Food and mood: how do diet and nutrition affect mental wellbeing?

This article provides the reader with an extensive analysis of the connection between poor nutrition and low mood, and offers insightful cues in regards to the impact of healthier diets on mental health. The Mediterranean diet, with its high consumption of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and legumes; moderate consumption of poultry, eggs, and dairy products; and only occasional consumption of red meat—is associated with a reduced risk of depression. Moreover, the relationship between food and mood can be altered by the effect that specific foods have on blood sugar levels, immune activation, and the gut microbiome. Inflammatory markers are elevated in people that follow diets which are high in calories and saturated fats and this seems to appear as one of the mechanisms through which the Western diet can dramatically impact brain health.