In one of my first blog posts, the Healthy Trinity, I wrote about the importance of the mind-body connection. You can’t destroy your body and expect to feel good. If you do things like exercise, unplug, and meditate, it is sure to make you feel better. But, what about eating? Can what you eat actually improve your mental health?

Food Decisions Inform Our Self-Image

Before we examine whether specific foods are linked with better mental health, let’s first look at how you feel about yourself depending on what you eat. The simple fact is that if you are eating healthily you are more likely to feel good about yourself. This could be for a couple of reasons. First, you know that you are making decisions that are good for you. And we are always happier when we make good decisions. Second, you are eating in a way that is likely to make you look more stereotypically physically desirable (insert Barbie reference here). Yes, we can spend hours debating societal expectations about what an attractive body looks like, but the reality is that—right or wrong–we find certain body types more pleasing to the eye.

Emotional Eating

You have likely heard of emotional eating. We tend to seek comfort food when we are stressed and look for something to make us feel better right away. Unfortunately, those junk foods that you eat when you are feeling lousy are the same ones that will make you feel terrible about yourself later. You may enjoy that milkshake as you are sucking it down, but when you see it on your hips you aren’t going to like yourself very much. Therefore, it is easy to see how our food decisions can affect our mental health. Before food ever hits our stomachs, we have made a choice that impacts how we view ourselves. Next time, don’t impulsively grab that donut. Be more mindful about how and what you eat.

How Does Food Affect Our Mental Health?

On the face of it, it doesn’t seem to make sense. How can what we put in our stomach affect our psychological well-being? It all starts with the gut. I won’t bore you with the details (mostly because I don’t understand them myself) but the gut is home to trillions of living microbes that are affected by what you eat. Through a very technical and complicated process, the gut sends messages to the brain that regulate many brain functions, including sleep, pain, appetite, and emotion. This connection goes both ways, with the brain sending signals to the gut as well. Have you ever wondered why you get a stomachache when you are anxious? Now you know.

Which Foods Are Good for Mental Health?

Next, let’s look at how certain foods have a direct impact on our mental health:

The Mediterranean Diet

We hear a lot about how most Americans have an unhealthy diet. Too many bad carbs, sugar, and red meat. But would our mental health be better served by eating like they do in Greece or Spain, with more fish, complex carbs, and fruits and vegetables? In a word, yes. Research shows that the risk of depression is 25% to 35% lower in those who eat a Mediterranean diet versus those who eat a more Western diet. What is it about the Mediterranean diet that is good for us? Let’s take a closer look.

• Your mother always told you to eat your fruits and vegetables, right? She knew what she was talking about. Fruits and vegetables appear to promote higher levels of optimism and self-efficacy, as well as reduce psychological distress and the risk of depressive symptoms. In particular, a high intake of vegetables and legumes (that are rich in fiber, folate, potassium, and vitamin A) is related to reduced levels of psychological distress.

• Fruits are high in antioxidants and vitamins A, C, and E. These nutrients play an important role in combatting stress-induced psychiatric disorders like depression and anxiety.

• Nuts, fish, and seafood, all of which are high in Omega-3 acids, have been linked to decreased anxiety and improved mood.

• Increasing whole grain consumption decreases the likelihood of anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Sugar is Bad and Other Things You May Want to Know About Food

The following are some other dietary considerations linked to mental health:

• Diets high in refined sugar are linked with impaired brain function and depression.

• Alcohol, caffeine, and sugar are known to exacerbate anxiety symptoms.

• Eating protein at breakfast can help you feel fuller longer and help keep your blood sugar steady, a good way to avoid a roller coaster of emotions.

• Dairy has been linked to lower stress levels and a reduction in depressive symptoms.

You Are What You Eat

Numerous factors contribute to our mental health, including genetics, sleep, and social life. But what is becoming increasingly clear is that food may play a larger role than previously believed. Whereas certain foods may boost our mood, others can elevate our anxiety and increase depressive symptoms. Want to feel better? The first steps are clear: eat more fruits, vegetables, lean protein, and complex carbohydrates. Although it may not be a quick cure for what ails you, it is going to help you a lot more than a daily diet of Hamburgers and sugar cookies. Eat healthily, live happily.