against depression, researchers are looking at the big picture, explains Felice Jacka, Ph.D., an Australian food-and-mood researcher and president of the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research.
“We eat diets that comprise countless compounds that interact in highly complex ways,” says Jacka, who published, in 2016, the first dietary recommendations for the prevention of depression in the journal Nutritional Neuroscience. (Her work is heavily cited in the new report, as well.)
That’s why the authors of the new study also examined a subset of foods rich in those 12 nutrients, ranking them by nutrient density to give them each an “Antidepressant Food Score.” And as it turns out, many of the same foods recommended for physical health are also good for mental health.
Brain-healthy Fats
Fat is back, and with good reason. Healthy fats like those found in nuts and fish are crucial for brain health and may play a role in fighting depression.
In a large review of studies published in the BMJ of Epidemiology and Community Health, people eating the most fish had a 17% lower risk of depression than those eating the least fish. Another review published in the American Journal of Psychiatry found that omega-3 fish oil supplements boosted the effects of medication in people with depression, compared with taking a placebo.
“Omega-3 fatty acids from seafood and monounsaturated fats from nuts, avocados, and olive oil appear to be particularly important and beneficial to our mental and brain health,” Jacka says.
A Mediterranean-style Diet
Improve your overall diet and you could reduce your depression. That’s the key takeaway from a first-of-its-kind trial examining the effects of a modified Mediterranean diet on major depression that appeared in BMC Medicine.
The link between diet and depression is complex, involving several biological pathways and processes, each of which is “under the influence of our gut microbiota,” says Jacka, the study’s lead author.
For the study, one group upped their intake of fresh fruit and veggies, whole grains, legumes, fish, lean red meats, olive oil, and nuts, while cutting back on sweets, refined cereals, fried food, processed meats, and sugary drinks. A control group received only social support for their depression. After three months, a third of those in the Mediterranean diet group reported significant symptom relief, compared with just 8% of the control group.
Fermented Foods
Who would have thought a side of kimchi could be a boon to mental health?
Animal studies suggest that certain live bacteria and yeasts, known as probiotics, may be helpful in fighting depression and anxiety. Fermented foods like kimchi and kefir are chock full of healthy bacteria thought to soothe gut inflammation.
As it turns out, there’s a link between digestive and brain health. Scientists call it the “gut-brain axis.” Important brain chemicals, including the mood-boosting hormone serotonin, are produced in the gut. So, the theory goes, without a sufficient supply of healthy gut bacteria, your mood can suffer.
Leafy Greens
In an Antidepressant Food ranking, leafy greens like watercress, spinach, mustard greens, lettuce, and swiss chard got top billing. These foods earned the highest scores out of all animal- and plant-based foods, suggesting that they’re an important part of preventing or treating depressive disorders.
These veggies are rich in folate, a water-soluble B vitamin. Low folate levels have been linked to depressive symptoms and poor response to antidepressants.
Plus, the vitamin may affect mood-related chemicals in the brain. “Serotonin levels have been shown to rise with foods rich in folate,” noted Torey Armul, RD, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Some people with depression have reduced transmission of this important chemical messenger.
Dark Chocolate
Say yes to dark chocolate! Cocoa beans contain flavonoids, plant-based nutrients that are powerful antioxidants and can improve mood. In a large study of U.S. women without previous depression published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, higher flavonoid consumption was linked with a lower risk of depression, especially among older women.
Other foods rich in these helpful plant compounds include tea, apples, citrus, blueberries, and onions.
Sweet Potatoes
Carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes get their orange hue from carotenoids, a type of antioxidant that may be helpful in warding off depression.
Researchers who followed a group of older men and women in Italy for six years found that low blood levels of carotenoids were associated with depressive symptoms as reported in the article appearing in the World Journal of Biological Psychiatry.
A separate study published in Psychosomatic Medicine included men and women in the U.S. and revealed an association between greater blood levels of carotenoids and optimism. Researchers weren’t able to tease out cause and effect. But they suspect that optimistic people eat healthier diets and people in better physical health are more optimistic.
Turkey
Turkey contains tryptophan, the amino acid Thanksgiving Day revelers love to blame for inducing their post-feast slumber. While turkey probably won’t really make you sleepy, tryptophan may be helpful in treating mental health problems like depression. The reason? Your body uses tryptophan to make the mood-elevating hormone serotonin.
Other food sources of tryptophan include eggs, seeds, fish, and dairy. Taking tryptophan supplements may also benefit people with depression. However, if you’re on antidepressants, talk to a doctor before taking supplements. The combination could cause serious side effects.
Bananas
Some studies suggest a link between depressed mood and low levels of tyrosine, an amino acid that produces the so-called “happy hormone” dopamine. Dopamine controls your brain’s reward and pleasure centers.
It remains unclear whether eating tyrosine-rich foods will alleviate depression, but all four basic food groups–meat, dairy, grains, and fruits and veggies–contain picks that are naturally high in the amino acid. Some of the best healthy sources include bananas, avocados, and almonds.
Oysters
Oysters are an excellent source of zinc, an essential mineral for proper immune system function. And when it comes to animal sources of feel-good nutrients, these bivalves got the top score in the Antidepressant Food rankings. Clams, mussels, and other seafood–as well as organ meat from poultry and mammals–also ranked highly.
“There’s some research that links increased zinc intake to improved mood,” Armul says. What’s not clear is whether low zinc levels lead to depression or whether depression causes a zinc deficiency.
Other zinc sources include beef, lobster, dark-meat chicken, oatmeal, and almonds.
Salmon
Can’t go wrong with salmon–it’s good for your skin, your heart, and your brain! Watch the video to learn four ways to keep it interesting.
