If yes, can you share your diet?
I had anorexia, and eating more in general helped immensely with my mood. I became less depressed, less anxious, less impulsive (probably due to improved anxiety) and irrational. I had better focus in school, etc.
Food is good.
Here are some foods that help me when I can’t figure out what to eat:
Remembering exactly what benefits your food gives you helps you make it feel like an RPG, and less daunting. For example, did you know eating onions causes your skin to secrete a chemical found in the onion that repels insects? Or that Vitamin b6 and b12 help you think clearly, which is why those vitamins are added to monster energy drinks?
Yes, I have been eating better, and I feel more energetic and feel like it’s helped improve my pmdd, along with regular light exercise. My eating goal has been more vegetables and a large variety of them! Also fermented foods, fruit, good hydration, less processed junk, and less overeating.
Fiber is critical for a healthy gut: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7146107/
And healthy gut is good for healthy mind: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7510518/
Fermented foods are also great for diverse gut biome: https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2021/07/fermented-food-diet-increases-microbiome-diversity-lowers-inflammation
Once I started cooking my own meals, my life changed dramatically. Meat (boneless skinless chicken thighs, various steaks, fish, ground turkey), vegetables (usually frozen broccoli, mixed veggies, peppers+onions, fresh brussels, sweet potatoes, salads), occasional rice, occasional whole grain breads. I still go out to eat with friends but majority of the time I am eating food I cook. Pair this with regular exercise and you have the golden ticket.
Yes, but it’s not really fair. I found out three years ago I had celiac (once it “activated” and I got crazy sick) and cut all gluten out of my diet. As a side bonus to getting crazy healthy from doing so, my depression also got better. Still kinda rough in the winter but so much better the rest of the year, at least so far. Turns out depression can be linked to it so it makes sense. Not saying this would work for a regular person but I’ve heard most people benefit somewhat from cutting out gluten. I’d say worth a shot? It’s not easy though - turns out gluten is in a ridiculous amount of stuff. Totally your call!
Stick to the universal truths. Reduce highly processed foods. Reduce added sugar in your diet. Reduce alcohol. Eat whole foods from high quality sources (whether plant or animal).
Tweak around the edges to find where your body differs from others. Just because a food is known as being healthy doesn’t mean it will always work with your body. I don’t think there is a one-size-fits-all diet so allow yourself some room to experiment. And I know the OP is asking about food but don’t neglect sleep and exercise to compliment your work on food.
I did build a web app to help with this. Happy to share if of interest via DM.
Yes. The best I felt in my life I was following a low carb (ketogenic), dairy free, caffeine free, and artificial sweetener free diet. I felt normal for the first time in my life when I started to do so.
honestly, less alcohol. That will single handedly improve mental health, specifically lowering anxiety , and improve my sleep, even hanging a few beers at night time/dinner will throw your sleep cycle off.
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After that, increase probiotic, and prebiotic fiber intake. Studies show that this combination results also in decreased anxiety, improved focus, among other really good benefits.
100%. Better than any other method. It’s probably very personal to everyone but when I’m eating fast food and bread and chips at home I get bad depression and recently started to get paranoid and highly anxious. If I stick to basically just meat with just bits of cheese or nuts after a week I’m a whole new person. I get a pep in my step , happier and more active. I don’t think carbs are bad but most of them make me sweep up and tank my mood. So cutting out all processed foods, grains, sugar, and the important on I’ve just realized seed/ vegetable oils. So no mayo. Honestly can eat some fruit and be fine but that’s it.
I’m trying this right now to combat fatigue and anxiety. Was recommended by a friend to start researching and taking adaptogens - herbs and roots used to reduce stress and boost mood.
Has only been two weeks but the Maca root or the turmeric has definitely given me a boost of energy and shift mood.
Yes. Not just what I eat improves my mood, but my mindset in how I approach food has helped my mood immensely.
The nutrients support the energy, concentration, and bodily functions throughout the day, but eating mindfully or using intuitive eating practices really help with those fears around choosing food, emotional eating, and not labeling foods as good or bad.
There are 3-6+ times a day you need to choose what you are putting in your body which is a major task given the autonomy of today’s grocery stores. Learning to work with that and my behaviors around food choices significantly helped my major anxiety and depression I had in addition to now fueling my body properly.
My mental health gets the biggest improvement just from making sure I get enough water. My daily target is at least 2 liters of liquid. Ideally pure water or fruit infused water such as hint. God I’m addicted to that stuff.
Also less sugar is better, and seriously, eat your vegetables. They should be the bulk of the volume of all the food you eat. I love a plate of raw or cooked veggies with a small amount of a starch, and a small amount of meat. Asian dishes do this pretty well if you can limit the rice.
I recently started eating the diet that is given to diabetics. So the food is low to medium glycemic index foods. I also made sure to eat these types of foods regularly, without skipping meals. I suspect that I have some sort of insulin or glucose problem. I am always normal on my glucose tests, so it’s possible I am very sensitive to my glucose level changes. But I read an article on Psychology Today that discussed that some people may be confusing low glucose for anxiety. As someone with an anxiety disorder, suspicious glucose problems, and strong family history of adult onset diabetes, I was curious.
It’s been three weeks and already it’s a dramatic change for me. No more jittery feelings. I don’t feel insatiable at times. I don’t feel weak during the day. And just as importantly, I do feel my anxiety is not as bad. It’s not gone away, but I think blood sugar issues were adding to it. I feel like I can control my anxiety a bit better. Plus it’s already looking like I am losing weight.
Yes. Diagnosed with adhd but not taking any pills. Able to have a job at top management level currently (so sort of objectively able to concentrate).
For me it’s a combination of food : no more candy and soda. And a diet rich in protein, ‘healthy’ fats from fish, avocado, olive oil, lots of veggies and done fruit. I moderate my carbs and eat lots of wholemeal type if I do.
Besides that I do a lot of sports. It helps me get the energy out and get the mind to process.
Lastly I need the sleep. If u eat well and work and moreover train hard I am tired and sleep well.
I do this for about 8 years now and made considerable steps. Physically as well as mentally. I am now able to channel my energy and creativity into value in my job and better health through sports.
In the mean time I got promoted twice and the teams/departments I lead do well. I learned to use the adhd as a gift. My thinking is unique so it’s more easy for me to get to unconventional solutions. This is quite valuable if you are able to also deliver.
I still procrastinate and slack sometimes, but I have become so productive at the rest of the time I am able to perform well.
And oh yeah, little alcohol, avoid chemical colourants and in general eat little processed foods. I am not zealous, so sometimes I do have a beer or a burger. But I also often say no.
Yes. Stay away from all fast food and sodas.
In the grocery store, stay on the outside perimeter of the isles since everything in an isle is processed.
Smoothies in the morning. Load it with spinach or broccoli and carrots. Greek yogurt, avacado, ground flax seed and nut butter. Throw in some water or coconut water then add in frozen fruits. This is my go to especially after a nice run or workout.
Chicken/green beans-carrots. This my go to supper.
Adding in some rice/quinoa is a good option as well.
But again, stay away from sugar as much as you would stay away from a blue waffle. Sugar is bad bad bad.
Embracing that sugar is a legit drug that I will abuse if I have it in my house. After losing over 100 pounds during the pandemic, I fooled myself into thinking I could just eat normally once I got to my goal weight. Unfortunately, and even though I haven’t gained any weight back over the last few months, it’s become obvious that I have a problem when it comes to binging sugar. Combine stress from work with the Holidays (Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas), I’ve realized I must stay low carb in non-special occasion situations to maintain the nutritional goals i’ve achieved.
Low carb has a much greater effect on my body than CICO. Knowledge is power.
When I eat low sugar, low-ish carb (<100), high fat, high vegetable, high CHEESE, I am much happier and able to roll with the punches, so to speak. Supplementing magnesium and probiotics have helped too.
Edit to add: I’m extremely lactose tolerant and bean intolerant. That’s just the way I am and it’s not for everybody.
I had chronic inflammation in my 20s. I cleaned up my diet, cut out processed sugars, red meat, junk & all processed food. Year later my inflammation subsided. Side affect: my mood was better, i felt better, slept better, more energy. This and working out regularly, 20 yrs later I love the way I feel and look. I’m so use to eating healthy any junk food or restaurant food gives me a hangover (energy & mood slump) the next day. I’m addicted to healthy eating now. Try it!
Its not a cure but plant based diet and exercise made my anxiety much more manageable.
I ate tofu bowls with rice and brussel sprouts with hummus, chickpeas and rice, chickpea salad with seeds and ur fave dressing, kale and polenta scramble, oats, fruit smoothies with spinach or kale added.
In some ways, but not in others.
I have a history of anorexia, so in that way food didn’t help me, but it’s a bit complicated. It’s not the food’s fault I had bad mental health, but it felt like it.
I’m recovered now, but I still eat very healthy compared to the norm, at least where I live. Almost no meat, and I haven’t had a drink in 1.5 months. Eggs, rice, beans, oats, lots of veggies every day. I think my mental health is pretty good now, and eating crappy food would probably not help anything.
In my personal experience, it was a factor in a culmination of things. The most important part is supporting yourself. I have awesome friends and a decent job to help with that. Once all that’s taken care of, then I worry about diet.
I’ve learned in the past few years that there’s a physical diet (food) and mental diet (environment). Food can’t resolve mental obstacles every time. Like I mentioned earlier, it’s only a factor of many others. Take some time to separate the two diets.
I hope you have an amazing support group and strive to be your best self with confidence!
Your gut is your second brain. Not a lot of people understand the importance of your gut health. If your gut barrier is compromised, it weakens your immune system and invites things like mold, parasites and unhealthy bacteria into your gut. This causes a lot of issues, anywhere from mental health, skin problems and stomach pain. Something that would benefit a lot of people is working on healing their detox systems. We put our bodies through so much these days. They are overloaded and can’t detox properly. The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat. All full of toxins. On top of that all the alcohol and drugs people use. The body doesn’t have time to naturally detox things properly. If you have a healthy diet and limit your exposure to sugar, gluten and processed foods you are doing your body a huge service. They say the key to health is 60% diet and 40% exercise.
I’m still working on it, but cutting out all alcohol has been a huge contributor. It’s crazy what even just a drink or two a week can do to your sleep and state of mind. Making sure you’re on top of your water intake will also help a lot.
When it comes to food, as cliche as it sounds, just reducing the amount of sugar I eat has also helped improve my mood. Junk food may feel good in the moment, but boy does it bring down your mental performance (let alone your physical well being). It really is less about what you add to your diet, and more about what you cut out.
Yes, I had chronic fatigue syndrome, and often felt depressed anxious while on a low fat plant based diet (even with many supplements).
Experimenting with keto and reincorporating meat was a game-changer. My body feels much more vibrant and full of vitality eating meat.
I dont eat grains or sugar, meat and vegetables feel really good in my body. My mind feels clear and steady.
Yes. Vegan diet, but it’s not that simple. There are many ways to be vegan. You have to follow a whole foods plant based diet. Which means eliminating “fractured” (my word, there’s probably a better one) foods such as white flour or cooking oils. Keeping those greens up (one salad meal or green smoothie per day, kind of along the lines of what Dr. Fuhrman suggests), and very little processed foods like those faux meats and cheeses. And to be careful not to overdo the protein, it just accelerates aging.
It took some time, probably at least a year, but I have this feeling of well being that is wonderful. Even though I am now living with a terminal illness, I don’t feel unhappy or depressed. It’s hard to explain. But I felt this good and I knew I felt this good long before I was diagnosed (the second time).
So if I live this healthfully, how come I am sick? Well, I can’t say for sure, but my original diagnosis was in 2002, and the doctors felt that back then, my prognosis was very grim. Much to everyone’s surprise, I seemed to get better and thrive once I changed my diet. And that lasted 19 years. Now it’s back. So I hope I really slowed it down, but who can say?
I think it would be impossible to really follow this lifestyle and ever become depressed. And it seems to be working about the same for the family members who also do this.
So this isn’t the choice for everyone, but if you decide to try it, do it right. Start with the movie Forks Over Knives (YouTube) and check into any of the doctors featured there. Pick the one you like best, they’re all fantastic. Go borrow any of the Forks Over Knives cookbooks from the library and see which foods you like best. If your interested in learning how to make a proper satisfying salad meal, check out Garbanzo Girl on YouTube. She has gone inactive, but her videos are fantastic.
And be prepared. People tend to not like vegans very much, you may get some negative feedback from the people in your life.
Good luck!
Choosing whole foods as often as possible is a great way to simplify eating/ shopping and promote better digestion.
Looking into how Ayurveda applies to me as an individual helps a lot. Digestion and assimilation of nutrients is crucial to feeling well and thinking clearly.
Learning to choose foods with opposite qualities than what im experiencing really does help to bring me into balance. As an example, choosing warm foods when the weather is cold. Choosing foods with high water content in dry or hot weather. Choosing foods that are naturally sweet, sour or salty in order to put on weight. Conversely, choosing foods that are naturally bitter, pungent or astringent when wanting to shed weight.
Ayurveda celebrates the personal relationship with food. Your body is great at indicating which foods bring you closer to balance and which foods to avoid. Also making a habit of eating in a peaceful environment without distractions is very nourishing in itself.
Cut out drugs. Paleo-type diet, but allow oats, legumes, high fiber wraps.
Eat a lot of animal proteins, preferably rich with Omega-3’s or B-vitamins
Leafy greens. Collards, kale, romaine.
Turmeric & curcumin.
assorted berries.
This is what helped me or close friends.
Yes, whenever I need a quick pick me up I eat a can or sardines, works everytime
I’ve also noticed mood improvements from eating more vegetables, less mood swings abstaining from alcohol and less anxiety with no coffee, but just listen to your body
Yes. Keto / low carb, 5+ eggs + red meat every day.
Depression + anxiety + agoraphobia + panic attacks, all significantly improved (I consider them eliminated as long as I don’t binge on carbs for multiple days in a row)
I was vegan for a year and it turned into anorexia. I demonized foods and pretty much ate 0 grams of fat for a good 6 months. Now that I’m healthy again, My biggest advice I can give you is moderation. Just don’t eat garbage all the time and try your best to eat non processed foods most of the time. If most people did that we’d be in great shape as a society
Being in ketosis has a remarkable impact on my depression symptoms. More impactful than any of the drugs I’ve taken over ~20 years.
The quality of the food I was eating to get there didn’t seem to be a particularly impactful variable honestly, just ketosis and the absence of the sluggishness you get from blood pressure fluctuations were most of it.
Obviously ketosis isn’t magic so I suspect what I was cutting out of my usual diet to get into ketosis was also a significant factor.
Yes, I did! Food is the thing that helped me recover from my depression - I was extremely depressed and was even suicidal at one point. My diet back then: I eat whatever I wanted to (I exhausted all my savings 🥲)
Some food actually cause anxiety. So yes, once you start figuring it out, you can improve your mental health. I have been diagnosed with multiple mental health disorders and food has been 1# in controlling my moods.
Yes, absolutely. After a few days of consuming no added sugars and eating only super clean and all organic (lean meats, healthy fats, a plethora of fruits and veggies, eggs, quinoa, etc.) I feel so much more alert, relaxed, more social, and happier. It feels as if a blanket of fog and anxiety has been lifted off of my brain and my body feels so much less inflammation as well!
Yes. Eating whole foods including low glycemic foods and eliminating alcohol has been best for my mental health and weight maintenance.
For guidance, Google Phase 2 South Beach Diet. It’ll give you concrete examples.
yes! i realized that gluten was giving me insane joint pain, and brain fog. cutting it out drastically changed my whole life, but especially how hopeless i had been feeling.
cutting out refined sugar (along with caffeine), has made my anxiety drastically more manageable. which means i deal with depression less, because i find my anxiety feeds my depression.
figuring out these food things helped me get clear headed enough to be medicated for, and see the benefit of, SSRIs and ADHD meds.
honestly, i think i’d be dead if i still ate gluten.
This obviously doesn’t apply to everyone, but when I stopped eating gluten my panic attacks went from maybe 6 times a week to once a month. It made a huge difference in general inflammation in my body. So definitely something to consider if you struggle with panic attacks! But again, everyone is different so it may or may not work for you. But having panic attacks is not fun, so it’s an easy thing to try to see if it helps you.
I significantly lowered my caffeine intake from 2-5 cups of coffee to one (albeit very large) cup first thing in the morning, and a green tea around 2pm. My sleep quality has improved wildly (and I dream much more vividly).
Meal prepping has reduced ‘hangry’ periods and minimized grazing (and the guilt that comes with it) because I can quickly throw together a healthy meal to satiate my hunger.
I allow myself 1 piece of chocolate/candy/etc per day (small- as in 1 Reese’s peanut butter cup), but also don’t beat myself up if I happen to have two.
I started to buy more organic, and don’t really buy anything frozen, and honestly my body feels overall better for it.
I drink more water. I had a hard time with this before, but really enjoy carbonated stuff (ie bubly or La croix) and having these feels like a little treat. I also slam a tall glass of water pretty soon after waking up.
My HS offered terrible food, often just a hamburger (patty that’s mostly binder, and greenish!! With a bun) or a portly prepared meat with two sides, usually corn and beans, in small portions comparatively. Senior year I brought food I prepared myself and and found myself having more energy, for every application. I had issues with depression all through HS but it seemed having reasonably fresh, nutritious food pulled me out of my first 6months+ bout with major depression.
cutting processed stuff, sugar, gluten, dairy
adding more fruits and vegetables (especially green leafy and blue/purple ones), healthy fats (nuts seeds olive oil avocado), then some nutrients/foods like omega3 and cocoa are beneficial, especially the omega (take supplement, still had benefits after adding that to chia seeds and the like, maybe i was still on the low end, maybe its because most plant based foods only give you ala, except algae which are expensive as supp).
essentially went from western-type vegetarian to whole food plant based. making sure to get all vitamins etc. especially b ones (folate, i have mthfr), zinc, magnesium, iron, choline, vit d…
this has helped. im not sure what exactly to what amounts. i suspect that i might still have some food intolerances or need to work on my gut health. i have gut issues since childhood basically and the diet alone has not fixed it, i hope adding probiotics/fermented foods will do the trick
Gaps-protocol, literally helped my nephew’s adhd symptoms (not diagnosed by a doctor tho), it’s initially used to treat autistic childrenPlus search Ray Peat’s lectures about serotonin, tryptophan, glycine etc
Yes. Very much so yes. For lunch and dinner, cook up some frozen veggies. Takes 3-5min to boil water, and during that time you could be cutting up (preferably organic) carrots (imo a $5 bag of organic whole carrots are better value than frozen $1/$3 bags and they last for a good couple weeks) and getting your portion rationed out from bags of frozen veggies, my favorites being peas and corn because they add sweetness to the broccoli and green beans I’ll throw in with. Then I abuse the hell out of garlic and onion powder, yknow, for health benefits:)
Now for breakfast if that didnt turn u off, it’s been ritual now for me to boil water for tea in one pot while making oatmeal in another. Used to have eggs every morning but I feel better about not eating as much animal product that I used to. Although eggs have recently (besides yes ice cream…) been my “dessert” especially after runs/workouts.
If ur still with me, I buy a ~$10 tub of organic chia seeds and about an equally cheap bag of organic flaxseed and throw a tbsp or two of each into an empty bowl, along with a tbsp of organic cacao (unprocessed shit), a 1/2tsp of cinnamon (yep u guessed it still organic) and sprinkled with some organic nutmeg for extra zest. Then to flavor this disgusting looking concoction (yes it looks bad), I throw in some raisins to flavor and half a banana sliced up. 1/2-1 scoop of Levels protein powder (Strawberry) for more flavor and to help da gainz. Hella cals but keeps my snacking cravings at bay til lunch. If I choose to cave in, well I have a bunch of oranges and pears to quickly snack from.
I wasn’t always this healthy… used to eat bowls of unnatural cereal with inorganic milk every day with mo fruits or veggies let alone all the other processed shit I threw into my body, like jet fuel laced PB crackers and aldi cheezits that may have been smack.. Then came long distance running (more like jogging), rock climbing (followed with strength training), and then came my sense of care for myself back.
TL;DR: veggies for lunch and dinner, tea and oatmeal for breakfast amassed by a bunch of healthy shit
Biggest thing for me as someone who already followed an alright diet was taking 1200 IU vitamin D along with an omega 3 supplement. Huge improvement in my mental health that I don’t think can be put entirely down to other factors.
It’s worth noting I’m a vegetarian bordering on semi vegan so I was probably low on those.
Absolutely. As silly as this Medical Medium dude sounded when I started learning more about him… his book, “Cleanse to Heal” has specific supplements to take in order to get past anxiety or depression. He is huge on drinking celery juice everyday, I don’t know how much that helped, but what I do know helped is taking Inositol, a good vitamin b complex (def make sure to have active forms of Folate and b-12), magnesium glycine, and about 6 other supplements he has listed. In about a month of taking that stuff, juicing celery, and doing his liver detox smoothie… I went from a 39 year life of depression and anxiety to loving life and having more energy than I did at 20. I also highly recommend finding a GOOD acupuncturist.
Yes. With the Medical Medium diet. Not any overnight miracles but my anxiety went from severely debilitating to now I can talk with people and go to a doc appointment without having a panic attack, in 1 year.Got rid of brain fog also, my mood has improved although I do have a severe depression type of case but I am hopeful..kinda. My mental health results were really obvious after about 6 months into the diet he recommends, after 1 year it was day and night difference for me. :)
Also, whenever I say this to people they often attack me because he’s a “medium”. I really don’t want nor do I have to defend myself. It changed my life. I will just leave bread crumbs for whoever may ask about it. I for one didn’t have many other options ( my health was horrible physically too with many many neurological and nervous system issues and a couple of autoimmune issues) since many things I had tried did not work to help me so I was desperate. I will never go back to eating as I used to, no matter what anyone else says.
I think it saved my life because I was severely debilitated and quite tired with life being such a struggle. Again, no overnight miracles, lots and lots of hardwork on this diet. But I’m in for life. All the best.
Edit to add that I was ALREADY eating a whole foods diet before switching my diet to what he recommends. I was not and still am not drinking alcohol, no junk foods or processed foods and no soft drinks for years. I mention this because many have told me ( who don’t know me ) that it’s because I was “eating healthier” that’s why all improved. That is simply not true for me, because I was eating what is standardly considered a healthy diet already and I was still horribly ill and mentally debilitated. I truly wish everyone who reads this comment the best of health. I do not want to delve into this as I’ve been horribly bashed many times just for mentioning it when I’m just trying to help. So please seek for yourself, try it yourself and then you’ll know the truth. Info is all for free on his website even. Best regards.
Yes, immensely. Eating a whole foods vegan diet is one of my greatest weapons in staving off depression. It’s not a cure-all, but a useful tool in the toolbox. I went vegan for the animals and gradually shifted away from junk foods towards more whole foods. This was a pretty natural progression as I started paying attention to how certain foods made me feel. Total gamechanger.
Eating healthy and making sure I’m getting sufficient nutrients has definitely helped me a lot, but it’s not going to fix your mental health by itself. It’s definitely a great start though :)
Anyways I’ve just been eating plant based and I feel a lot better physically and mentally.
Yes! Eating primarily plant based meals and avoiding overly processed food has been very beneficial to my mental health and there has definitely been an improvement from when I first changed my lifestyle, and I also exercise daily as well which I feel definitely helps!
If you can get most of your daily calories from the foods on this list, and get some kind of exercise every day, your health, digestion, and mood will probably improve over time. Cutting out sugar and alcohol are very helpful as well.
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Getting regular probiotics from foods like kombucha, yogurt, or taking a probiotic supplement will probably help your gut ecosystem, and that will probably improve your mood.
Also, taking extra fibre (like plain psylium husk with a glass of water) every day will make your digestive cycles easier and more predictable, and that will probably help you feel better over time.
Special things when you have extra money:
For saving money: the green vegetables and berries are often, but not always, cheaper to buy frozen. Cans of tomato paste are very cheap. Yellow split peas are a good source of protein and usually very cheap (cook them with water and salt, and fry some onion and garlic in coconut or olive oil, add tomato paste, and mix that into the cooked peas - it’s very delicious and filling)
If you can find them or save for them, an Instant Pot and a Vitamix can be the only cooking gadgets you need, aside from a knife, and using them will probably save a lot of money over time on cooking fuel/gas/electricity as well as make it easier to get lots of good nutrition from the vegetables and seeds.
I hope this is helpful to someone
Yes my husband has many mental issues and he has worked for many years to overcome them with diet. And he has. He is now on a totally vegan diet. Plus as he eats he pays attention to his feelings and mental and if it deviates any that goes on our no eat list. He has a very confined diet but it works and has made our lives so much better. I am so proud of him. I am a therapist so I know his mental issues real well. And can tell about five minutes after he eats something if it effected him or not. We totally believe diet can cure many many mental health issues and with me physical issues. In fact I am writing a book and going to add a chapter about food and health issues mental and physical. I pretty much eat his diet I am also totally vegan for three years. It has really helped all my physical issues. I don’t have them anymore off most medications and going to get off all of them only three left. I don’t need them now.
But he swears by vegan plant based diet and then you have to tweet it for your personal needs. But we don’t believe anything helps neither mental or physical issues unless you start with a plant based diet. Hope this helps.
Maybe it didn’t improve mental health directly, but changing my diet made me feel physically good which influenced my mental health. I don’t think what I was specifically eating really mattered. Just a lot of stir fries for dinner and oat meal with frozen berries for lunch.
I reduced alcohol (makes me sleep poorly, anxious, bloated) and also reduced sugary processed foods (fewer cravings, feel less dependent on needing something sweet to carry on with my day).
Those are things that have the most direct impact on my mental health, but generally, eating a protein-rich, vegetable-forward, minimally processed diet is also great for my body in a way that I’m sure my mind isn’t aware of.
I’ve found that eating foods heavy in vitamin C, B, and D and iron helps with SAD, but it may just be the energy boost from increasing the healthy foods in my day to day diet. It also reduces my dependence on drive throughs and grab and go, and I really enjoy cooking, so that may be part of it.
No processed food. Our food don’t need to be overly complicated either. Simple is healthy. No soda or sugary drinks. No fried foods, but I will try an air frier one day. I don’t eat sweets much anymore but miss them sometimes. Vitamin D is important also.
I had a bout of depression a few years back and really sorted my diet out. Cut out all junk food and went back to cooking from scratch. It cleared the fog in my head enough to start thinking about and sorting the issues that were making me depressed in the first place.
For me, it is a typical fitness/bodybuilding clean eating diet consisting of oatmeal, eggs, chicken, fish, meat, potatoes, rice (grains in general), vegetables, some fruit and such. You can find a bunch of people with similar diet choices on youtube. I follow it because I found out it works best for my mental health as my body feels well even if I am not so it makes it easier to keep being active and go through the depressed phase (if we can call it that).
Eating frozen pizzas and high-carb high-GI foods shuts my body down when I am depressed and immediately feel sleepy. If you combine it with your mental state where you don’t want to move and see no reason to, the aforementioned will just make you sleepy. It will also make you fat and affect your health.
D e f i n i t e l y. It’s been a life changing.If I’d known this from the beginnig, man, so many things would be different right now. But I guess it’s part of the process. Not regreting it at all just grateful.
As someone who’s struggled massively with anxiety my entire life, eating a delicious and calorie packed meal has never failed to turn my mood around. My go-tos are healthy smoothies and crockpot meals like Turkey Chili. Food is almost always linked to my mental health
Yes! Right now I am shredding so I am eating at a calorie deficite.
These days I mostly eat, for protein and fats: tuna, chicken breasts (not as often), cottage cheese, eggs, tofu, mozzarella, deli slices, protein powder..
Carbs and fiber: vegetables and fruits (mushrooms, broccoli, green peas, green peppers, bananas, apples, plums, clementines.. I have bread if I feel like it and I have felt like it the past couple of days hahhaha, oats)
And “fun” food such as dark chocolate, protein bars…
Yes.
-Eat whole and unprocessed foods the majority of the time.
-veggies should be the biggest part of your meals, try to make your snacks veggie/fruit/protein based
-listen to your tummy/body (find what foods make you full/happy/are nutritionally rounded)
-cut out as much added sugar as possible (added sugar is is added to things like fast food, candy, etc)
-cut out alcohol as much as possible
-drink WAY more water
Experiment with your diet, but start by adding more water and veggies and cutting/lowering fast food/added sugar (in your candy, drinks, snacks, etc), and alcohol.
Listen to your body, mind, and bowel movements. Adjust and experiment with your diet until you find something that helps you feel good.
Vegetable and fruits, and lean meats like chicken or salmon actually improve my mood and don’t make me feel so weighed down like processed carbs do so I actually avoid that feeling and it helps my mood immensely
No alcohol, low carb, some cheese and no one really mentioned this but I take my vitamins in the morning
Very important: focus on your gut! Kombucha or probiotics/prebiotics are just as important as heart and the brain!
Yes! Our bodies are controlled by our gut biome. You think you control stuff, but you don’t. Billions and billions of organisms in our biome control mood, cravings, emotions, immunity, sleep, anxiety, everything!
One can argue about which kind of food or carbs are better or worse, but I think there is enough scientific evidence, that high consumption of sugar is bad for everyone. es, and that makes me overall happier when I feel comfortable in my own skin.
Once can argue about which kind of food or carbs are better or worse, but I think there is enough scientific evidence, that high consumption of sugar is bad for everyone.
I’ve been told that this is a disorder but I don’t think because I eat light home made deserts. One chicken chicken breast with some seasoning then baked (takes really good) And riseWith water and some baby carrots soon I’ll add tomatoes to my diet. This meal twice a day for weight loss has been working out great for me. This kind of meal is rather to make yourself build more endurance and discipline towards unhealthy food with a ton of calories. That McDonald’s poutine would sound great rn tbh but no
I have some pretty major mental health conditions, and I can say that, for me personally, it does play a role albeit a small one. Diet alone would be useless, but alongside medication, therapy, sleep hygiene, exercise and purposefully maintaining balance, it has a valuable place in the ‘ must do to maintain health’ if so what shit, I feel shit - if I fell shit from eating shit it’s harder to do the other things and it has a knock on affect. This is just my personal experience though. Long story short - yes, but only in collaboration with all the other things nessasary to maintain my mental health.
I’m not convinced that changes in exercise, diet, adding mediation and good sleep hygiene can actually significantly decrease real clinical depression. Can they help a little? Maybe. The only thing that really helps is medication. But that’s just my experience.