Food for Mood: How What You Eat Shapes How You Feel

The science linking food and mood is more compelling than most people realize. We cover the gut-brain axis, the SMILES trial, fruit and vegetables, and what a poor diet actively does to mental health. Jacka FN, et al. (2017). A randomised controlled trial of dietary improvement for adults with major depression (the 'SMILES' trial). BMC Medicine, 15(1), 23. Opie RS, et al. (2015). Dietary recommendations for the prevention of depression. Nutritional Neuroscience, 20(3), 161–171. Mujcic R & Oswald AJ. (2016). Evolution of well-being and happiness after increases in consumption of fruit and vegetables. American Journal of Public Health, 106(8), 1504–1510. Lane MM, et al. (2022). Ultra-processed food consumption and mental health: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Network Open. Firth J, et al. (2020). Food and mood: how do diet and nutrition affect mental wellbeing? BMJ, 369, m2382. Lassale C, et al. (2019). Healthy dietary indices and risk of depressive outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Molecular Psychiatry, 24, 965–986. Hilimire MR, et al. (2015). Fermented foods, neuroticism, and social anxiety: an interaction model. Psychiatry Research, 228(2), 203–208. Sonnenburg JL & Bäckhed F. (2016). Diet-microbiota interactions as moderators of human metabolism. Nature, 535, 56–64. Grosso G, et al. (2014). Role of omega-3 fatty acids in the treatment of depressive disorders: a comprehensive meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. PLOS ONE, 9(5), e96905. Molendijk M, et al. (2018). Diet quality and depression risk: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies. Journal of Affective Disorders, 226, 346–354. Wastyk HC, et al. (2021). Gut-microbiota-targeted diets modulate human immune status. Cell, 184(16), 4137–4153.