Health Hotline Magazine | November 2023

Go for the Gold! (And purple, red, orange, and green) Another phrase we’ve all heard a thousand times: Eat the rainbow! It’s hard to stress just how important fruit and veggies are for mental health, so I’ll let the research speak for itself. Studies investigating fruit and vegetable intake and depression risk have consistently found that lower intakes are related to a higher risk of depression. Two recent studies reported that higher dietary intake of antioxidants was associated with lower prevalence of depressive symptoms, and a study published

earlier this year found that eating a diet rich in fruit and vegetables was associated with less stress across all age groups. The researchers wrote, “We found that people who have higher fruit and veggie intakes are less stressed than those with lower intakes, which suggests diet plays a key role in mental wellbeing.”

Chronic inflammation and oxidative stress are both drivers of de pression and other mood disorders, and fruit and vegetables are chock-full of antioxidants that reduce oxidative damage and inflammation. Fresh produce is also a wonderful source of fiber and prebiotics, which help maintain a healthy pop

ulation of beneficial bacteria in the gut, and we know that gut health is directly related to mental health. For example, about 95 percent of our serotonin (a feel-good neurotransmitter) is produced in our guts and is strongly influenced by the types of bacteria there. Having a healthy gut makes you more resilient to mood disorders.

W Our brains are 60 percent fat, and they need fat to thrive. Indeed, research shows that low-fat diets significantly increase the risk of depression, irritability, and anger. For exam ple, one long-term study that included more than 12,000 people assessed over a 10-year period found that women on a low-fat diet were 37 percent more likely to be depressed after one year than women who did not eat a low-fat diet. Another study included 20 people (10 men and 10 women between 20 and 37 years old) who ate a high-fat diet for one month and had their moods measured by researchers. Half the participants were then switched to a low-fat diet while the other half continued to eat a high-fat diet. After another month, the researchers There is also a simple joy to be found in eating fresh fruits and vegetables (organic, of course!). A recent Australian study found that people who previously ate almost no fresh produce who began to eat fruit and vegetables daily reported an increase in life satisfac tion and happiness equivalent to what an unemployed person feels after finding work. Another study from Germany found similar results, reporting that eating vegetables led to a higher level of happiness over time compared to junk foods. Among 14 different food categories, eating vegetables “contributed to the largest share of eating happiness.” Fat Is Where It’s At

measured mood again and found that the people on the low-fat diet had become significantly more angry, hostile, and depressed while those who remained on the high-fat diet were less hostile, tense, and anxious (it is interesting to note that there were also no significant changes found in total or LDL cholesterol levels in the high-fat group).

Our brains need fat, but they need the right kinds of fats. The omega-3 fats EPA and DHA found in cold-water fatty fish like salmon, sardines, and tuna, and 100% grass fed beef and bison are particularly important for mental health and are backed by a large body of research showing their benefits in depression and other mood disorders. Saturated and monoun saturated fats are other types of healthy fats; look for them in coconut oil, dairy and butter from grass-fed animals, pasture-raised eggs, nuts and seeds, avocados, and olive oil . Say Good Riddance to Processed Food and Sugar Our bodies are intricate machines, with lots of working parts, so it makes sense that the better the fuel, the better the performance. Think of highly processed foods and sugar like dirty burning fuel—it clogs up and slows down the machinery. For example, research has shown that people who eat trans fats, even in small

30 | Health Hotline ®