You are what you eat - foods that may improve your mental health
February 10, 2025
It should come as no surprise to hear the stats: 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a mental illness in any given year. For those over 60, approximately 14% are living with a mental disorder, and retirement doesn’t help in this respect; in fact, it can trigger stress, anxiety, and depression.
While there are many things we can do, at all ages, to better cope with these challenges, particularly by speaking to your doctor or a mental health professional, a recent study also demonstrated links between whole foods and reduced depression and anxiety. It turns out that microbes found in our gastrointestinal tract (let’s just say gut), can actually directly impact our mood, due to its connection to our brain; with 90-95% of our serotonin receptors found in the tummy!
When we feed our gut “the good stuff,” for example foods that are higher in dietary fibre, it sends signals to our immune cells to release their own signals that move through our blood and into our brain.
So now that you’ve got the basics in hand, let’s get to the practical stuff: what are some of the foods you can you add to your diet to aid you in improving your mental health?
Fruits and vegetables
Whole grains
Lean meats
Fish
Nuts and legumes
Low-fat dairy
Olive oil
On the flipside, studies indicate a poor diet, typically comprised of high fat, sugar, salt and processed foods, is associated with increased feelings of anxiety and depression. This is because these foods typically don't contain enough of the nutrients our brain needs to help raise serotonin levels.
Here are foods we should be more careful with consuming:
Processed foods
Refined grains
Processed meats, red meats
Sugar-sweetened beverages
Sweets
Once again, these dietary changes are no replacement for speaking with a medical professional; but if you’re of the mind that every little bit helps in the journey to improved mental health, enhancing your gut happiness can serve as another tool in your mental toolbox.