Longevity; Food as Medicine Gathering
August 5th, 2022
In the midst of increased levels of stress, depression and anxiety this past year, many people turned to comfort food like ice cream, pastries, bread, pizza or hamburgers to alleviate their feelings. Recent research in this area suggests that even in times of stress or depression, the sugary and fat-filled foods that we often crave when we are stressed or depressed are unlikely to benefit our mental health. In order to reap the benefits of whole foods, we should consume more vegetables, fruits, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds, beans and legumes, as well as fermented foods such as yogurt.
Nutritional psychiatry, which studies diet's relationship with mental wellbeing, is an emerging field of research. Choosing certain foods to enhance brain health might seem common sense, just as eating certain vegetables can enhance heart health. Research on nutrition has historically focused primarily on how the foods you consume affect your physical health, rather than how they affect your mental health. Researchers recently argued that the impact of food on happiness and mental well-being has been virtually ignored for a long time.
In the past few decades, however, a growing body of research has revealed intriguing hints as to how foods can affect our moods and therefore our health. There is a definite correlation between a healthy diet and a healthy gut, both of which are essential for brain function. Creating neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine through the gut bacteria also affects our mood as well as emotional health, and in turn has been linked to emotional and behavioral outcomes associated with the gut microbiome.
Likewise, large-scale studies of the general population have concluded that eating foods high in vitamins and minerals leads to a less depressive state as well as greater levels of happiness and mental well-being. An earlier study of 12,400 people published in 2016, found that those who increased their consumption of fruits and vegetables for a period of about seven years were substantially happier and rated themselves higher on questionnaires that measured their general level of happiness and life satisfaction.
