Mood boosting foods

2 mins to read

Does the way that you eat influence the way that you feel? Andrew Cate discovers which foods are more likely to make you happy, and which foods can bring you down.

Stress relief & sleep support

The connection between food and mood
The foods that you eat may have a significant impact on your mindset, mood and mental health. Diet can influence the neurochemical pathways in the body which may affect your mental state.

Research on Australian adults has shown healthier dietary patterns are linked with a reduced incidence of some mental health disorders and studies have shown that a healthy diet can play a role in the prevention of mood disorders.

The relationship between diet and mental health however is complicated, and could be described as bi-directional. This means dietary patterns affect mood and mood affects dietary patterns and eating behaviour.

Mood boosting foods
A comprehensive study published in Dissertations in Health Sciences examined the association between diet and mental health.

The researchers made some clear recommendations for a healthy overall diet to boost the mental wellbeing.

Consider the following tips next time you write out a shopping list.

Aim for at least 5 portions of vegetables, fruits and berries daily, which equates to about 400 grams.
As part of all daily meals, consume whole-grain products rich in fibre, such as multigrain bread, brown rice, wholemeal pasta and unprocessed breakfast cereals like rolled oats. This can help contribute to a recommended daily fibre intake of 25 to 35 grams.
Eat fish or seafood at least twice a week.
Choose lean meats instead of high fat products to reduce your saturated fat intake. Eat poultry without skin, and trim the fat off beef, lamb and pork.
Choose low fat varieties of milk and dairy products, such as skim milk, low fat cheese, and low fat natural yoghurt.
Include small servings of healthy oils every day.
Limit the consumption of sugar to no more than 10% of your daily energy intake
Limit the consumption of salt to no more seven grams a day (6 grams a day for women).
Follow a kilojoule controlled diet with moderate portions, because the successful reduction of body weight is associated with improved mental health status.

Foods that have a negative impact on your mood
People in a poor mental state often make unfavourable food choices and have poor eating habits, such as eating more than a third of their meals outside the home.

People with mood disorders are more likely to consume fewer servings of vegetables, fruits and grains, and less foods containing protein, such as meat, fish, eggs and beans and are more likely to consume more processed meats and sugary, fatty and salty foods. More specifically, this includes a higher consumption of sausages, sweet snacks, sweet soft drinks, baked potatoes, French fries, manufactured foods and take-away.

A low dietary intake of folate has also been associated with an elevated risk of some mental health disorders. Folate is found in vegetables, fruits, whole-grain products, and is also available in supplement form. Improving folate status could be beneficial in the prevention of mental health disorders.

It is important to note that these findings were based on an epidemiological study. This implies there is an association between these foods and mental health and mood disorders, but additional research is needed before they can be confirmed as a direct cause.

However, avoiding these negative mood foods, and following the dietary tips recommended above will boost your health, and certainly do no harm to your mental health.

References available on request