How does food affect your mood?

How are food and mental health linked?

The relationship between our diet and our mental health is complex. What we eat and drink affects how we feel, think and behave.

There is no specific diet to treat depression but eating more of some foods and less or none of others can help manage your symptoms by improving your mood, giving you more energy and helping you to think more clearly.

For example, studies have found that healthy eating patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet (lots of veggies, seafood and herbs), are associated with better mental health than “unhealthy” eating patterns, such as the Western diet (processed meat, pre-packaged foods, high fat and dairy products).