Conduct your own experiment.
Stop eating sugar - and white four -for 90 days.
You will feel like a new person.
You won't be so moody; your depression may even lift entirely.
You will have so much energy that you will feel like a kid again.
"Can What We Eat Affect How We Feel?"
Look at the epidemic of obesity to answer the question.
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
2
It is impossible to eat perfectly all the time. And I can attest, that my incorrect diet does NOT cause depression. Suggesting causes for depression is a good way to install false triggers and self-doubt. Most people do not have Depression. They have moods in which they feel down about themselves, their lives, which is due to circumstances and other factors. Not food. Except it might drive them to eat more ice cream or pastries. It's more helpful to know what supplements are of use. I recently discovered the benefits of carnitine. No one ever recommended it, but it was exactly what I needed. B-12 never helped me at all. I view all such articles with great skepticism.
I think recent generations have become food obsessed. Once upon a time people ate simple meals and it was the people around the table that mattered more than the food consumed.
Moderation and simplicity seemed to have ruled the day. Even the NYT is part of the "foodie" movement. My parents were involved with so many more interesting issues of their day so that food was secondary; seasonal, enjoyed, but not the center of their universe.
Pernicious anemia is an autoimmune disease that impairs the uptake of B12. Pernicious anemia occurs in the elderly and is often not diagnosed because anemia frequently shows no symptoms. B12 deficiency also causes neurological and psychiatric problems - including depression. Since pernicious anemia affects the uptake of B12, oral doses are not the best choice. Look for sublingual doses of B12 or get B12 injections.
Yes, eating right counts but it's absurd that this and most all other articles refuse to address one of the leading causes of depression, domestic abuse, and yes much gun violence: Alcohol. It's the elephant in the room... With too many lobbyists, advertisers and consumers preventing a greater awareness of it's negative impact on individuals, famlies and the county as well it continues to its damage .
4
The majority of neurotransmitters are located in the human gut.
We need a total revamping of our understanding of the human body and all of its interactions between food sources , air, soil, pollution, sound pollution, water, violence, chemicals, home environments, nature, work environments, and then trauma from the past to the now of now.
Let’s first start with I don’t know. A statement championed by Charles Kingsley in his book “ Water Babies” and listen , look, touch, feel and smell everything one can and listen to the plain folks and look tohistory of what was and was not hidden.
2
A dozen Beau Soleil or Wellfleet oysters on the half shell really help improve my mood.. especially when accompanied by a Grey Goose martini.
6
@Izzy Oysters are quite expensive and not available fresh in most non-coastal locations. What about something more accessible to the average eater?
2
@Amanda Hmmmm, good point. How about dark chocolate covered strawberries and a Grey Goose martini?
6
Observe the long line of cars with families waiting to get into McDonald’s or the other benighted fast food burger palaces around dinner time. It’s cheap, fast and little or no clean up.
That’s what we’re up against.
5
@Macbloom:
benighted
adjective
1 in a state of pitiful or contemptible intellectual or moral ignorance, typically owing to a lack of opportunity: they saw themselves as bringers of culture to poor benighted peoples.
---
You think the fast-food chains are ignorant? They know exactly what they are doing.
https://emcphd.wordpress.com
2
@Rev. E. M. Camarena, PhD
Good of you to remind us that fast food chains are out to make a profit.
Good to know the language police are out monitoring and correcting my misdemeanors.
Especially from such high eminence as a Reverend and PhD.
2
I was hoping to find some mention of the psychological effects of sugar. It took a while to put it together, but I finally realized that I get depressed after eating ice cream or cookies or cake. It seems there's a certain sugar in those types of desserts that affects my mental well-being.
4
I wanted to add my comments before I read the article. I started on Nutrisystem and lost 150 pounds. It is the only program that ever worked for me short or long term. My body took quite some time to adjust to their foods but I journaled, weighed and measured the added protein and bit of extra carbs you supplement with each day. I used their guides for eating out and eating better. I learned about Nutrition and portion sizes and combining and balancing food choices for satiety. Over time, I stopped eating any processed foods like crackers or chips. Grill sweet potatoes and veggies on the BBQ twice a week. Make a big pan of Ratatouile with tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, onions and mushrooms and serve it over riced cauliflower. I roast a big pan of Cauliflower and Onions every week and grill baby carrots. I eat tuna,salmon cottage and farmer cheese, yogurt. Sometimes have a scoop of ice cream or a bagel but half and scooped out. When I used to eat cookies, candy and processed foods, I felt awful mentally and physically. When I eat in a healthful manner, I feel terrific. Use trial and error to see what you like and use spices on the veggies like Zatar Turmeric and Cumin. Use lemon and limes liberally and shoot for drinking only water or salt free, flavored seltzer which is delish as far as cold drinks. No more soda of any kind comes home. You eat well and whole, including grains with veggie and you feel whole and well. You get used to and prefer to eat this way after a time.
8
Apparently most people have GI tracts that are more accepting of large amounts of fruit than mine.
1
@KJ Thank you for speaking up for the population which does not tolerate high-fiber diets. It's a balancing act for more than those formally diagnosed with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD, IBS). Weaning my mother from her life-long high-fiber diet as her aging body no longer tolerated it was a nightmare.
Really? How do you determine if specific food consumption is the factor for mood change, not weather, hormones, inter personal relations or just plain happenstance?
5
@Mark Shoenfield Or that the kind of people who eat those kinds of foods exercise more, have higher income levels, and thus a better quality of life over all.
3
Read this article and the comments, then find out and consider the contents of many public school lunches and other school-based meals.
14
A useful, interesting article by the NYT, and important, valuable research by Dr. Ramsey.
Wish more such credible research conclusions were readily available and that this topic were a required part of medical school curricula and psychiatry, clinical social work, and clinical psychology residencies and fellowships.
3
My husband had a massive heart attack last July. A stent was inserted in the “widowmaker” artery.
He is doing fine now. Anyway, when he came home from the hospital, I started making a “salad bar” but my husband got tired of salad and I ended up eating most of it. I noticed that I woke up feeling full of “well being”. Now the weather is colder, I make vegetable soups, full of beans and garlic.
Sometimes, I just microwave frozen vegetables, adding olive oil, salt, black pepper and garlic powder prior to cooking. I am not a vegetarian but I do eat LOTS of vegetables.
21
@Mary B.
Sounds like a great plan of attack Mary. If people give themselves half a chance and do not act like eating in a mindful, healthful manner is punishment, its all we can hope for. I am out West and frequent place called Parsley. I get their salad, baby greens undressed and add their chopped tomatoes, cucumber, onions and cabbage. You can add some Tahini or Tzatziki and then protein like Tuna, chicken or Beef. Boring Salad no more!. You can add homemade sloppy joes or chili to a salad too so its not boring. You realize you really do feel better and full eating this way and if you want an occasional cookie or treat you are not likely to eat the whole box in one sitting. Your whole approach to food changes. One of the best changes we made as a a family is we stopped drinking any kind of soda. We drink flavored Salt free seltzer and water and now we prefer it yet get the bubble fizz mouth action we all seek in drinking regular or diet soda with the seltzer. We eat salad every day as appetizer or as main course. Never bored. We add a few nuts, some dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds or roasted corn for chew, crunch and flavor variety. The possibilities are endless. None of the family feels deprived. And I make my own pizza dough and pizza so I know exactly what goes into it. I mix whole wheat and white whole wheat flour.
2
What helped me the most was my wife's Naturopath's article stating that humans are the only mammal on earth that drinks milk after weaning. In April 2017 I decided to put that to the test and went completely dairy free. In August, my cholesterol was 184, down from 225. My Doc wanted me to take statins and I said "No way". A year later, in Oct. 2018, my cholesterol was 160. It has bounced between that and 180 ever since.
What to replace it with? I use a mixed nut milk, by several produces, of cashew and almonds. It is creamy. Sometimes I use just Almond milk or coconut milk or just cashew milk. I also use coconut creamer for things like fruit smoothies along with the nut milk. For cheese I have found a nice sliced veggie cheese called Field Roast Chao and a block "cheese" Daiya Medium Cheddar Style Farmhouse Block. Both melt. Took me a while to find them. There are dairy-free breads, my favorites are Udi multi grain and Franz Gluten Free Great Seed bread. There are also pre-made pizza "bottoms" that these cheeses will work on and you can add your favorite meat.
It's interesting to me that I live on salt waterfront with oysters and clams. But I do not eat raw oysters. Just cooked. Same with clams. I'm 82 and feeling pretty good and I do pay attention to sugar. Not much outside of the sugars in good food.
12
@Paul
Good on ya Paul. The brain, however does need some sugar. We cannot eliminate it totally from our diets. Its about time we take it into our own hands and minds to take on the Food Industrial Complex that makes umpteen kinds of Oreo cookies always prominently displayed for the eyes to fall on them in the market. Resist. Eat something like protein or a yogurt before you shop. You really can resist when you are not hungry and stick to your shopping list. Buy the Produce first so your cart talks to you with all the colorful and healthy you see in it as you stroll the aisles you make more considered choices and less impulse buying like cookies and cakes.
2
When one is depressed, it is much more difficult to eat properly. A person with a distracted mind will not only lose appetite, but concentration may not be good enough to plan - shop and prepare- decent meals for oneself. It seems natural, then, that breaking the cycle of depression and poor nutrition, would be an excellent start on the way to relieving depression.
23
As a registered dietitian and cookbook author, I was happy to see an emphasis on the importance of eating nutritious foods. However, it was discouraging to see the quote attributing higher levels of mental health to the consumption of fresh produce only. Within the actual study, the authors reasoned that “literature on micronutrient status and mental health suggests that single nutrients are unlikely to play a large role in the protection against mental illness. Instead, better mental health may arise from the cumulative effects of a broad spectrum of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.”
These types of remarks can confuse consumers, especially since the full body of research supports us eating more produce – whether it be fresh, frozen, canned, conventional or organic
– for its numerous health benefits. And for many consumers, canned fruits and vegetables are an affordable, convenient and accessible way to get nutritious foods on the table.
23
Oysters, of course, have a reputation for delivering benefits beyond mere nutrition, but I can personally attest that that's just a myth. I ate two dozen one night, and only 21 of them worked.
28
@cdm
2020<-----------------has never eaten an oyster.
1
Many products in a typical supermarket are not healthy for its consumers. These products should be removed from the shelves. It is that simple and while is not the total answer it is a significant reason why the US has obesity and unhealthy diets.
19
@Ralph Petrillo
The food lobby industry would fight that tooth and nail. However, what grocery stores could do is give them less prime shelf space. These mega food businesses pay the stores for premium shelf placement. Shop the perimeter of the store starting with fruit and veggies. Especially this time of year, the best melons, watermelon, cherries, peaches and plums. Go crazy. And the availability of summer produce like squash and green beans etc. cannot be beat. You can french style the green beans and cook them with tomato and onion. Cannot be beat. Squash, grilled or stuffed zucchini boats with riced cauliflower or veggie riced cauliflower and baked with some cheese on top. Righteous eating and delish too.
2
An article or research that obviates the socioeconomic realm from food access and its effects on mental health is woefully lacking. In a country (USA) with over 40 million people living below international standards of poverty—food access and time to enjoy food is not a reality—surviving is.
If you have access to a psychiatrist/chef duo you’re part of infinitesimally small percentage of the American population. We need polices that bring all people into health—not niche interventions that help the select few.
36
What relieves my depression is not so much what I eat as the act and exercise of cooking. That is what is therapeutic to me.
Food, glorious food!
What wouldn't we give for
That extra bit more --
That's all that we live for
Why should we be fated to
Do nothing but brood
On food,
Magical food,
Wonderful food,
Marvellous food,
Fabulous food.
~ LIONEL BART
(1930 – 1999)
Writer and composer of British pop music and musicals,
Is best known for creating the book, music and lyrics for Oliver!
'Food, Glorious Food', from the musical "Oliver!"
10
I will swear to my last day that my depression and anxiety remarkably improves when I am well hydrated. I try to drink between 2 - 3 liters of water a day, and when I succeed in that my mood is so, so much better. I've actually resorted to chugging glasses of water when I'm in a foul mood.
That, and avoiding wheat, but that's proven much harder to do!
19
A few years back, I read an article on the benefits of an anti-oxidant diet, and I increased my salmon, trout, and tuna intake, plus various fruits and vegetables. I noticed that my mood had really improved and I went back and read the article. There, in one sentence was the statement that this diet can also improve one's mood. I don't think it would eliminate a serious depression but it really help alleviate the day to day blues.
18
I never saw a simple dish of steamed vegetables served at my college cantine.
7
Diabetes Type 1 runs on both sides of my family, especially the women. I've been on a diet rich in fresh fruits, veggies and fish since I married a vegetarian in the 1970's--and I'm the only one to avoid diabetes. And although I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the 1990's, I'm still walking and making jewelry (a fine motor skill) at age 67. The doctors now say my MS is stable and I may not have any more attacks now that I'm older. DIET IS THE KEY.
23
@Linda Brown I have had MS for 20 years. I'm 60 now. Diet is important but, it has NOT been proven to the "the key". I'm still walking and anyone who sees me would NEVER guess I have MS. My neighbor and good friend also has MS. She is a vegetarian and her Relapsing Remitting MS has worsened and is now Progressive MS. I'm glad your MS is stable. But, it's stable due to LUCK. I had one relapse and that was when I was switching to a different different disease modifying drug. Went right back to original drug (Tysabri) and have been stable since. Every MS story is unique. I'd be careful to connect your disease stability to diet. But, I wish you continued LUCK w/ your disease and good health.
24
@Nancy one of the key points of the article is that there are virtually no studies in this field, so naturally little has been proven and all people can do is share their own anecdotal stories. Dietary changes and chronic health conditions tend to get people's hackles up. I believe this is because there is a perceived inference of blame for one's own condition or lack of improvement. I have Hidradenitis suppurativa and psoriasis. the HS went into complete remission with dietary changes while the psoriasis responds to nothing. Not all medcines work for all people either. Healthy eating doesn't cure all things, but it does cure some and at the very least, it gives the body the best resources to fight chronic health conditions. Healthy food should be the foundation of all medical advise.
13
I have been vegetarian for 20 years and vegan for about 15 years. I've had regular doctor check ups and blood tests and I've always had a normal protein level, vitamin D and vitamin B12. Until I moved to the midwest, where my vitamin D plummeted, which may be due to the many successive cloudy/rainy days per year. My husband became a vegan recently and I've noticed a profound change in his demeanor, specifically, that he approaches the world with less anger than he used to. Could there be a link??
12
@Nancy Hammons I recently adopted a vegan diet. I am curious--do you take any supplements? I bought nutritional yeast supplemented with B12, but other than that, I am relying on whole foods such as veggies & fruit from my weekly CSA box and beans, lentils, seeds, oats, olive oil and vinegars to provide all the nutrients I need...
I will miss many things after I die. Music, the wonder of science, my dogs, and above all, shopping procuring and preparing the best food I can find.
17
@Harry B "I will miss many things after I die." Actually, you won't.
8
@Rena How would you know?
The mediterranean diet was dictated by poverty. Meat was expensive and for rich people. Greens were easy to grow and even find in nature. Olives, wine and bread was given to the peasants during crop harvesting in the south of Italy and olive oil as part of the "salary". Meat was reserved to the wealthy.
In the North of Italy Corn as polenta was the staple of peasants and gave them, like to poor blacks of south USA pellagra.
So I think a balance is what is best, and what is always recommended by common sense.
But one think is important, even more than the food itself in a way and is "how" the food is eaten.
Conviviality, which was the hall mark of the holidays, and the serenity and happiness that comes with it and is still enjoyed in some mediterranean countries, is a big part of a healthy eating.
14
The concept that “food is medicine” is nothing new. It’s basically what the science of nutrition is all about. Your body needs certain nutrients in order to function well. Too much or too little of something and your “body machine” starts to break down, much like a car engine running on the wrong kind of gasoline and not enough engine oil.
About 10 years ago my husband’s triglycerides were out the roof and a research nutritionist at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center told him the only real way to fix that was to eat fish, especially salmon. Unfortunately, my husband is severely allergic to all types of seafood, so he had to go on meds, and it took awhile to find the right combination to lower his numbers. But I will never forget the scientist saying that no pharmaceutical was ever going to be as effective as just eating salmon in regulating triglycerides.
The irony of this story is that hubby’s doctor put him on a mediterranean diet to fix all kinds of heart health problems he had. He couldn’t avoid meds altogether due to his seafood allergy, so he also takes statins. Otoh, I started eating the doctor ordered diet just to make fixing meals easier. Ever since my numbers are always in the normal/perfect range, much to the amazement of the same doctor (our GP). She’s amazed primarily because I don’t exercise, but then I don’t smoke and I rarely drink alcohol. I almost never eat meat, and eat lots of fish. I told the doctor I eat her prescribed diet, and it works.
11
I always think its hysterically funny when western researchers "discover" that food is a great medicine. Traditional Chinese Medicine is 5000 years old, and fully embraced this "recent research" many moons ago. Pharma and western medicine want to own the keys to basic good health. Take Red Rice Yeast. A natural cholesterol lowering food. The sale is banned in the US because its completely natural statins are the same as what's found in cholesterol lowering meds that are a multi billion dollar industry. The pharma banned it by saying that it infringed on their patents. Yes, nature infringed on big pharma.
27
Scanning these endless comments and anecdotal conversations convinces me we have to find our own way. I suppose I have over many years. Sure I eschew sugar and limit meat and carbs. Perhaps my savior is I instinctively like many “healthy foods”. I lost over 40 lbs 20 years ago and kept it off. When you see the bakery just keep walking....
15
That's a rhetorical question right?
When I was 16, I started experiencing depressive episodes, and really bad PMS. A few years later I was diagnosed with uterine fibroids. Around the same time I instinctively started feeling that my diet (more meat and dairy and less vegetables) was to blame.
First I cut out dairy entirely, and the cessation of PMS-related symptoms astounded me.
Then I cut down on meat, and the depressive symptoms reduced. Started buying organic vegetables and fruits, and the difference - in taste, in texture, in how I feel after I consume them - was so great, that I buy the supermarket stuff only if I have no other choice.
And then it dawned on me - what i was doing wasn't so revolutionary. My ancestors had already figured this out - in the principles of Ayurveda.
Ayurveda says - consume foods that have a high 'Prana' (life force) level. Sattvik is key.
We are what we eat.
The ideal combination would be: organic, whole, plant-based, locally grown, seasonal, fresh, raw.
Now, this is very difficult to achieve in day to day life. So, I try and do as many as I can. I occasionally have meat, fish a little more often. Alcohol, tea, coffee in moderation.
Processed, refined foods - terrible. Lethal almost. If you cannot avoid, minimize. Look for the "Prana" content in everything you consume. Eat and live in awareness.
As cliched as this sounds, your body is a temple. People will come and go - but you only have you. Why not do the best for you?
34
I have celiac. Yes, what we eat can affect how we feel.
Before I discovered what was wrong with me, I experienced brain fog, joint pain, bloating and other ailments. But the worst affliction was depression. I would wake up every morning with the weight of the world on my shoulders, anxious about every little thing, in despair.
Then I got the diagnosis and cut out gluten completely.
My entire life changed. My body aches went away, my bloating and puffiness, gone. I could think much more clearly. But the best part is I don't have an overwhelming sense of doom. Yes, I lament that trump is ruining the world -- normal stuff -- but generally I feel optimistic. I'm happy to be alive. I don't worry about every little thing anymore. The weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders.
So when anyone asks me if food can affect the way people feel, I wholeheartedly say yes. I am a living example of how changing your diet can change your entire life.
32
@nwheels
I had a similar experience after I was finally diagnosed with celiac sprue almost 20 years ago. Deep, sickening depression then, optimism and a deep sense of well-being now. This didn't happen overnight, but I am so grateful that I was diagnosed, despite the challenges of maintaining a gluten-free diet in a wheat-based world.
10
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences they sound identical to mine (dread). I am going to follow your advice.
7
The amount of salt in our foods is always surprising to me.... and restaurants are very guilty of this cheating maneuver. If it needs so much salt .. it must not be very tasty to begin with. I can always tell when my coworkers had Chinese food the night before because their eyes and face are so puffy. Salt is inflammatory and we are eating way too much of it!
16
I am a huge fan of micronutrients, but if you think that simply eating fruits and vegetables will meet your needs, think again. The denatured soil from big Agro, addicted to fertilizers and phosphates, can hardly be a reliable supplier of micronutrients. If you really want to get these substances think local, organic and start investigating edible weeds from the fields and forests near your home. An example is purslane, considered an obnoxious weed, which is high in nutrition and Omega 3 as well as being quite tasty. It is sold as a potherb in supermarkets in Mexico and Europe, but scorned in the US. I grow my own.
15
Food is the answer to achieving good health/ period. Everyone is different so find the diet that works for you. Sadly when you go to your doctor for “ health advice” he or she can give you very little guidance because doctors take basically one course in nutrition during medical school! Instead of helping patients with correcting their diets they immediately start pushing drugs and surgery which create the opposite—imbalance and dis- ease.
18
The worst foods I’ve ever had in life have come from a drive through, a hospital, or a nursing home (while visiting family). All 3 serve junk in various forms.
21
Cheap and easy to throw on plates. When visiting a relative in the hospital, I went to the cafeteria for a bite to eat. Nothing that wasn't loaded with fat, sugar or salt--mostly fried. I noticed that all of the workers were large. There was one slender older doctor who had the sugary yogurt on his tray and a few leaves of lettuce. Not much else to eat that approximated healthful food. There was a medical building frenzy all around the old, soon-to-be-renovated hospital. Heart disease and diabetes management spin-offs were the main drivers of this expansion. Any connection? I guess the usual suspect endocrine disrupters also play a role in excess girth, too.
6
The western diet explains a lot about the rise of the tRump minions. I apologize for injecting politics into the conversation, but i couldn’t resist.
26
@Steveb 100% agreed!
2
I have suffered with depression and migraines off and on all my life. I am now 70 years old and follow a raw, vegan, organic diet. I take no medications, I practice yoga several times a week, I meditate three times a day, and I walk for an hour every morning, weather permitting. I feel cleaner and healthier and stronger and more resilient--physically and emotionally--than I ever have. Cooked food is poison, added sugar is the white devil, and prescription drugs are lethal.
17
@Christopher Ross
Cooked foods? Seriously?
Ever had pneumonia? A UTI? Prescription drugs can and do save lives daily. I agree re sugar, especially to the extent many Americans indulge.
36
Without taking anti-depressants all these years, I would have lost a great deal of weight and felt no sadness because I would have been dead.
31
It is very easy to supplement omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin B12 on a vegan diet. This author ignored all of the evidence that a plant-based diet is superior.
22
@Gwen
Maybe. My mom is a very healthy 94 and always ate a balanced diet with lots of veggies. But she also eats meat, cheese and a smattering of deserts. She’s sharper than I am.
27
@Gwen It's hard to know how you could come to that conclusion. His diet clearly is "plant-based" and he talks about increasing fruits and vegetables and minimizing meat, though not cutting it altogether. Yes, vegans can supplement (of known nutrients), but doesn't that pose the question about where our ancestors got their evolutionarily-required nutrients? I wish the vegan community would just be honest and change their branding from "plant-based" to "plant-only," since that is what they mean.
21
When I first began making and drinking green smoothies, I was so euphoric and had so much energy that I didn’t know what to do with myself.
I switch between various greens: kale, arugula, chards, mustard greens, spinach to continue varying the oxylate levels. Then I use combos of available fresh organic fruits.
I bought a very high powered blender that turns those tough raw greens into creamy smoothness. You can not do this with a normal blender. I use an Oster blender that is not electronic, meaning, there are just a few physical switches to flip for on/off, hi/low. It is heavy and loud. I’ve had it for nine years and it is an extraordinary workhorse. I chose it over Blendtec or Vitamix because it was several hundred dollars cheaper and for its extreme simplicity. I don’t mean to sound like a commercial; just giving some hints in case you’re new to blending and are looking for some ideas about how to get started. It’s such an easy way to get some high quality nutrition into your body.
31
A family member was real sick for the past 5 years. The first 3 1/2 year had no progress at all. Finally, he followed an organic, grain free, gluten free, pasture meat diet. He is finally getting better.
I read a lot of health books and found out a lot of medical facts this past 5 years. I think we are being control by big brothers. They control what we eat and how we can be treated.
A lot of the food industries practices should be ban. A lot of the medicines that the World Health Organization recommended are not being use in U.S. because some big pharma are still holding patents for some outdated medicine. Our government are not doing enough to protect us. They only help the big brothers.
25
@Lucky
This is my experience as well. I would add nightshades to the list of inflammatory foods. I stick to fruits, nuts, chicken, fish and occasionally dairy.
7
Raw milk is highly beneficial and super delicious. Totally different than pasteurized. Google benefits of raw milk to learn more.
5
@Terry Marsh
No adult needs milk in the form of the equivalent of three or four 8 oz. glasses of the white liquid per day.
No human, especially in North America, should ever drink raw or unpasteurized milk due to inherent diseaes in dairy cows.
The only "raw" cow milk that should be consumed is that which has been aged a long period of time and hardened into cheese
33
@terry marsh
Raw milk can also cause serious infection from e.coli, campylobacter, listeria, salmonella, among other pathogenic organisms. It is a real heath risk. Not worth the risk.
19
Sugar is a deadly poison in the same realm as tobacco.
I guarantee eliminating it from your diet will result in weight loss, better sleep and less anxiety.
So no alcohol or sweets. Sad but true.
16
@Carla
Spend some time in Europe where people drink alcohol in moderation regularly, and indulge—again moderately —in fine desserts. They seem perfectly happy and free of anxiety, on the whole.
31
Sorry, my European friends would strongly disagree. They drink wine everyday and eat sweets. The problem in good ole USA has to do with highly processed foods, including our beef, pork and poultry that is loaded with hormones and antibiotics.
It’s amazing how much better my gut feels when I spend time overseas.
22
it's no secret with the American diet, which is primarily highly processed foods, correlates to all the health problems that are present here, even with the high tech health care we have here.
The human body is an astonishing self healing mechanism, but you have to first create the conditions for healing. And this is primarily done through a diet that's mostly plant based: vegetables, a lot of mixed greens, nuts, seeds, high quality protein, no processed foods.
Any physician worth their salt will tell you that they don't cure a patient, the body heals itself, they just help facilitate the right conditions.
15
"Can What We Eat Affect How We Feel?"
I think that question should be asked to ALL the so-called doctors in the USA who work in hospitals and anywhere else they serve that slop call breakfast lunch and dinner.
This includes all the assisted "living" and any where else Americans pays sky high dollars for cafeteria junk food.
22
@Mike What is a "so-called doctor?? They either are an MD or not.
1
@Kate Well, the thing is, MD or no, doctors are also just people who, like all people, sometimes know what they are doing and much of the time have no idea. We just have the same assumption that every generation has about its collective knowledge—that it is advanced, near-complete, and correct—and this leads us to place our full trust in those who seem to us to hold the most of this knowledge, doctors. There are, of course, plenty of examples of medical practices that attract and merit the “so-called”, and plenty of others that don’t. Generally, at least in the American system, in which bodies and procedures are monetized, it makes sense to question the knowledge and motives of doctors, who, though they probably are not acting individually maliciously, are part of and have been educated by a system that has very little respect for the body as the property of the individual who inhabits and is it.
@Mike
Assisted living "Cafeteria junk food! Yes! this same thought crossed my mind the other day.
3
I have eaten a plant based diet all my life. However when my children were young I had to cut corners and use processed food for the sake of time. Please be aware eating a variety of fresh fruit vegetables nuts etc takes much more time to prepare and cook than opening a can or heating up frozen food.
3
@Chris Kottcamp
It takes very little time to toss a bunch of fruits and vegetables into a Nutri-Bullet device and make a smoothie. This is a very easy way to get the recommended daily fruit and vegetable intake.
4
Eating the right food can contribute to fortuitous cycles of health. In my case, a smart fat and reduced carb diet plus exercise have diminished metabolic syndrome, improved gut health and enhanced mental well-being. I think these positive outcomes build on each other. These synergies have been an unexpected outcome, but heck, I'll take it!
5
I have noticed an instant feeling of wellbeing when I eat fermented foods like fresh sauerkraut and kimchee. I wonder if anyone else does. I remember reading in one of Michael Pollen's books that saritonin is manufactured in the gut and that Lactobacillus is somehow involved. Interesting that this wasn't mentioned in the article.
9
About 20 years ago I read Potatoes Not Prozac. If memory serves correctly the authors operated a substance abuse recovery program, and had observed over the years that diet had a big impact on their patients. Although I've never had any type of depression, I was fascinated and followed their diet which eliminated all white things. White rice, white flour, white sugar, even milk due to the high lactose content. Eating a potato in the evening post dinner was encouraged (as long as you ate the skin) because the authors though it increased seratonin levels.
I couldn't stomach a potato as an evening snack, but adhered to the rest of diet for six months. I'd never felt better. Although I don't have diabetes, I am on the ADD side, and getting off the sugar/white thing rollercoaster is incredibly helpful. Increased focus, ability to think clearly, productive, content - all of it. But hard to stay away from the demon sugar!
13
I had convo w/ Emily Dean on Twitter. I'd taken issue w/ this sentence "Some of the key nutrients for the brain, like long chain omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin B12, are simply not found in vegetable only diets," from Emily Dean's quote.
I knew B12 is necessary supplement, but it was my understanding that ALA of omega 3s is found in plant-based foods (like flaxseed oil & hemp seeds) and these get converted to other two forms (EPA and DHA), but that the conversion rate for plant-based foods to make these other forms is quite low, so supplements are recommended.
In our conversation, she agreed that this was all true. One part of the convo:
Her: "Vegan sources like chia seeds are ALA, not long chain omega threes (especially EPA), so it is not misleading."
Me: "But don't those convert to the other forms (even if you can argue about conversion rate)?"
Her: "At low rates, depending on genetics and upregulation of enzymes."
So she admits you can get all forms of the omega-3s from a plant-based diet; she is just saying that it is hard to get enough due to low conversion. And she's prob also playing w/ meaning of "are not found"; those other forms are technically not found in plants, but they're converted to the other forms (just like our body converts substances in many ways).
So her wording seems wrong. You could theoretically get "enough" (optimal amount doesn't seem to be proven) w/o supplements but it'd be hard. And obviously many omnivores are deficient in omega-3s.
9
@Zachary Elwood Thanks for the clarification. The omega 3 statement in the article was confusing to me because my understanding has been that omega-3 is obtainable from plant sources.
2
@Zachary Elwood
Multiply those servings of walnuts and flax seeds by ten to get the same usable omega-3s as a small portion of fish or shellfish.
Humans in general are adapted to get omega-3s from animal foods.
4
We all know that coffee affects our body and mind, same with alcohol, cigarettes, and cannabis, yet somehow Americans refuse to believe that a diet that is composed primarily of fatty, oily meat, wheat, sugar, and potatoes can affect our moods and how our bodies feel. While I don't believe that a kale smoothie is going to cure cancer or a bell pepper is going to cure anxiety, the idea that our diets can nudge mental health is spot on. Eastern medicine embraces this and encourages people to listen to their bodies and mental states. It recognizes that the key to health is not a wallop of something over-strong when you hit a critical state, but gentle counterbalances to a problem before it gets out of hand.
That said, please vaccinate your kids. It's real science.
53
First cut out sugars then eliminate heavily processed foods. On any type of diet you will immediately feel better having done those two things. Then add protein, fats and exercise and most of the weight and psychological problems will be solved
11
It is my good fortune to be able to afford pretty much whatever I like to eat, but what I most enjoy is a pot of home-cooked beans and ham suffused with peppers and onions that I do myself with a few minutes of prep. If everyone ate as I do, and very well, the aisles of embalmed foods would be deserted and corporate groceries would long be gone. Food prep ignorance is also a big part of the problem, and "eatin' good" is an absent cultural value.
12
@Frank
Ham is processed red meat. World Health Org. lists this category as 'cancer causing'...same as hot dogs.
6
@Frank
“Embalmed foods” - great description
5
I have not met a single vegan or vegetarian with depression or an eating disorder - and I know a lot of them - but thanks for perpetuating the animal agriculture industry's relentless propaganda.
16
@Jamie I’m afraid that I have, quite a few, so your theory doesn’t stand.
39
QUITE a few, indeed!!
17
@Just Julien, lots. And so many ruin meals for others w all their preaching and rolled eyes "you're eating that?"
9
Its really easy to eat 2 cups in a stir fry. Just get pre-chopped fresh veggies, choose your favorite type of meat or other, on high heat stir fry it with your favorite seasonings.
5
Food is an important part of the satisfaction I get out of life. Take what I love to eat, 50 % healthy, 50 % not, away from me and I will be sad and angry. Food/health obsession is a religion, and its missionaries great bores. Gourmet, sometimes. Gourmand, always. Leave me alone.
9
@Denis Pelletier
Yes, food is great. I love it too! It took me years to draw the connection between the foods I ate and my back pain, eczema, cranky mood swings and anxiety. If you're in great shape, I tip my hat to you.
My food/health "obsession", comes from experiencing and feeling the painful effects of foods on my body. Adding fuel to the fire are the medications and other nonsense that are offered as cures. I see a medication obsession and a food/ health one too.
I see you're in Montreal. I'm thinking there is a food culture with more traditional rules there. I lived in Spain and Germany for many years and found that Europe has rules surrounding meals and foods. In the U.S., food culture and rules don't exist. We eat in our cars.......Years ago a German friend told me that "You Americans have a bad relationship with food". I think she was right.
6
Good to note that we must take care of what we eat and how we diet. Thank you for the names and institutions for information and consulting purposes.
2
My husband SWEARS that oysters affect his libido, giving him a tingly feeling that cannot be ignored. I was surprised the other day when, enjoying a dozen Cherrystones that I personally love even more than oysters, I asked him if they gave him the same tingly feeling, to which he replied “what do you think?”
4
@ManhattanWilliam
When I was younger I ate a dozen oysters before a date but only eight of them worked.
7
B vitamins are notoriously fragile, so in addition to eating these foods, it's best to take supplements. (Each B in separate pills is more effective than one big B complex pill.) Also, if a person is B deficient, the amounts found in food aren't enough to overcome it. Some people with nerve damage due to chronic B deficiencies have to take supplements for the rest of their lives.
6
@JCam
I have Essential Tremor, which destroys the B vitamins in my body. High quality supplements, plus wise eating, are the only way to combat this condition for me.
2
Since going keto my mood has greatly improved with fewer swings
I feel more focused
Of course losing 20 pounds doesn’t hurt
11
Even food could effect our feeling, but in some case, the price of the food also could effect too. Some organic food are more expensive than other, which is more healthier also.
3
Fresh fruits and vegetables are expensive, perishable and time- consuming to prepare. The article notes that canned fruits and vegetables have none of the benefits of fresh. What about frozen fruits and vegetables; which are less expensive, keep for months and come ready to serve?
16
@Texas music fan - i did a little research and found that frozen is just as good if not better sometimes with anti-oxidents. Sometimes you may loose the crispness between frozen and fresh, but you also save on waste as you only use what you need.
15
I grew up on Butterscotch Krimpets, pop rocks, and wax lips. PDQ on Breyer's Ice Cream. Mrs. Paul's fish sticks and canned ravioli. When the cashier at Whole Foods asks me to donate to a school salad program, I say "pass." We didn't have food allergies back then. We'd eat donuts or George Washingtons (ginger bread with chocolate icing) for breakfast, baloney and ketchup on Strohman's Bread for lunch, Chicken ala King with Campbells Soup for dinner, and for desert: bubblegum water ice. It's amazing we're still alive!
5
@Ulysses you're lucky and fortunate that you've turned out well and that's great. no reason however to assume what worked for one individual's childhood will work for thousands/millions of children of today. Say yes to a small donation, it's relatively little and you never know how or how you might be helping. Just a thought.
14
@Ulysses Why exactly are you shopping at Whole Foods then? This is such an ironic comment.
26
I bought Drew Ramsey’s Eat Complete book about a year ago. A lot of the recipes involved expensive ingredients and were complicated. I’m looking at his book right now and remembering why I didn’t bother with “Creamy Marsala Wine Pate Served With Crudités ” and “Grilled Oyster Tacos with Chipotle Tomato Salsa” and “Bacon Bison Burger with Pickles and Mustard.” These things are not accessible for the average American. I think if you’re eating out a lot and especially eating a lot of fast food, and change your diet to one that’s more nutritious, then it will improve your depression. If you’re already eating relatively healthy (wholes foods, veggies, fish, nuts, etc) and depressed, I wouldn’t expect much change.
I’ve tried a lot of things to treat depression and eat pretty healthy. If anyone is actually reading this comment, check out “Exercise for Mood and Anxiety: Proven Strategies for Overcoming Depression and Enhancing Well-Being”. Gradual exercise that started out with a trainer was really the only significant game changer for my depression with no negative side effects. If you want more proof, sign up with 23andMe and go to their community section for depression. They’ve surveyed over 700,000 people with depression and exercise is one of the top effective strategies to deal with depression, which can be as effective or more effective than therapy or medication. Animal companion is up there too!
21
@E
This makes a lot of sense, what you say. I also notice that good food alone is not enough- we need to move.
Cooking fresh foods well can take a lot of time. It makes sense to learn a few good recipes and use them often, keeping in mind the principles of this article, and not use cookbooks like the one you mention, which are specialized and supposed to inspire jaded cooks, or encourage people to learn about some new techniques and foods as well as cook dazzling gourmet meals. Dazzling gourmet food is beside the point. The cookbook you mention sounds... depressing.
8
5 cups? That is ridiculous.
4
@Chris Foy
I agree...usually I eat at least 10-15 per day.
8
the tragedy here is eating the magnificent oyster w/ an orange knife
6
So many if and and buts in these “health” articles...
I think if people are able to freely select enjoyable ways to spend their life and manage to keep themselves in a state of mindfulness, they will be able to avoid seeing psychiatrists for advice and medicines for mood disorders.
Isn’t that what this article “suggests” “may” “possibly” be the case, “perhaps” (or not)?
1
Welll... of course what we eat affects how we feel. Is this news to people?!
15
I am a hunter and I we are playing around with the Med-diet, what I have not seen is the feedback on consuming wild game such as venison, moose, antelope, elk as well as game birds. Can anyone direct me to info on this or have heard how wild game plays into a diet?
7
Marshall Johnson, you are on the right track here. Wild game meat tends to be lean (naturally low fat) yet higher in omega 3 fatty acids due to these animals consuming wild plants. Eat small servings of wild game and fish with lots of unprocessed plants, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and olive oil, and you are essentially eating a Mediterranean diet. There are many resources that can be googled and your local library may have cookbooks you can check out.
Also, it’s my personal opinion, and I’m sure many readers of these comments will disagree, but as someone who is repulsed by factory farmed meat and the horrors that occur in slaughterhouses, I believe hunting is more humane, as well as better for the hunter’s health, since it gets you outdoors and physically active.
I am an RN with little formal training in nutrition, but I a long interest in the subject and have closely followed news about the latest findings in how nutrition affects human health. It’s complex and while there are general conclusions that can be drawn about diet and health, genetics also play a role and what is a great diet for one person may not be best for another.
Good luck to you, and may you enjoy good health!
3
The brain is so mysterious because no one wants to boil it down to a physical organ that consists of a system of electrical responses as a result of genetic and environmental influences. The brain responds to sugar in a variety of physiological ways that are real and true. Sugar causes inflammation, including in the brain. It causes chemical reactions (like addiction) in the brain. It feeds unhealthy gut bacteria that throws off digestion and all the microbes influencing brain chemistry. I experienced it firsthand when I went gluten free on a suggestion after having what I believed were seasonal allergies all my life. As a result, I ended up cutting out sugar, and now I'm working on reducing corn. I still like my ice cream every now and then, and I still love a cookie or a cake slice once a month. Now that I rarely eat sugar, I actually feel the sugar crash and the addictive desire to eat more. I can see it for the drug it is. After seriously cutting out sugar, you can tell the different between hunger and urges. You can tell the difference between inflammation and bloating vs. actual hunger. It's difficult to understand the effects of sugar causing brain fog and anxiety until one actually experiences it.
20
@RFP
Plus, sugar seems to be a depressant, like alcohol, in some people.
8
@RFP Sugar and white bread are processed in the liver just like alcohol.
8
So the author is saying that I, an 82 year old should be eating my native warm water Apalachicola oysters. I think not. When they say Mediterranean Diet, are they talking about what the people around the Med. eat or some imaginary, abstract super diet that will make you live forever. I hope it is what the Med people eat because I have a real fondness for the salami and other meats of Italy and France. The Moroccans also have great beef and lamb dishes to go with the couscous wheat.
10
Perhaps I'm not the first commenter to suggest that a 10-day diet of short grain brown rice is a more convincing way to determine if what you eat can affect how you feel than reading an article. Actually, five days should do nicely.
6
If one was to change their diet for at least 6 months (I’m not talking about diet as in weight or eating issues), whether it be eating whole grains for breakfast, vegetables/fruit for snacks, and moderating meat/dairy, I would almost certainly believe that anyone would feel better. The problem with achieving this is not many folks want to give up salty, sugary, and delicious fats when it involves food!
12
Sugar and carbs are highly addictive. Eating healthy is not easy.
25
For their 60+ years of married life together, my mother and father ate and drank pretty much the same things. They were both teachers on Long Island, from the early 1950s until they retired in 1985.
Dad cooked dazzling dinners out of Craig Claiborne; Mom made standard-issue breakfasts and lunches for us to take to school (where they worked and I studied). For much of their lives, they had a glass or two of wine with dinner and a martini each. They travelled around the world, and frequently across the country and to Britain. In retirement, they swam daily in three seasons in the swimming pool in the back yard, and Dad worked daily in his garden except when frostbound.
Dad died of advanced Alzheimer's disease in 2015, after having started Aricept in 2006 or so. When the eldercare specialist interviewed him for placement in an adult family home, where Dad spent his last few weeks after very rapid decline, he said Dad had immense intellectual capital he'd spent down over a very long illness.
Mom continued to live alone until June 2018, doing the daily NTY crossword puzzle until she had a mild stroke and moved to an adult family home in March 2018. In March 2019, she suffered two serious strokes. She is now a wheelchair user uncertain of her balance, today's date, and how to use her right arm.
Their lives were identical, almost bite for bite, exercise for exercise. We must remember the part played by genetics and sheer bad luck.
29
The carrots of 100-200 years ago are not the same as the ones we eat today. No, not even the organic ones. Some may think that GMO vegetables and fruits are abhorrent but these foods have been modified over and over again over the centuries. None are "pure". Whatever that means.
16
I love oysters and I tried to eat oysters whenever I can. But most restaurants do not list oysters on their menus. Only a few expensive seafood restaurants here offer oysters but not all the time. I learned from my doctors about the benefits for eating oysters. I love big fat oysters. This article makes me hungry. I also love Maryland blue crabs.
9
‘Nutritional psychiatrist’?
Is there such a degree?
9
There's no question about it. Alcohol and sugar are the BIG no-nos.
One must continually use ingrained discipline to decline these tasty tempters.
Easier said than done!
7
Its incorrect to say there are no plant based sources of Omega 3. Flax, chia and hemp seeds are rich in Omega 3 along with many other plants like seaweed and algae.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-plant-sources-of-omega-3s
18
Clearly eating a healthful greens-rich balanced diet is key. However spending your entire energy on making sure nothing “toxic” slips into your diet is surely counterproductive. Orthorexia is real. Now we are being hammered with “intermittent fasting”.... I live in CA and special diets and nutraceuticals are more pronounced here. I’m not advocating a poor diet but the stress from adherence to a tough to follow diet is surely worse than having a cookie once in a while. Also: if it tastes awful I’m not eating it. Don’t care how amazing it is for your body.
19
Depressing to see so many faddish nonsense assertions in the comments. The single most important thing to understand about nutrition is this: there are a ton of hucksters out there, trying to make a buck by selling you bogus nonsense about what you must eat or not eat. The truth is that we have known for decades what a healthy diet looks like: natural foods, include veggies, keep sugar limited. Within that framework you can eat whatever you like. Anyone who tries to panic you about dairy or nightshades or whatever, or insists that this one food is a miracle, is either trying to make money by scamming you or has fallen for a scam. One day you hear that something is a superfood and the next day you hear it is poison; the truth is that is is neither particularly good for you nor bad for you, and you can eat it in moderation if you like it and pass on it if you don't.
31
As a young adult I spent a day in a slaughterhouse with the capability of killing 30.000 animals a day. It was a revelatory experience and one I wish all meat eaters would have.
I know the haters are going to come after me, but since then I have wondered if people who eat a lot of red meat suffer from depression because they feel horribly guilty. Deep down they know eating meat is destroying the planet, their children's future and of course the animals that have been killed for their consumption. Often one's guilt is built on profound self knowledge.
31
@Son Of Liberty
No depression here. I always feel wonderful after consuming a nicely aged rib eye. I also wear leather shoes and enjoy eating bacon. Humans have been consuming animal products since the beginning of time. We are born as omnivores. There is nothing to feel guilty about, aside from overcooking a beautiful steak, and perhaps not serving it with a decent glass of red wine!
24
@Mark Sorry for the facts:
On average, a vegan diet saves:
4,200 liters of water per day.
20.4 kilograms of grains per day.
9.1 kilograms CO2 equivalent per day.
2.8 meters squared of forested land per day.
All this in conjunction with reducing fuel dependency and carbon emissions for a more eco-friendly life makes a person feel good about their impact on the planet. So once you know that one person can make a difference it is understandable that people are depressed when they fail to try to make the world a better place.
24
@Son Of Liberty - Well thanks for the moral posturing. The above list is meaningless if it doesn't provide for good health. Additionally, to switch the country to plants only would be nightmare for soil and water use as corn fields were transformed into plants for human consumption. We need to move towards more grass fed cattle that mimic the 40 million buffalo who once roamed N. America. Way too many people suffering from vegan diets - some do well but not for everybody. Farming methods can improve but humans have evolved eating animals and and are healthiest when they do.
6
Any difference in taking B12 from a Vitamin bottle v/s a natural source ?
7
Moderately related, Jane Brody recently wrote an article about ‘brain health’, and in it she mentioned avoiding food that had ‘toxic effects’ on the brain, such as red meat, sugar, and then she mentioned pastries. I don’t know about you, but when it’s Friday and I bring a dozen donuts into the office, there isn’t an unhappy face in attendance. Talk about having a positive effect on attitude!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone eat a donut in anger.
16
@Vince I don't doubt the expectant and immediate 'elation' experienced by consuming donuts but, two hours after consumption how do those people feel? My guess: depressed, tired and anxious. Like many 'temptations' in live, the short-term benefits often mar the long-term costs.
13
One donut, once a week=happy.
Coupla' donuts every day=sad.
9
@Dr_No I began a career in advertising in NYC in the late 90s. Donuts at morning meetings was the norm, but I don't know how people functioned. One piece of deep fried sugar bread had me feeling horrible for the rest of the day, and I've never eaten one since that first experience. Donuts are for children.
7
When I’m hungry all I want is a pan full of roasted crispy Veggies (toss Cali, Broc, sweet potatoes , carrots etc w oil, salt pepper roast at 425,toss) . (Some tahini drizzled on top doesn’t hurt) I miss my bowl of fruit each morning if I don’t have it. It’s a matter of training your brain and body as w everything in life. Eating more fruits and vegetables is similar to working out; the more you do it the better you get at it and the more you like it. The first couple of times you try jogging or swimming or biking it’s a chore but after a while your body gets used to it and you can’t wait to jump into the pool and do laps or run your favorite path.
30
With the understanding that we should improve our diets, none of the studies cited are actually fully controlled. In both it is easy for participants and eaters, aware of the study goals, to know their group assignments, and in neither are are the effects terribly robust. In the 2017 study none of the metabolic parameters are significant beyond the MADRS, which basically suggests whatever happened was not a result of the food, but more likely an effect of the counseling or just random. And with that, other measures of mood did not budge much. When looking at science, one needs not only to confirm a belief, but to understand what the biology might be underlying the belief and to see if it is credible. The gut is designed to process and digest, and the blood-brain barrier designed to isolate the brain. While it may be fashionable to hope one can change behavior via diet, the data remain sparse, and when rigorously tested and refuted in the past - eg disproving the link between sugar and hyperactivity - the belief persists. The Times could do better.
11
Great article but I was astonished to see the Times referencing that the research on this subject is “relatively new.” Uh, no. The research on brain-body links and the tie in to nutrition has been going on for decades. I first began reading about orthomolecular psychiatry, which addresses precisely this subject, back in the late 70s. It may be that the medical establishment has only recently opened their minds to this reality, but many have known for a long time that these links have been established.
10
@Joanne it is apparently new to the mainstream media.
2
@Joanne
If we wait, everything gets to be new again. All it takes is for time to pass. I don't hear many people talking about Diet for a Small Planet, that was so popular in the 1970's. Eating with awareness of the planet is new again!
3
School cafeterias have never been the repositories of gastronomical greatness, but what is being fed to our children especially those who get free or reduced priced meals is concerning. Now that younger and younger children are being educated in big school buildings and fed in settings of regiment and institutionalized prepacked quasi food, I am even more troubled after reading this article.
With the changes in Head Start, there are more grantees that are located in elementary schools that outsource their meal prep to giant companies rather than have cooks prepare good home-made food from fresh ingredients as in the past.
22
For most of my life starting when I was a teenager I have suffered from depression and an almost comatose lack of energy which were greatly exacerbated by eating too much sugar, flour and butter (i.e. sweet baked things). I discovered this through experience, rather late in life. I still have periods of depression and lack of energy but at least I know enough now not to make them worse by eating the wrong thing. Finally have learned that sweet treats (except for fruit) make me feel worse instead of better.
23
@middleaged mama
No, no, no...sweet baked things is not the same as eating too much sugar, flour and butter. You ate too much sweet baked things. The combined result/product of those ingredients in excess, doesn't make the individual ingredients bad. Butter, good butter, eaten in moderation and part of a balanced diet is not by it self bad. No is flour, or sugar. I can cook with sugar (maybe in sauce, or glaze) and not hurt myself, or you, with it. Same with flour.
The combo - sweet baked things - in excess was the problem...not the ingredients. Its the excess, not the actual items.
12
Ok how is any added sugar good for you? It has no nutritional value and causes spikes in insulin.
4
I think I eat very well and healthily: mostly fruits, veggies, nuts, some eggs, beef, chicken or fish; usually grass fed, non-gmo, organic foods, etc, and I grow a lot of vegetables during the summer. We try to make the plate 3/4 fruit/veg to 1/4 protein. Not a lot of dairy products or wheat bread and pasta.
However, it seems that about once a month I have a have a McDonald's Mcdouble with a coffee and I love it. Also, I love an old fashioned now and then. You can't be doctrinaire, or life won't be enjoyable.
28
One of the greatest pieces of luck of my life is to have had a father who was a biochemist first in the food industry and then, when they wanted him to develop unhealthy additives, a high school teacher so he could give people the knowledge to eat in a healthful way. He saw all of these things in the early 1950s. His mantra was that the body was the result of untold years of evolution in the natural world and that the healthiest way to eat was as close to the unaltered natural state as possible. He understood that there were many micronutrients yet to be discovered and that raw fruits and vegetables have higher levels of vitamins than canned or preserved ones. I’m thankful every day that I had that information from early in life and have been able to follow it. He lived to the age of 93; my mother, who ate a meat-and-potatoes diet, died of a heart attack at 70.
17
Nothing makes me feel better than a double double and fries animal style. Add a chocolate shake and I am in heaven.
5
As a psychiatrist, I agree that people function better with a healthy diet and exercise, but genetics also play a role. If you have inherited Major Depression, Anxiety Disorder, or Bipolar, diet won’t cure you. Psychotropic medication may be necessary. In addition, Schizophrenia requires antipsychotic medication. It’s important not to stigmatize people by telling them that diet and exercise will fix them.
The diet that I follow that for my health is contained in the book, “How Not To Die” by Michael Greger, MD. Dr. Greger references 3000 medical studies in order to develop his conclusions about healthy eating. No surprise that it’s a plant based diet. Read it and draw your own conclusions.
30
@Michele Hauser
I too am a psychiatrist. Whereas medications certainly often have a place, there is abundant evidence that there are psychotherapy approaches which are at least as, if often not more, effective for treatment of Major Depression and Anxiety Disorder. They can be considerably more life-enhancing and do not bind one to a lifetime of medication ingestion with its potential harmful side-effects and expense. I use these approaches selectively every day, often with dramatically successful results. They can allow one to truly recover, rather than experiencing oneself as diseased for ever after.
18
@collodon. Fully agree, but unfortunately you are very rare among today's psychiatrists, who ignore the research on the limitations and negative consequences of anti-depressants and particularly anti-anxiety medications, as well as hold onto disproven theories of biological etiology of depression, anxiety, and personality issues despite no research data supporting those theories.
8
eat more oysters ?
uh - you know what the majority of an oyster is made of ... ?
2
@Frank
Oysters are filter feeders. Like most creatures, they have a varied diet depending on what flows through the water. Since water covers they earth and is vital to all life here, nearly everything is contaminated by small organisms that live it. Vegetables thrive when grown with a compost rich soil. Grazing animals thrive when allowed to free pasture. Life is an endless chain and to be part of that chain means all life shares a lot of things in common.
7
@Frank
Get off of your high horse. It's pretty obvious that you've never considered what caviar is or what a chicken egg really is, etc.
5
I have a question. Anyone have an answer?
This article repeats the advice to eat a couple of cups of fruit and about the same amount of vegetables daily.
But why do we have to eat both? I love almost all vegetables and eat a wide variety, which I assume provides me with many nutrients.
Fruit is far less appealing, primary because: a)fresh fruit is really expensive, and b) most of the stuff seems to be picked too early. Who wants a hard peach or a watermelon that's not juicy and sweet, or a beautiful but tasteless strawberry? Not me.
Wouldn't just doubling up on vegetables be good enough?
8
@ERS
If you're eating a colorful array of vegetables, you are going to be just fine. Sweet potatoes house a lot more potassium than banana's and there's more vitamin C in broccoli than oranges. Eat fruit when it is locally in season for the most enjoyment and nutrition. Farmers mkts, where you can ask the grower about his crops or better yet a pick your own berry patch is a summer highlight, as you can eat fresh and freeze to use throughout the winter. Lemons are nice to have on hand for salad and food seasoning. Keep a bag of frozen wild blueberries - always delicious, to toss into different dishes. I totally agree with trying to purchase delicious fruit at the grocery; it's highly unsatisfying.
This article is great. Many of us already know 'junk food = junk mood.
25
Buy fruit locally, in season and it will be better.
8
@Anita Larson
Hello Capt Obvious. But not all fruits we like are grown locally! No mangoes 'round here! Or banana, or plaintain. Or citrus! I live in NY and apples bore me! (And trigger allergies)
There is no such thing as a season any more. Its called modern farming and advanced shipping techniques.
5
So nice to have some scientific validation for what I have known is true for me - I have arthritis/pain issues and refuse opiates so I use diet and exercise as an important component of my health regimen and it does work - you just have to make it your top priority and once you start eating well, you can't go back!
14
Every time I eat a mango and I get really happy.
13
Shure! As a Jew it's normal to want and eat kosher. This tradition is much more than a adequate quality-Standard. It's a kind of Soul-Food. We should also recognize scientific knowledge, that there is a direct effect in mental and physical health because all parts of life-tradition is integrated. Expiriences with parents, the bounding in spiritual and shared values (of Thora) and also the social possibility for Meeting friends who are inspiring you!
4
@Marcus Gundlach
What is Thora?
2
You are what you eat.
How could it be otherwise?
Look at Trump. Case closed.
82
Many people don't seem to know that Nightshade vegetables, green peppers, tomatoes, white potatoes and eggplant, cause arthritis. When I stopped eating tomatoes and drinking tomato juice, my arthritis disappeared. I had never eaten much of the other Nightshades. It's important buy organic kale as non-organic kale is one of the vegetables highest in pesticides.
13
No collateral for this wild assertion other than one person - you--felt better.
14
@karen This is not a wild assertion, it's been known and followed for many years.
7
@Liz- CA
I agree. Enough evidence for this to be taken seriously and it helps my arthritis as well and y doctor recommended the approach.
8
BTW, oysters are not shellfish. Like clams and mussels they are bivalves.
9
@Gretchen
And there are not enough of them to go around.
1
Whenever I'm feeling sluggish and down, I switch to protein, asparagus, and strawberries, quickly shed extra water, and feel 100% better within 24 hours.
13
Francis de Sales-Woidich was prescribing nutritive therapy in 1975 in the Washington , D.C. area. He developed a program to improve emotional, developmental and physical disorders. He certainly turned my life around and I've been following his methods for over 40 years now.
9
What did he prescribe?
@Brillat-Savarin
3
My octogenarian parents just got back from a month in France and my mother said she felt better than she had all year and not a single stomach rumble. She's now ordering flour from Europe and making her own bread.
27
I find the flour products from Europe are better for my belly than the USA ones and I think it’s because we spray glyphosate or Roundup on all our wheat, barley and oat crops, which is an herbicide and it also kills the probiotics in your gut. Wish we could regulate that.
29
@Indira Pal what about organic flour?
1
@Sally
It could be differences in the wheat itself -- our wheat here (US and Canada) is higher in selenium and higher in gluten, one or both could be issues for particular individuals.
5
Great article on advancing medical treatment for mental health.
3
Ummm, Hello, ...
"Wine warmeth the heart of man." Bible quotation.
7
I knew there was a good reason to eat oysters every chance i get
14
"Another study of 422 young adults from New Zealand and the United States showed higher levels of mental health and well-being for those who ate more fresh fruits and vegetables" ....There is also evidence that people benefit emotionally when they exercise regularly. One suggestion in the latter case is people feel better about themselves when they are able to take control over their lives, and regular exercise may fill that need. Perhaps eating more fresh fruit and vegetables is another example of taking control.
19
The plethora of "food as medicine" articles makes me depressed and anxious. I was "pescatarian" for many years. Now I can no longer digest legumes, most leafy greens, and any grains except wheat. Those foods are expelled from my body accompanied by great pain, as if I'd eaten poison. Peppers and onions cause acid reflux. I also consulted naturopaths, acupuncturists, and other "alternative medicine" purveyors as well as medical doctors. Recommendations galore. Ultimately, I have to listen to my own body. It makes sense to eat natural foods without pesticides and additives (if one can afford them), and avoid processed foods, and those high in sugar and fat. Beyond that, listen to your body, eat what you can and what you enjoy. In my experience with the elderly, genetics seems to play the biggest role in later life health. Mother-in-law hated fish, ate only basic vegges and meat, didn't exercise, smoked and drank scotch, lived till 94. Close friend ran every single day, carried his own bag of healthy food everywhere, even into restaurants, played piano every day, never smoked or drank alcohol, developed dementia in his 80s.
16
@Independent
Interesting comment. I agree genetics probably plays a part in how we fare. But when I look at my Dad, who long outlived his parents, and lived to be 97 with a clear mind, ate red meat all his life, rarely drank but smoked moderately in his younger years, I think it was the sparkle in his eye--an interest in life and work that he loved (which included walking) and did into his 90's--that was the reason for his longevity.
Attitude changes everything, including our biochemistry.
32
@Independent It is not about quantity of years but quality of years.
2
@Independent Sounds like you might be having histamine issues. Try googling Kresser + histamine
I know when I miss my breakfast, particularly during the work week which consist of a tblsp of cod liver oil, whole milk, a grainy cereal of sort, and a banana; I crave sweets. Mentally I kind of feel out of wack for a short period during the day, again I believe related to my missing breakfast. The cod liver oil I ingest is done from Labor Day until Memorial Day because of my living in the north there isn't quite enough Vitamin D I think I need due to the limited sunlight during this time period.
6
It is important to know that in France, the price of a croissant is state regulated ( like for bread ) . The recent raise in the price of butter has seen the price of " Le croissant " surge to 1.15 Euro or approximately 1.30 $ .
That is the price you will pay at a boulangerie all across France.
No more .
Except in a cafe of course .
5
One or two writers here have mentioned that drip coffee produces brain fog while brewed coffee does not. Perhaps it is because drip coffee uses a paper filter. In many cases bleached paper filters.
Making coffee in plastic always was hard for me to understand too. I threw out my Mr. Coffee years ago and replaced it with a French Press.
17
So oysters will help the introverted come out of their shells? Great idea, exxept for the concentrated toxins. What world do you think oysters come from?
7
That is why we have a tradition of eating a wide variety of fresh things in the French culture .
The American culture of processed food and soda is a catastrophy.
Children in France are starting to show obesity because of the American new fashion ( it is cheaper ) to eat everything with sugar
In the USA everything has sugar : the bread has sugar, the mustard has sugar, ketchup has sugar . Sodas drinking at every meal.I personally hate coke and could not eat while drinking that sugary tasting drink.
In South American the US culture of food has already brought a health disaster .
But you are not going to cure a maniaco- depressive with oysters ...Another American flimsy move .Just to make money with a new trend .One wonders how American psychiatrists are educated .I would love to see a US psychiatry medical school program...
17
@JPH
The article clearly stated that nutritive therapies were in addition to not substitutes for appropriate medication and psychotherapy for psychiatric disorders.
4
Ketogenic diet, folks. Read Grain Brain. The science is all there. Processed foods and carbs are driving us nuts. Literally.
12
@Mike
Grain brain is a work of fiction. Most works of fiction do contain factual references - actual persons, places and things. However, the narrative itself is imagined.
Red Pen Reviews is a new organization which provides expert reviews of health and nutrition books, based on scientific accuracy, reference accuracy, and healthfulness.
Grain Brain received a score of 20% for scientific accuracy.
https://www.redpenreviews.org/
The reviewer also had this to say in his conclusion:
"The average person would probably find the Grain Brain program very hard to implement because it requires long-term adherence to an extreme diet."
15
@childofsol
Two points:
First of all, Grain Brain isn't on whatever website you posted above.
Second, you talk about its scientific accuracy, and then quote a clearly subjective opinion. It's simple to implement. If I did, anyone can.
6
@Mike
I just checked and it certainly is reviewed on the website, and it is hardly a “subjective opinion.”
https://www.redpenreviews.org/reviews/
6
It is interesting to me that many of the epidemic-level health crises facing western nations - diabetes, obesity, food allergies and now, apparently, depression - can not only be traced to food and diet, but their timing is connected to the introduction of genetically modified foods into the food supply.
Whether it is the genetic modification itself or the poor quality of the types of foods that are modified I can't say, but there is no scientific evidence that GMO-based foods are safe to eat.
8
@DaveInNewYork
Dave, GMO-based ingredients have been studied more intensely than any non-GMO food. Comparisions of the incidence of certain diseases in the US versus countries where GMO foods are not available are similar.
https://www.nap.edu/catalog/23395/genetically-engineered-crops-experiences-and-prospects
6
I am a mental health counselor & educator who is a strong proponent of nutritive therapies.
I've used research out of Australia and New Zealand to lead workshops on subjects like "food for mood." Unfortunately, U.S. researchers are quite slow to study anything not connected to Big Pharma. But anecdotally, sugary & fried foods can demonstrably affect one's quality of life, including episodic depression. Some psychiatrists have caught on. They recommend snacking on items like full fat yogurt, avocado and nuts to prevent mood dips during the day.
One of the struggles for people living with serious mental illness is poverty. Many folks are unable to work and rely on disability benefits to cover their living expenses. Poverty is a major barrier to healthy eating. Many foods are simply unaffordable. Grocery stores in low-income neighborhoods generally offer the worst quality produce, if at all and frozen items full of pesticides. This can adversely affect health.
More domestic research is required to draw stronger links between nutrition and mental health; and we must offer greater food assistance to disabled people. Higher levels of SNAP assistance ought to be available, as well as access to programs similar to WIC, health bucks and 4-H that are specific to this population. It will make a world of difference. Prevention medicine is far less costly to the U.S. taxpayer than repeat admissions to psychiatric hospitals.
41
This is so important, thanks for posting. Food deserts are a big problem in the poorest neighborhoods of Dallas. Gas stations serve as a substitute for grocery stores.
28
omega is the chemical symbol for the double bond. the number 3 is the location of the double bond from the beginning of the molecule. animals cant make omega 3. the only way animals such as fish have omega 3 is by eating plants like algae that have omega 3. animals cant make omega 3. ads for omega 3 from fish and other animals is a scam to sell expensive supplements. animals cant make omega 3.
4
@david. Fish don’t eat algae?
By and large I support the conclusions in the article. My personal experience with a regimen including mostly fresh non starchy vegetables, fresh fruit, (non-tropical)limited protein, (chicken, fish, pork, beef... Importantly for me is the avoidance of sugar in any of its forms. When combined with regular physical activity and challenging my mind my poor health condition has been turned around and at 76 years of age I no longer have diabetes, lost one hundred fifty pounds, normalized my blood pressure and a have a new positive outlook on life.
40
I would add white flour and limited starch based foods to the foods I avoid. I recognize what I do is not easy, but I've accepted that the alternative, for me is a painful truncated life.
14
@Carey, absolutely. I had all the symptoms of low thyroid, in spite of being on medication with blood tests showing normal, until I cut out all grains. When I did that, my asthma also improved. Some things we need to exclude.
5
It's wonderful if you can eat in the way recommended in this article. Unfortunately, I can't chew, because of loss of most of my palette bone. It takes me hours to cut up a few leafy greens small enough so I can just swallow them. & I refuse to liquify. What I used to love about fruits & veggies was the textures, not so much the flavor.s I eat blackberries & raspberries, because they can be mashed & drink tea with lemon. I have a lot of cheese, which I know isn't great, but at least I can eat it. I also eat tofu, but a little goes a long way.
5
@Jenifer Wolf
Here's a tasty way to "liquify," a fruit and spinach smoothie. Pack a blender jar half-full of raw baby spinach leaves (comes triple-washed in a plastic box). Add sweetened soy milk just to cover. Liquify. Now add a ripe banana, other fruits (I use Dole frozen mixed fruits, thawed), some Yoplait strawberry yogurt, and a bit of sweetener (optional). Liquify until smooth. If thicker than you prefer, add a bit of cold water. A full blender will make three to four glasses. Drink one immediately and refrigerate the rest for up to two days.
3
@GWoo It's not about tasty for me, it's about crunchy. I like veggies to be crunchy, not wet.
2
@Jenifer Wolf
It might be worth trying at least though? There's no reason that you can't both cut up your veg the way you're doing now and supplement with a shake. It's not great to eat all of your veggies as shakes anyway, as some of the benefits come from the indigestable nature of cellulose.
1
Try it!!! I can't overemphasize how important this. I personally need to be careful about what I eat to avoid depression and 'brain fog'. It's rare now, but there was a time when I was totally ignorant about cerebral reactivity. I was fortunate 30 years ago to attend a lecture by a Canadian psychiatrist who linked diet & brain. It took me years to sort out what the brain fog or depression was. In my case, clearly related to inflammation. Swelling in fingers, bottom of my feet or face warn that depression is soon coming, unless I avoid triggers. I'm on it now. The immense relief I felt knowing that depression could be gone within 3 days, if I avoided triggers/possible triggers. Most of the foods on my avoidance list are now commonly considered for food intolerances. (Too much salt also causes water retention, which creates similar problem.) Not easy to figure out, unless you're eating one food at a time. I avoided dairy & soy by using rice or almond milk and still had brain fog, then I chanced upon carrageenan on a list of possible triggers. Yup, me! And recently I realized brewed coffee is fine while drip coffee creates brain fog. Who knows why! Seems to be the last mystery solved. No more brain fog! My advice is if you suspect a causal relationship between food & mood stop eating it/them for 4 days. It's likely you will see an improvement. Eat simply: salad, fish, brown rice, beans, chicken. PS Lecturer was from the Canadian Society for Orthomolecular Medicine (isom.ca)
8
Dr. Ramsey is selling books. There have been no rigorous scientific studies on depression and diet. I love oysters and eating a dozen or two would make me very happy. However, deeply depressed people often have no appetites. In fact, when one is depressed, nothing tastes good anymore, and I’m not just referring to food. Life has lost its flavor.
20
@Maurie Beck
Some depressed people are obese because they eat to try and feel better, and it should be obvious that food affects mood. We are biochemical machines and our fuel determines how well we run.
7
Well, I knew oysters were wonderful, but I didn't realize they were so nutritious and beneficent, too!
2
I have dealt with depression and anxiety, secretly, for most of my life. For the past year I have never felt happier and the ONLY thing that has changed in my life is that I do not eat GMO food and I only eat organic meat from animals that are humanely raised. I do not take supplements and at 60, I feel like I did in my 30's. Pain free, happy and energetic! And I can wear my stilettos again!! Bottom line, our food is so messed up and though it really helps to do as the article says, to truly see the benefits you need to research where you food comes from and learn to cook and grow more of your own. When you eat pure food, you need less. You loose weight, build muscles naturally, you hair gets thicker and your mind is so much happier and your energy increases! If you do not pay attention to where you food comes from, the GMO's, combined with the pesticides (Monsanto, now Bayer!), your body with start blowing up, you will feel tired, depressed and anxious. If you don't believe me just try it for a few months, and Please add fermentation to your routine, It is worth the research and is so easy, especially in a Kefir drink! It will clean not only the bacteria in your gut, it wail reach the ones in you brain and one day you will feel so awake you will not believe it! For the first time I am no longer dealing with the confusion of my dyslexia! It takes time to undo the damage but I promise you will see results. You get what you put into it and we only have one life, on body!!
20
There is no way to humanely raise and slaughter an animal to eat it. On that you are wrong. No animal wants to die for you to eat it.
9
My first thought in reading this very important article is that the Pharmaceutical industry will continue to use their considerable resources to discredit any research done in this area. Much has been written about deficiency diseases and brain health but yet psychiatrists don’t know about anything but drugs .Doctors are routinely told that deficiency disease is rare in this country , a position that is not only unsubstantiated dogma, but defies common sense.The quality of food here is poor compared to European countries that either ban or limit most pesticides. Americans have to be proactive in finding good nutrition availing ourselves of the enlightened studies coming out of other countries -countries with socialized medicine.
19
I am a fifth grader. Since both my parents are in the health field, my household was never filled with beef, pork products, or chips. We would only eat fresh fruit, fish, and vegetables. In fifth grade, you go on a camping trip for a few days. When I went to this camp, the food was different. Nothing was fresh, everything was meat, and chicken. I had headaches every single day. I think my experience shows how it really affects how you feel if you're used to eating a food and you eat something completely different. Your body reacts by saying hey that's different and I want to keep eating food I'm used to so it sends out a reaction like a tummy ache or headache.
180
@5th Grader I am extremely impressed with your thoughtful, well written comment. Good for you for realizing so early that the food you eat directly affects how you feel.
45
I encourage you to keep reading, thinking, and writing. We need your voice, young 5th grader!
28
Thank you @Bea and @Karen for writing such beautiful comments, they really made my day.Thank you also to all you folks that likes my comment. It really makes me feel appreciated. Once again thank you!
19
I just got back from 8 days in the United States. Yesterday, Sunday.
Had a salad for lunch. 4 tomatoes and a baguette cut into pieces. Olive oil, and a tiny bit of vinegar.
With water.
One of the best meals that I have had in about 9 days.
Eating well in France is easy. It happens naturally, via little effort.
29
@David Martin
There are tomatoes, baguettes, olive oil, and vinegar in the U.S. A lot of other good food as well. Surprising that someone with the time and money to fly between Europe and the U.S. finds it difficult to eat well here.
12
@David Martin @childofsol it might be that the soil is the U.S. Is very different...depleted after years of large-scale “farming” with little respect for crop rotation, letting fields lie fallow, etc., I spend a lot of time in France and will will attest to the fact that olive oil, baguettes and tomatoes are WAY better in Europe.
5
@LisaLisa
It would be difficult to address such a sweeping claim adequately here. But to start:
1. Only a fraction of the olive oil consumed in the U.S. originates here. Spain and Tunisia are top suppliers.
2. You've spent time in France. France is not Europe.
3. The U.S. is a huge country and a nation of immigrants. Many of the world's top chefs reside in the U.S. Food quality and variety are not homogeneous, nor are cultural traditions.
3. Access to high-quality food is related to economic class. We can start with basics and go from there: an unripe tomato does not taste as good as a ripe one.
4. Define "better." Freshness? Organic? Nutrient content? Do you have any objective findings?
5. Soil degredation is a problem worldwide.
//www.researchgate.net
/publication/271211775_Soil_Degradation_and_Soil_Quality_in_Western_Europe_Current_Situation_and_Future_Perspectives/download
I'm not saying that you're wrong. But where is the evidence for your statements?
6
Oysters? Better know where they come from. Oysters are filter feeders, and if the water where they are grown is polluted, that pollution will be concentrated in the oysters. Here in Willapa Bay and in near by Grays Harbor, tons of herbicides and pesticides continue to be used right on our shellfish beds. If you want to be healthy, get your oysters from Maine!
19
@Harvest McCampbell
Great advice!
Surprising that the "brain experts" didn't
mention this!
5
The best thing I ever did for myself was to go off sugar a few years ago. It reduced my anxiety, depression, I sleep better, have more mental clarity. My tinnitus is better, even my handwriting. I reduced my antidepressants. If I had done this years ago, I would have had a better life. And by sugar, I include carbs such as pasta. Eggs and veggies for b-fast, fruit in the morning to avoid the post-lunch chocolate cravings, a big salad with nuts, goat cheese, beans and veggies for lunch, more fruit in the afternoon and a relatively normal dinner. Life-changing. And I don't miss the sugar if I keep my blood sugar steady. Try it, you'll never go back. Best thing ever.
31
@Linden S That is awesome but the real culprit is not the flour or the sugar, it is the fact that you are consuming bleach and pesticides. Try organic sugar and Einkorn flour! I eat pasta and sweets and breads that are organic and have lost 30 pounds and my food builds muscle naturally. At 60, I have never felt better in 30 years.
11
I have battled depression for 28 years, and have been through quite a bit, the only anti-depressent that worked reasonably well for me is Wellbutrin. The following foods definitely are mood changers for the worse: chocolate by far the worse, in recent years, nuts, soy, tomatoes, artificial sweeteners and MSG. If you cut out chocolate which is difficult to do, you might find yourself doing much better.
4
Of course food affects mood, but just as there is no science to understanding emotions, in this case also it is the individual who has to work out for him/her self as to which foods affect him/her how and how much.
6
@Nirmal
There actually IS a science understanding emotions.
To have an overview of its (highly interesting) results, see for instance Daniel Goleman's latest book.
And as there is something called "emotional eating", developing your emotional management skills (through scientifically proven techniques) can have a much bigger effect on weight loss and healthier eating than just once again trying the next diet.
In the meanwhile, science already knows a lot about what is healthy food and what isn't. Processed food for instance is very unhealthy, for no matter what individual - but without science, many people would have easily thought the exact opposite.
1
I don't know if I can go along with this theory. Maybe if I were using food as a kind of medicine to treat a specific (mental) illness but, just for regular living, I don't really see much difference in what I eat. In fact, looking back over my eating history, I'd have to say some of my happiest memories are after eating the worst junk food imaginable. But I don't take that as a prescription to keep it going.
What I will say is that changing my diet to a less caloric one by eating more produce has helped me to achieve and maintain a normal BMI and that, without a doubt, has transformed my mood and behavior in a positive way!
8
While I'm sure oysters are an excellent source of vitamin B12, it's not worth the inherent risk of consuming raw oysters (others may think it's worth it).
That said, I've seen many friends and family members who have suffered with chronic depression mitigate symptoms via dietary modifications. I'll be the first to admit I'm addicted to coffee but that same substance for someone who has depression has an entirely different impact on the quality of life.
My husband noticed the roller-coaster ride food plays in his mental health just by following an elimination diet for six weeks.
First, he eliminated unnecessary sugar (what occurs naturally is fine), alcohol (a depressant) and caffeine (stimulant) from his diet. Both his mood and his sleep noticeably improved. In turn, we ate more colorful berries, increased the amount of dark leafy greens, reduced meat consumption (not eliminated). Yes, we have the occasional splurge but it's not often and we're better off for it.
16
I think it may change the way you.feel about the day. You may eat a good you.find gross ave and it will make you feel grossed out about the day
1
I have to say there a lot of different foods that change your feelings about the day. You might be a fast food person and you might eat there and then after have a great day. If you don't eat at all you will act worst of all.😤
2
Fresh fruits and vegetables require a kitchen with a good fridge and the time to chop, slice, peel veggies and fruits. People who are financially challenged have less time and money for this fresh healthy antidepressant lifestyle. Maybe the way to help people out of poverty is to increase food stamps rather than cutting them. It's hard to lift yourself out of poverty if you're chronically depressed.
51
Of course, my grandmother served only fresh vegetables to her kids during the Depression. There was no other kind.
Sometimes a chicken (which she had to pluck). Sometimes chop meat mixed with rice and onions.
She also worked several jobs, made their clothes, made soap, and made wine in the tub.
Among other things.
In Brooklyn. South Fifth Street.
21
@B.
During he Depression, people were still having access to REAL food, and McDonald's didn't exist yet.
It's today that in many American communities, having access to fresh vegetables has become simply impossible, as many studies show ... .
25
@B. My grandfather was so poor, he had no food other than what he could raise or grow in his back yard. Everyone who was physically able during the Depression tried to raise veggies and maybe a few chickens in their yards back then.
So yes, all the food he did eat was fresh. But you can't grow your own broccoli and asparagus if you live in a modern urban setting. Nowadays you need cash money for that.
16
I absolutely agree that our food choices, including portion size, profoundly effects how we feel, but no less important is what we put inside our heads. Emotional nutrition should be included in this conversation for if we think about our minds as a computer then the programs we choose will profoundly determine our emotional results. As the saying goes, 'garbage in garbage out!'
Alan Goldstein
NYC
9
I strongly believe that food may change your mind for a long period. It is even worse when a person does not eat at all. It may make them and for a long period of time.
1
So true! When I eat well I feel well and sleep well. When I overeat sweets or junk I don’t. I get annoyed with myself when I gorge myself. I wish the junk didn’t taste so good & were easier to resist.
17
@Andrea Ubok - keep your blood sugar steady and it will be easier to resist.
1
My doc suggested cutting caffeine to reduce anxiety and it helped. She also said salt might cause some water retention in the brain and contribute to depression. She emphasized”might”, but worth a try.
3
Try it!!! I can't overemphasize how important this is. I personally need to be careful about what I eat to avoid depression. It's rare now, but there was a time when I was totally ignorant about cerebral reactivity. I was fortunate over 30 years ago to attend a lecture by a Canadian psychiatrist who discussed this. It took me years to sort out what the brain fog or depression was. I'm on it now. Not easy to figure out unless you're eating one food at a time. I avoided dairy & soy by using rice or almond milk and still had brain fog. I chanced upon carrageenan on a list of possible triggers. Yup, me! And recently I realized brewed coffee is fine while drip coffee creates brain fog. Who knows why! That seems to have been the last mystery solved. No more brain fog after decades! I have never felt better! My advice is if you suspect a causal relationship between food and mood stop eating it/them for 4 days. It's likely you will see an improvement. The trick is to eat simply, salads maybe chicken, fish, brown rice, during this time. I would suggest everybody try ths for 4 days and see if you feel different, then you can backtrack & figure out whats happening. It can be really life changing! Then get help with it.
11
@kfm, would you by any chance remember the name of the Canadian psychiatrist? thank you
@kfm
Interesting that you mention carrageenan ... I started avoiding sugar because I thought I was feeling depressed after eating sweets. Eventually, I realized it happens only after eating ice cream, which includes carrageenan. Maybe that's my culprit!
I suspect that my food reactivity is inflammation related to the brain, but I've no idea of the mechanism. At its worse my fingers, bottom of my feet & face had inflammation. I can't overemphasize the relief I felt knowing that an intense depression could be gone within 3 days simply by avoiding triggers (or possible triggers). The big difficulty was not knowing what all the triggers were and there being so many of them, which gave rise to failures on my part to avoid them. There seemed to be nowhere to go for help. I did see a couple of well-known MD specialists working in the area of nutrition in Boston in the late 90s, but their focus was on vitamins which didn't seem to be the main issue. Did lots of reading, but it was a long lonely journey. I can't speak for them at all but the psychiatrist I heard lecture 30 years ago was involved with the Canadien Society for Orthomolecular Nutrition. See link for Integrative Psychiatry online courses. The International Society for Orthomolecular Medicine 3-day conference in Vancouver May 3rd to June 2nd. Best of luck!
1
Isn’t this common sense?! Of course what we eats affects how we feel. I can’t believe this is news worthy.
5
Isn't this just plain obvious. You are what you eat. Simple to test... Go eat sugary fast foods and try feel energetic and happy for long...
2
This is common knowledge. Ever hear of the movie Supersize Me? Most people know that food affects mood.
4
Everything in moderation. Including moderation on rare occasions!
4
My grandmother used to say, "You are what you eat." Every spring she and my grandfather planted a vegetable garden the size of an average home's TV room. They reaped the benefits all summer long, then canned for the winter. They were a joyous couple despite quite a bit of struggle in their lives. I've heard those of my generation (I'm 73) say, "Eat the way your grandparents ate." Luckily with farmer's markets and more folks "woke" to the virtues of locally sourced food, we can.
14
So the gist of this piece is that what we eat affects our moods. but each person is different, so there's no single diet plan that works for everyone. My personal experience doesn't support that idea.
I've struggled with this idea of diet and mood for years, trying to find the magic combination of foods that support a healthy and active lifestyle, which in turn makes me happier. But I still get sluggish, go through periods of feeling low or blue, and I find that if I just wait it out, the blues dissipate on their own, regardless of what I eat or do.
Do I hear Krispy Kreme calling my name?
1
@Valerie
Julie M. Simon explains this better than I've ever found elsewhere, in her book "When food is comfort".
She shows how the only way to no longer crave saturated fats and sugar is to develop specific brain networks that are able to produce the chemical substances that those foods give our brain, themselves.
And you develop those networks through practicing seven very specific "self-care" techniques. In other words, you need to develop the seven skills that together form a healthier and SO much more meaningful way of "self-nurturance" or "inner nurturing". They show you how to create, in yourself, an "internal nurturing voice", a voice that is "mature, wise, validating, affirming, unconditionally kind, loving, soothing, comforting, encouraging, protecting, hopeful and helpful".
It's only when we've developed these skills, that we don't need any food anymore to sooth us when we're stressed out, sad, upset etc.
On the other hand, these findings also show why so often, food at best only momentarily makes us feel better ... : what we truly need is an Inner Nurturer.
9
@Ana Luisa
Or just consume naturally fatty foods in the absence of sugar, and then the saturated fat is satiating rather than addicting.
1
I have to say, I feel great when I eat a good New York strip steak. It has just the right consistency for a good chew that's not tough.
Perhaps because I don't get one that often. Spouse is trying to keep me healthy.
7
I strongly believe that not only do some foods affect how you feel when you eat them,but they can affect your mood for the rest of the day. This was already a proven fact, since many people have allergies, they are laktos intolerant, or maybe they just don't like a certain food, which causes them to not feel at their best when eating this food. I found this article to be interestingly helpful, so I thank you for sharing such an incredible story with The New York Times!
8
I completely agree with what you said. It was already known that food could affect how you feel like you said based on your allergies, whether you like the food or not, etc. Thank you for making that a point.
5
I'm so sorry,I meant to write lactose intolerant not laktos intolerant. That was an auto correction. I'm very sorry!
4
I've read extensively on the value of plant based diets and have tried hard to heed the call to eat more vegetables and less meat, dairy and processed foods. I don't like vegetables and fruits much though, I don't have a lot of time to shop for and prepare them, and my brain pines for and demands the bad stuff.
after the past few years of this, I feel depressed and beaten down about all of my food choices. I feel guilty about eating what I want, and when I eat vegetables I mostly feel sullen and deprived a few days after the smugness wears off.
I'm over 50, 25 pounds overweight and pretty much hate and dread all food choices.
12
@just a mom I was pushed into a healthy diet at a young age with an early diagnosi of hypertension. It does take time but it is worth it. You will feel better! Walk! That helps, too.
5
@just a mom
Make one change at a time and just be aware of how you feel. I went gluten-free and loved it immediately (but I'm not obsessive; I'll go to a family occasion and eat some bites of cake). I found a gluten-free raisin bread I love. I limited oils when I found they were causing my stomach aches (except for olive oil). Found crackers that have no oils.
I found the fruits I like and leave the rest, the same with vegies. Buy organic when possible and look for things that are ready, like pomegranate seeds or red cabbage shreds, which are edible out of the package. Look for pasture-raised turkey and chicken, already sliced. I quit cheese when I found a direct relationship to mood and don't crave it since I began eating more avocados. Limit eggs. Found exercise I like (light weights, walking, swimming, easy hiking). Etc.
This has taken several years but I've shed almost four sizes without giving up chocolate. Brain fog has cleared substantially and energy picked up. The experts in the article are right - start slow, see how eliminating or adding back foods make you feel. Listen to your body and as you feed your mitochondria better, your brain will gradually pine for berries. Let yourself off the hook and realize that some foods make you crave them. It you go into it with curiosity and a desire to make the second half of your life all about being more responsive to how you feel, you can actually enjoy getting to know your body.
15
@just a mom. I hear you. I feel your pain. Glad you read the article and took the time to say what so many of us are thinking. It’s hard and some of us will not succeed. I hope you found some nugget here that will inspire you not to give up! Try one thing as someone suggested. For me it’s taking a B12 vitamin daily and trying not to eat french fries. 🤭You’re valuable and deserve to feel better. Your comments touched my heart with their honesty. Rooting for you! It occurs to me that saying “just” a mom is like saying “just” a million dollars. Don’t sell yourself short. You’re doing the most important work on the planet!
7
As this report is brief, there are other resources covering facts about the dangers of pesticides and environmental pollutants not only to human health, including depression, but also the health of all species. As humans are part of that ecosystem-food chain, these toxins are also in our blood too. Those resources for solutions include Food Sleuth Radio with Melinda Hemmelgarn, Pesticide Action Network, Environmental Working Group, Agroecology Greece, La Via Campesina, Organic Seed Alliance, IFOAM, Institute for Responsible Technology, Center for Food Safety. There are many others striving to protect our environment, health and food safety...
17
Eating 36 oysters would sure make me happy-unless they gave me food poisoning.
20
Gut bacteria directly connected to brain immune system. Bad inflammatory producing bacteria send these same messages to the brain and inflammation and damage. Good guy bacteria cause pro- healing less inflammation to be sent. Fiber is very important for good bacteria. Also, plant based diet. Meats, sugars too many calories bad.
8
Thank you, NYT, for bringing more light to this conversation - we really are what we eat, and more likely what we digest. Trouble is, different diets truly do work for different people. Some people do a LOT better avoiding grains, some avoiding animal products, then some people need to eat truck loads of pasture-raised and wild-caught animal products covered in pink himayalan salt to get the right amount of fat and minerals into their bodies to build hormones to make their brains and neuroendocrine systems happy. Then there’s weirdos like me who are compelled to get wildly specific, in order to manage gut issues and autoimmunity (low histamine diet, anyone? It’s a life- and brain-saver for me.) I do well on high amounts of omegas so I supplement a lot, because I’m not eating (and def can’t afford to eat) wild Alaskan salmon every meal of the day. It’s a full time job, figuring out how to eat for one’s own personal health needs, including mental and emotional health. Living in the food environment that’s currently at our fingertips at all times, we’re all kinda starting out with the deck stacked against us.
16
What we eat not only affects how we feel, but how we feel also affects the way we eat.
Emotions are not in themselves the cause of overweight, but rather they would be the way to manage these emotions that cause overweight.
If you eat something in poor condition can cause indigestion that makes you spend the entire day between bed and bathroom and this can affect your mood is easy to understand.
If we eat junk food, along with it we will introduce refined and artificial ingredients, chemicals that can aggravate and produce insomnia, fatigue, stress. However, if our diet is full of healthy foods (fruits, vegetables, fish and fresh food in general ...)to maintain a good mental and emotional state.
3
I think that this article is very accurate because i really believe this very true , its really important what we put inside of our bodies and what we eat i think its very important to keep our selves healthy and if we are healthy i believe we are happy and eating vegetables, fruits , proteins etc . Good healthy fats that in a way we dont even notice the nutrients makes us feel happy.
1
Happiness = Reality - Expectations.
Most of the time, people want something they can't get which makes them depressed. Maybe a breakup, loss of job, illness, business issues, etc.
Either increase reality or easier way decrease expectations.
Few few people may benefit from food and medications, but for most, it's how you manage your mind.
2
@HR. Well wasn’t that easy. Now we all know what to do. Fixed.
2
@Ginger
HR has a great point. Not easy to do!
1
I think it is also important to note that taking supplements to compensate for nutrients missed in a poor diet is not adequate nutrition. There are many micro-nutrients that are missed by taking a pill that advertises itself as an adequate substitution for a processed foods diet. In addition, animals raised by big-ag are also lacking in the micronutrients found in grass fed meats, pastured or wild poultry, and wild fish (e.g. not factory farmed fish). And yes, your retort might be that this is an unaffordable diet. Eat less meats, more plant- based foods, including whole grains — make meat a condiment on the plate. Medical bills and illness later in life become minimal. There are overall rewards.
16
I love this emphasis on nutrition as a means to good health. Unfortunately, many of my own psychiatric patients can not afford fresh fruits and vegetables. The average food budget can purchase many more calories in the form of cheap carbohydrates.
22
"Those on a meat-free diet may also need to take supplements to provide missing nutrients. “Some of the key nutrients for the brain, like long chain omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin B12, are simply not found in vegetable only diets,” says Dr. Deans."
That seems to be false.
There is at least one plant that can easily provide all the B12 we need, and that's nori (as used in sushi):
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4042564/
1
@Ana Luisa
Humans in general are adapted to eat a whole foods omnivorous diet, requiring both plant and animal nutrients. For example, humans are adapted to get our B12 from animal foods. Dr. Deans is right on target when she says that these nutrients are missing from or more difficult to absorb from a vegan diet.
7
@The Pooch
1. As you can see in the quote above, we're talking about "vegetarians", not "vegans". Vegans don't eat any animal products, vegetarians do, remember?
2. There's nothing in nature indicating that digestive systems that CAN eat lots of different things, SHOULD eat them. So no, you can't conclude from the fact that we have the constitution of an omnivore that by definition eating both plants and animals would be the healthiest diet.
3. Our intestines are perfectly designed to absorb B12 from nori, which is a plant, as the study above shows. We also absorb B12 from other plats (beans, for instance). The problem here, however, is that the quantity of B12 is too low for what we need.
4. You can't reject a scientific study without reading nor refuting it. Saying some things "in general" (= giving your own, subjective opinion) never refuted any scientific study ... ;-)
5
@Ana Luisa
Mostly spouse keeps me vegetarian or, at best, with an occasional fish and sometimes chicken.
I feel healthier -- much more energetic -- when I eat a good steak.
Truly.
5
Exercise too!
7
Hmmm.
I told a psychiatrist years ago that my eating habits (which would vary depending on the level of stress I was under) definitely affected my mood.
He had nothing to say, and we never discussed it afterwards.
I ended up not seeing him anymore - or anyone else.
8
As a long-time vegan, I was thrilled to see this article in the New York Times, which lately has been very disappointing when it comes to its articles on nutrition. Unfortunately, as I expected, the article eventually got around to voicing some contrary views and caveats, whether or not they are really warranted.
It stands to reason that if you are eating healthier food, you are going to be healthier, and your mood is going to be improved.
Vitamin B12 is available as a supplement, and it is common for vegans to take this. Long chain Omega 3 fatty acids are also available as a supplement. There are also plant-sources of Omega 3s such as ground flax seeds that the body can convert into long chain omega 3 fatty acids.
11
@Dan Frazier
Multiply those servings of flax seeds by ten to get the same usable omega-3s as a small serving of sardines or oysters.
6
52-year-old happy, energetic vegan (since 1996) agrees!
5
Instead of seeking a "nutritional psychiatrist" or "food coach", take responsibility for your health by getting in touch with your own body. Cook your meals using the best ingredients you can find and see how your body reacts to different foods. There is no quick fix or "expert" that is going to provide the same care or a solution, everyone is guessing at this point. Where are the scientific controls? The for profit "food" industry is combining ingredients from all corners of the world where thousands of hands are involved in the process. Today, eating can be deadly, both immediate and over time, because much of the food is making us sick. I have empathy for the overworked who don't have the time to cook for themselves and have to rely on big companies
7
@Jeff M
With all respect, your last sentence contradicts your first sentence ... .
Either you have "empathy", and then you focus on all the reasons why people aren't eating in a healthy way today, but then you cannot but applaud the fact that at least some of them are seeking professional help. OR you imagine that we're all "atoms" floating around in space, and who can't provide substantial help to each other, and in that case, moral commands such as "take responsibility" is indeed about the best you can do, when it comes to giving advice.
And there's not only the overworked who don't have the time. Many poor and middle class people live in neighborhoods where fresh, unprocessed foots are almost absent, and where most shops don't even sell fresh fruits and vegetables.
And then there's what is probably the most important cause of the record high rate of obesity in the US today: "comfort food".
People are SO stressed out by the way we decided to organize our economy, culture and society, that the only way still available to lower all those harmful stress hormones in their brain is to literally take in chemical substances that at least temporarily lower them: saturated fats, sugar and alcohol.
Telling those people to "take responsibility" is absurd. As Julie M. Simon has shown (in her book "When food is comfort"), you do need an ALTERNATIVE way to calm down your brain FIRST, before stopping these habits is actually "good" for you.
See the wonderful overeatingrecovery.com.
7
Oysters! with a nice mineral white burgundy or Oregon Pinot Gris!
Nice oyster knife by the way. Were can I buy one!
5
You can get a good oyster shucking knife at Williams Sonoma. williams-sonoma.com
3
Maybe that's why I'm always so happy eating oysters
8
I guess this readership is too young to remember what raw oysters were recommended for during the 20th century😳
15
@Ed Franceschini
And earlier!
5
How is this even a question?
5
A murky subject. The multiplicity of anecdotes and the diversity of opinions (in the comments here as in general) is itself strong evidence that we don't really understand the effects of diet.
Having said that, basic common sense indicates that a healthy diet, proper sleep and daily exercise will help a lot of people feel better.
7
You left out the primary reason for our poor nutrition, the economic reality of the food industry. Processed foods, based on bulk staples like flour and corn, are nearly all without exception based on high carb content, and poor nutrient levels. This was the industrial compromise to producing and distributing enough calories for humans to consume, which was the problem that previous generations faced -- survival. To come out of the survival mindset into the quality of life mindset will directly require compete and total repudiation of our major food industries and food supply chains. You can't talk about this without realizing the economics of big food are all messed up.
68
Most people have some awareness of their blood glucose following their meals. We would do well to pay attention to how that also effects our moods and productivities.
Having lower blood sugars appear to make one more alert. You don't get more done by stuffing yourself.
To say nothing of the alcohol many people include in their diets. Not only immediate effects but longer term alertness and mood changes.
4
Does what we eat affect how we feel? Two word answer: "Comfort Food"
4
Anecdotal, I know. But when I changed to a low-carb diet, my joints felt much better and my depression lifted.
13
When I eliminated meats and dairy, my joint pain and chronic fatigue symptoms were greatly reduced. One size does not fit all.
12
Generally on point. Yet, those who continue to advocate eating sentient beings (oysters, beef, chickens, fish & other meat) are way off base. It’s hard to believe these pseudo scientists have yet to figure out that many of our long term cultural habits are now negatively impacting human health.
1
@GLO Read the facts. There are nutrients that only digestion of sentient beings provides. Your body is perfectly enabled and designed to digest sentient beings, such as your teeth and your stomach acids. The digestion of sentient beings also provides much needed protein to our diets. Nature has always included carnivores, and the presence of top level carnivores, large mammals, are the best indication that any ecosystem is thriving. So your assessment of negatively impacting human health is based on false information and is not generally valid.
12
@Agent GG
Uh ... you call that "facts" ... ?
You seem to ignore that during 90% of the period that there was life on earth, it wasn't carnivore at all ... ?
And that whether a specific species is herbivore, carnivore or omnivore depends on its own constitution, not on what happens in "nature" in general?
And that many large mammals (elephants, for instance) are herbivore?
And that homo sapiens is omnivore, physically, not carnivore?
And that plants provide the exact seem "much needed proteins" to human beings as meat?
And then there's the fact that the word's population is expected to stagnate by the end of this century, at about 11 billion people. We will HAVE to become mainly vegetarian in order to be able to feed so many people.
"Mainly" vegetarian does mean that we will be able to eat meat once in a while though, IF we decide to do so, according to our own, subjective opinion about eating animals (plants today are already known to be "sentient" too).
4
@GLO
OK, I can grant that some mammals qualify as "sentient," but fish consciousness is iffy at best and oysters, extremely doubtful!
3
My former hairdresser, now a nutritional psychiatrist suggested a 30-day beer, pizza and ice cream cleanse. I now not only feel great, but have a less toxic relationship with my parents.
36
I'm super surprised this article didn't mention SUGAR. The presence or absence of refined sugars in people's diets has a big effect on their moods and mental health. Check out neuroscientist Susan Pierce Thompson for writings on the effect of sugar on our brains.
30
@Sarah GM
Agreed. Sugar is just plain toxic. If nothing else, it is a cause of inflammation.
7
As a nutritional psychiatrist myself, it's wonderful to see coverage of this topic in the NYT. Yes, food matters to brain chemistry. The question is: which dietary changes are worth making, and why?
I wish the article had included mention of root causes, particularly insulin resistance (IR)--persistently high insulin levels that drive most chronic diseases. The science connecting IR with Alzheimer's disease is robust, and emerging science points to IR as an important factor in psychosis, bipolar disorder, autism and other mental illnesses.
Eating more fruits, veg, grains and legumes or avoiding animal foods (all recommendations stemming from unscientific epidemiological studies) will not help those with IR, and the majority of us now fall into this high-risk category. Lowering insulin levels using low-carbohydrate or ketogenic diets are powerful metabolic interventions that deserve clinical trials.
The "Mediterranean" diet is the only diet properly tested so far; was it (modestly) helpful because of what it contained (olive oil, nuts, etc.), or what it discouraged (processed foods)?
The signature ingredients of modern diets that drive disease are not meat and saturated fat, which we've been consuming since time immemorial, but rather refined carbohydrates and refined seed oils, which promote inflammation, oxidation, and insulin resistance. Removing processed foods is therefore paramount.
Detailed argument here if curious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXlVfwJ6RQU
61
@Georgia Ede MD Your statement..."The signature ingredients of modern diets that drive disease are not meat and saturated fat" is woefully dated here in the US. If we were sourcing and ingesting the same meats and saturated fats (and same amounts and ratios in relation to veggies/legumes), from "time immemorial", I would agree. But here in the US we cannot purchase and source unadulterated animal proteins unless we raise and slaughter the animals ourselves. So, your hypothesis could stand, provided these proteins were not as tainted and contaminated as they are.
7
@ScottB I agree that the quality of most foods we eat today--meat, seafood, poultry, fruits, vegetables, grains, etc.-- has been negatively affected by the industrialization of our food supply. Feed lots, fish farms, monocrop agriculture, pesticides, chemical fertilizers, genetic modification...
18
@Georgia Ede MD
1. We've certainly not been consuming such huge amounts of meat and saturated fat before the 20th century, and it's almost impossible to find a country today that consumes them as much as the US.
2. Most human cultures occasionally ate meat, historically, but cultures that don't also eat fruits and vegetables have been quite rare
Conclusion: we ignore what a diet of lots of meat and saturated fat without any processed foods and without a serious amount of fruit and vegetables would do, as we've never been able to study this kind of societies in the first place. So maybe, as you say, "ketogenic diets deserve clinical trials", but that also means that THAT is were science stands today: WE DON'T KNOW, we need scientific research about this kind of diet before we can advise omnivores to live as is they were carnivores ...
4
So sad!
Doctors exhibiting hubris recommending food is sadly akin to CPA's providing investment advice and lawyers charging for business advice.
What informed "doctor" would recommend anyone eat oysters? Let alone US based animal protein. These guys build a career, aka a "practice" while they apply their opinions in areas they have no idea. They cite clinical studies for medical treatment and then provide opinions on what to eat!
2
@ScottB What's wrong with oysters?
5
@Mike: beta-methylamino-L-alanine
I didn't realize that oysters were high in vitamin B12. While studying depth psychology (psychotherapy), I discovered that a B-complex vitamin pill at bedtime, and especially B12, makes my dreams more vivid, colorful and easier to remember.
1
Long ago, as a new mother, I took Brewer's yeast---full of B vitamins---and vivid dreams remembered in the morning (key is remembering them).
Simple solutions rarely catch the imagination of people !Especially,those that ask you to take responsibility for yourself !
4
Oysters are disgusting. Just looking at them is depressing. My advice: avoid them at all costs. Have a carrot.
10
@Eddie
Oh sure. I'll eat carrots and watch my blood sugar skyrocket. I'm a diabetic and oysters are a better choice for me. They're so slimy and delicious as they slip down one's gullet. Add a little horseradish and lemon and , WOW! So good. I think I'm going to get a couple of dozen for lunch...right now.
24
@John Can I have some too?
3
@Eddie
I have to admit that I absolutely adore them ... :-)
Their taste is exquisite, very intense and very sophisticated at the same time - a combination that you rarely find in nature.
And notice how utterly erotic they look - all while being extremely healthy.
2
It doesn’t seem like the effects of socioeconomic status were considered in this study. There’s a correlation between how much money you have, whether you’re eating canned, fresh or any fruits and vegetables and overall mental health.
38
"One of the first randomized controlled trials to test whether dietary change may be effective in helping to treat depression was published in 2017. In the study, led by Felice Jacka, a psychiatric epidemiologist in Australia, participants who were coached to follow a Mediterranean diet for 12 weeks reported improvements in mood and lower anxiety levels. "
This study was far too small, and with too imprecise a metric, to mean anything.
4
So much noise around fruit and vegetables and grains. They are great but not enough. Why do you think the article opened with oysters? Nutrient dense animal sourced foods are WAY higher in all important fat soluble vitamins (and in easily absorbed form).
Our culture’s inertia down the “fruit, vegetables, and grains will save us” path is seemingly unstoppable.
10
@Ryan Your hypothesis is incorrect. Ask any top level athlete, scientist who has done the research, doctor(s) who knows(s )better, or anyone who, for health reasons or choice, gave up such hard to process not necessary animal proteins.
4
Unfortunately we have anecdotal evidence to support both sides. Not sure how to resolve that...
1
@Ryan
Actually, meat produces much more toxins in our intestines (they're dead, after all ...), which makes it more difficult for our body to process them than plants, especially knowing that plants come with lots of healthy bacteria and fibers that help our transit all while having much less toxins.
That certain meat proteins are easier available than certain plant proteins CHEMICALLY doesn't mean that they're better for us BIOLOGICALLY (= the entire process leading up to freeing those proteins).
And then there's the fact that we'll never be able to feed 11 billion people (= end of the 21st century) with a meat-based diet, so whether we like it or not, we will have to actively switch to a 90% vegetarian, 10% meat diet sooner or later.
By the way, what does "inertia" have to do with this?
2
Religion
"And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you" Deuteronomy 14
Science
"They are rich in vitamin B12, he said, which studies suggest may help to reduce brain shrinkage. They are also well stocked with long chain omega-3 fatty acids, deficiencies of which have been linked to higher risk for suicide and depression. "
3
@SXM
Real life: many fat fish (salmon etc.) are having lots of long chain omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12 too, so maybe that explains why Jews who respected ancient eating advice are still around today too ... ? ;-)
And then we're not yet talking about the fact that at the time, hygienic conditions were quite horrible, so eating meat was a much bigger health risk than eating (fresh) fish.
and... exercise!
5
I believe that genetics and upbringing/nurturing, make up the hand we're dealt.
Choosing to eat as wisely as we can, would seem to be one of the ways we can play that hand well.
10
It's called "comfort food" for a reason.
5
Vegans can get B12 from nutritional yeast, or by taking a supplement.
7
@Jess exactly. I have been following a Plant-Based/Vegan diet for over a year and my B12 levels are perfectly normal. I take a supplement.
2
Everyone’s metabolism is different. Trail and error is the way to find what works for you. But it is pretty clear that sugar, caffeine, alcohol and white flour will play havoc with most anyone’s mood. They are also the most addictive substances. If you can eliminate them, you have gained more control over what else you consume that might be “real food.” Add lots of plain water to reduce dehydration and see what that does for your state of mind and body.
5
historians note that Caesar
conquered Gall on nothing
but anchovy pizza
and sweet red wine
*
while his men
a sad moping lot
subsisted on salt
vinegar and radishes
*
you can't comfort
anybody with apples
but give them a swig
of apple brandy
*
for best results
*
America needs more
White Castle
and less
kale
*
you ever see a sad person
in White Castle?
if you start to cry
they kick you out
*
a Sunday bowl of menudo
covers a lot of turmoil
and watermelon pickles
cured me of teenage angst
*
there are more old chefs
than there are old doctors
and ketchup will be
making a comeback
*
any day now
42
First good poem I have ever seen in these threads
10
And ever since, Gaul has been connected with gall. Revelation!
1
Yes, but what does it do to one's gall bladder? :)
Meh, not so much. Mostly low quality/anecdotal evidence presented here. The danger here is gaslighting of patients by physicians... “you are not depressed, you are just not eating enough purple carrots [insert fad food du jour]”
7
You are what you eat , my mantra.. Also never ever eat a supermarket egg.
4
@Emma Graf
What’s wrong with supermarket eggs? What’s the alternative?
1
A connection between food and mood? Ya think? Eat only fruit for a week, and you will know what feeling good really means.
4
Of course what we eat effects how we feel. What ridiculous obtuseness to think otherwise.
5
@richard
It's not that obvious to a large number of people.
5
Oysters cost many times more than sardines.
Sardines have 338% of vit b12.
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=147
32
@s.whether
But oysters taste 100 times better.
17
Yeah, but.... I LOVE oysters. The raw, slimy ones you slurp out of the shell. They taste like the ocean. The smoked ones in the can are delicious too. But sardines? Yuck! I know they are very good for me. I tried them once and almost vomited. I wish I liked them because I know they are beneficial. I do give them to my dog every so often and she loves them. But me? I’ll stick with the raw oysters, which I know gross out many people, but remain a delicacy for me. I’ll buy six at Whole Foods, and stand at the kitchen sink, shucking and slurping my way to ecstasy.
6
@Annie Eliot, I am with you on raw oysters! Love'em.
I also like sardines, but I understand your distaste for them.
If you have not already done so, may I suggest you try the "Tiny Tots" brand of sardines by King Oscar.
They are very small sardines with a great taste, in my opinion. I like a can of them with a good sandwich that has a large slice of onion and a cold beer.
I purchase my "Tiny Tots" in packs of 12 cans. I believe you can get them via Amazon.com. I have never seen them sold by the can in my local grocery stores.
4
I sure hope that my health insurance company doesn't cover nutritional psychiatry.
6
I find it hard to believe that the advice and study results described in this article are news to anyone these days. Fruits and vegetables good for your body, which includes your brain? Wow! Who knew?
5
an article about eating more fruits and vegetables start out with eating 36 oysters. hmmm.
7
Agree wholeheartedly with this article.
There are websites with fast, good, easy, healthy recipes. Google "fastgoodeasy".
3
It's so very human to focus solely on ourselves. Of course, our happiness and health are important, but what if we thought for a moment about the impact our choices have on others, or on the planet, the environment? We'd see that each steak, each chicken sandwich, each filet of fish, each egg, and each glass of milk, was once, or came from, an individual who suffered unimaginably to become food or to have their eggs and milk stolen. And, that process of breeding, raising, transporting, and slaughtering those individuals is a major cause of climate change and environmental degradation. But we are humans, and if they taste good, we eat them, and we focus on our happiness. What if we thought about how animals feel, too, when we make our food choices?
11
It s not only important, what one eats, but also how does one eat it.
Every society, from the hunters-gatherers, cannibals and to the European aristocracy, had and has it's set of rules about the taking of food and table manners.
4
After a particularly bad recovery from surgery a few years ago, my body literally rejected foods I had previously enjoyed. The most dramatic was the revulsion I felt at the sight of dairy products. I have now been dairy (and meat) free for 3 years and have never felt better. My depression did not improve much, but feeling physically better certainly helps my mood. Food is a powerful force.
8
In the 70’s, as a young man, athlete and major meat and potatoes kinda guy, I was often depressed. Then four things changed that:
I saw an article in the new Mother Earth News titled “You Are What You Eat”. Duh! Just the title made sense to me!
Then I saw the title of a book of humorous drawings “Never Eat Anything Bigger Than Your Head”. Funny but also made sense to me.
And I became the manager of a small farm and took the opportunity to grow my own including raising meat, killing, and butchering it. A tough job.
I also had a large vegetable garden and used the Rodale book for guidance. I began a very balanced diet low on meat because it was so hard to produce.
That made such a positive difference in my life that I left meat and potatoes forever.
I also left the farm for an extended assignment in India. I took one look at the scraggly beef walking around and went vegetarian.
I still got depressed but very rarely and for good reasons.
However, I get depressed more frequently now since Trump was “elected”. I’m hoping for a change in 2020. Vegetables can only get you so far. 😀
434
Yes, quick !
Find me a diet that can offset Trump-induced trauma!
41
I’m proud for you that you haven’t lost your sense of humor! Keep at it.... I know how you feel!
About diet and depression: Start with cutting back on added salt and sugar. Add fruit to cereal and oatmeal and salads. I buy bags of frozen unsweetened fruit and only take out what I need for a meal which cuts back on spoilage. I like plain, fat free Greek yogurt mixed with unsweetened applesauce and unsweetened fruit cups. Doesn’t need to be radical. Small changes at first can lead to bigger success as you try new things and your tastes change. And it does help! You will feel good for trying!!
13
"whole-grain mediterranean diet"- ROFL. All around the Med, people stay away from whole grains as a matter of course. However, they generally do know how to cook, respect their veggies, and do know how to enjoy a meal. Certainly important factors.
10
Considering the costs of oysters and therapists, it’s enough to keep nearly all of us depressed. However, if some well-funded research entity wants to do a study separating the effects of both, I’m ready to volunteer.... on the free oyster side.
I guess it’s fun to wallow in the great sea of dietary pronouncements, and rewarding to do experiments on yourself as the very most biased observer, but all this is symptomatic of folks seeking faith in something controllable. Something like today’s article claiming that organizing your stuff will calm one’s frenetic, scattered life. Who’s to judge; just pass those bivalves over here.
7
Stopping watching or reading the news also helps lower depression and anxiety. Along with several servings of fruits and vegetables, of course.
20
Your headline is basically true if qualified.
While eating healthy can make you feel better and vice versa it is not a cure all for all illnesses just a basic start.
You can eat like Jack LaLanne, the health food/exercise guru and still suffer from anxiety, depression and just about any other illness.
5
Healthy eating boosts my mood, as did switching from coffee to tea.
3
Millions of people have known about the powerful effects of a plant-based diet for so many years, and it is extremely heartening and thrilling to see articles and studies like this that are absolutely proving that what the long ago naturopaths have been telling us is the truth! I love you, New York Times!!!
3
Feeling somewhat depressed: Swiss Cheese (the imported, real thing) and dark chocolate (read the label first).
1
How anyone could eat 36 oysters over one weekend is beyond me. Frankly, it sounds poisonous and dangerous. Six, maybe, but not 36! My preference is three or four with a lovely vodka cocktail of some sort.
7
The hypothesis, that food can affect how we feel, is ripe for a clinical trial,
5
Once again "science" playing catch-up with common sense and tradition is presented as an exciting new field! Doctors and celebrity chefs aren't needed to figure out what food makes you happy or sad. Just eat it and see. But then some folks have more money than brains.
6
The food you eat provides the raw materials that form your body tissues. Your brain is basically made of fat. That is, brain tissue is very rich in lipids, and the composition of neural lipids varies a lot depending on the types of fats you eat. It's extremely likely that a lack or imbalance of dietary fats contributes to mental health issues.
8
Millions of obese binge eaters cannot be wrong. Carbs give the brain a rush of dopamine. You don't often find people bingeing on fruits and salad. Those carbs, no matter how short-lived, give the mind a respite from bad feelings. That is why it is so difficult for some people to lose weight:self medication. And I'm talking processed carbs. Your body wants to use glucose first, that is the form of energy that is most easily utilized. I am not saying that any of the science in this article is wrong. A balanced diet is obviously important. But white flour and sugar have a hold on us for a reason. It goes beyond taste.
8
@kr
Indeed. Sometimes a bag of Doritos is so satisfying. Also absolutely terrible for you, of course.
2
@kr
Quick, lock the kitchen cabinets. Obese binge eaters are coming for the flour and sugar.
In reality, those irresistible "carbs" come with a lot of bagagge. Fat, at nine calories per gram. Chips, french fries, pizza, ice cream, cookies, fried rice, pasta swimming in fat-based sauces....
Here is an interesting study:
Association between dietary energy density and incident type 2 diabetes in the Women’s Health Initiative
As dietary energy density increased, total calories increased, and fat accounted for almost all the increase in calories. Those with the most energy-dense diets also consumed more sugar. However, sugar replaced other carbohydrates and those who had the lowest energy density, lowest energy intakes, and highest consumption of carbohydrates were less likely to have diabetes.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5409868/
Fresh fruits and vegetables need to be grown on well tended soil. It is possible to eat what appears to be a good diet and still not get the nutrients that you need from your food because the soil was depleted.
Better living through chemistry and vapid white bread started post WWII...it is simply not true.
5
@SW Exactly, which is why regenerative agriculture techniques are gaining in use throughout the U.S. (already advanced in other areas like Canada). As a bonus, these techniques sequester carbon, thus fighting climate change while giving us healthier soil and food.
1
I haven't yet read all the comments and feel that I must first mention Anne Marie Colbin, whose book Food and Healing (1986), lays out in detail why and how food is fundamental to our health. It changed my life. I was already eating healthfully, pretty much as she and this article recommend, but after cutting out all processed foods (hard to do, harder with small children I had 5 years later), my body bloomed, and I established, and have never lost, a simple sense/reaction to whatever I eat.
I'm lucky - in my late 60s I take zero meds - and I don't think all my good health comes from my diet, but I'll never make the experiment of going back to processed dreck to find out. If you stay away from it for a few weeks, you'll feel it's poison.
Intro to Colbin:
https://naturalgourmetinstitute.com/remembering-annemarie-colbin/
Annecdote: my sister, when a teen, private and introverted, became, unbeknownst to anyone, dangerously hypoglycemic. She had hallucinations, was nearly anorexic, frightened. One doc diagnosed her as schizophrenic. My parents took her to a forward-thinking psychiatrist who put her on vitamins and protein-rich foods. She was "normal" within a month, but still the quirky artist she always was, and is. Witnessing the power of food on mental and physical health opened my eyes when I was young.
Besides, fresh food tastes better!
17
Immediately after my traumatic brain injury 6 years ago, I noticed that I felt better when I ate healthy, whole foods. I struggle to stick to a strict diet. I love all foods! From leafy greens to hot dogs and especially wine and cocktails. So, everyday I aim to eat mostly fresh veggies and fruit and plenty of proteins in the form of meat, eggs, beans and cheese. I start the day with a big salad with protein. Many days I succeed, but not all. I still struggle to manage anxiety and depression related to the injury. I definitely feel happier and calmer when I eat my ideal diet, but it is time, money and work to stick to it. And there are so many tasty (unhealthy) treats in the world to compete with.
9
@Kendra Kurihara
I am sorry about your traumatic brain injury. Dr. Dale Bredesen at UCLA is not a nutritionist or a doctor specializing in treatment of traumatic brain injury, but he specializes in treatment of early Alzheimer's patients by lifestyle changes. His protocol centering on 26 therapies, mainly diets and supplements, are so far most effective in restoring cognition, executive function and memory than any medicines sold. I recommend reading his book, "The End of Alzheimer's" in order for you to understand, inflammation, nutrition and brain physiology.
https://www.ahnphealth.com/dr-bredesen.html
Richard Schiffmans article is inspirational however I suggest before Dr. Deans, instructor of psychiatry, makes statements about vegetarian diets and vitamin B12 that she read through the vitamin B12 research papers in the New England Journal of Medicine.
2
@BJ I've been vegan for 3 years and have a well-balanced diet. My GP was alarmed that my B12 levels were so low that they didn't even register on the chart. After a month of B12 shots, my levels rose. Now I take supplements daily, but will not eat meat again, despite it being the best source of B12.
1
A question - When making pizza at home, I use fresh, sliced Kumato tomatoes instead of pizza sauce - it's easier than making sauce and tastes really good. The article says vitamins B & C are vulnerable to heat degradation. So, in baking the pizza, am I losing the nutritional value of the tomatoes and other toppings to the point where they wouldn't count in the recommendations the article cites?
Pretty simple: cut out the sugar and artificial sweetener and all processed foods.
12
Be careful not to confuse correlation with causation. People who deliberately or unconsciously select unusual diets, whether those touted for their healthy attributes or those that simply satisfy the innate craving for sweet, salt and fat, may be expressing dissatisfaction with other aspects of their lives. Dietary deficiency may be more of a clinical symptom than a root cause.
19
@John Walker
Yeah, like diabetes.
My current diet consists of eggs (2 to 3 daily), salmon, tuna, chicken, sometimes ground beef or steak, and small amounts of whole grain bread, brown rice, and potatoes with the skin on. I take a multi-vitamin a couple times a week. No veggies (I hate them, to the point of literally gagging when I try to get them down) and no fruit (love them but the effect of sugar on my moods is horrifying and lasts for days).
I wake up naturally between four and five a.m., never feel the need for a nap after lunch, and regularly walk several miles in the morning. My mental clarity is fantastic and my moods are steady and positive.
The carb-heavy diet recommended here would quickly have me returning to the days of crippling fatigue, emotional volatility, depression and hormonal roller-coasters.
I'm all for treating depression (and other conditions) with dietary changes, and I know from my own experience that even just getting the highly processed, overtly sugary foods out of one's diet can make a difference for people, but carb-heavy diets, no matter what the source of the carbs, are never going to do for the brain (and the moods) what a low-carb diet high in protein and fat will do.
8
@Kristin Glad it worked for you, but everyone is different and nothing works for everyone. Being truly depressed makes it hard to eat anything many times, and all my energy can go to just getting up, eating breakfast and trying to get through my day. I don't have the energy to play around with cooking or deciding what to eat. If it's there I'll eat it.
7
@Kristin
Glad this works for you but doubt it'd work for everyone. I prefer nutrients and fiber from fresh veg and fruits, and quality plant and animal protein, and healthy fats.
4
And is that working for you? It sure doesn't sound like it is.
1
I stopped eating sugar 19 years ago and have never looked back. I do, from time to time, use Stevia -and only Stevia- because it does not trigger me in any way. I also find, too, and this is just me - that when I am in a restaurant while everyone else is eating dessert it is very important that I have a cappuccino with a bit of Stevia in it so that there is something in front of me and I am not feeling deprived. Maybe this suggestion will help someone else - so thought I would pass it along!
36
@kkm I don’t eat much sugar at all, but I tried Stevia once for three days in my coffee and put on five pounds! Gave it a break and then repeated my little test, with the same results. I drink my coffee black now.
Stop blaming the patient -- it may be a different diet causing the psychiatric symptoms, not a healthier diet. I was eating the "healthiest" I've ever eaten in my life and I had an undiagnosed sensitivity to dairy and high histamine foods. I had huge swings in blood pressure and heart rate, not to mention, anxiety. The real issue: doctors know nothing about nutrition: "I didn't study it in medical school". I know more about nutrition than most doctors. How scary is that? And allergists? They're even worse. They only know about food sensitivities that register on your skin. They won't even talk to you about any other food sensitivity. As such, the medical establishment is completely unable to diagnose food-related sensitivities. Stop blaming the patient. Focus your editorial on the root source: the medical community and their old-timey training.
18
@anonymouse I asked my internist about his nutritional training in medical school and he said it was a "couple of classes." That is just bizarre and incomprehensible to me. And yes, it is scary. What you put in your body has definite effects on how you feel and how you live your life. Docs should get at least a full year of classes. Maybe they wouldn't be so quick to prescribe all those pills!!
9
Many elderly people are depressed. If this study is correct, then feeding them food with little or no nutritional value at nursing homes, hospitals, and assisted living facilities should be considered a crime. My mother-in-law resided at an assisted living facility in Edison, NJ. Her insurance paid the facility $6000.00 per month and what did they feed her? Iceberg lettuce, canned dressings, canned vegetables, canned fruit and other processed foods. These multi-million dollar conglomerates could afford to serve better food for what they charge their residents. I read that the average stay in a nursing home is 2 years before they die. I'm sure the lack of proper nutrition has a lot to do with that.
569
@Phil M
AMEN, AMEN, AMEN!!!!!
Add to this that as we age our enzymes are depleted so it becomes harder to digest carbohydrates and food additives.
42
@Phil M
Agreed. Before retiring I was the Dir. of a similarly-priced Assisted Living in Boulder CO, which is Portlandia on steroids. So it was ironic that, like your mother-in-law's place, not only was the food as you describe, the building was toxic with fluorescent lighting in the general areas, electrical wiring similar to that shown in the movie "Brazil" to accommodate complex automatic systems, cleaning products used so liberally were extremely harsh, pesticides were sprayed in the grounds at regular interals, and because the turnover is so frequent, replacing carpets in apartments and painting between residents filled the air with noxious aromas.
I was too low on the totem pole to influence the big wigs, but I agree that everyone (staff and residents) would have been happier and healthier if this harmful environmental would have been addressed.
34
@Robin I never thought of all that noxious stuff in institutional settings. I think I’d last a week.
13
For thousands of years people have praised eating wheat. It was treated as a perfect food. Now it is time to re-discover it. A bag of organic wheat berries and a $200 wheat grinder is a worthwhile investment for anyone looking to eat a heathy diet.
5
@Allan
Agreed. Unfortunately, there are many people, especially here in California, who will tell you that wheat is poison. I try to explain that maybe they are just sensitive to it, but they are adamant.
4
@Allan how is it the perfect food? It's really not.
2
@James Kling I've been eating it for 4 years now. I lost 20 pounds and 4 inches off my wast when i started. By adding Einkorn to the Hard Red Wheat my dry eyes have gone away and I get "sand" in my eyes, Just like i did when a child.
It has eliminated all my craving for junk foods.
America is tragedy after tragedy and one of these is to grow mountains of wheat and then to destroy it completely before it gets to the table.
3
[[Only one in 10 adults meets the minimal daily federal recommendations for fruit and vegetables — at least one-and-a-half to two cups per day of fruit and two to three cups per day of vegetables.]]
People have to learn how to cook.
Knowing how to cook improves the way you think about and shop for food. If you don't know how to cook, then probably the only way you can imagine eating vegetables or plants is in a salad, and the idea of eating three cups of salad a day - every day - seems boring and impossible to most people
12
@Third.coast,
There are plenty of lapsed cooks in our midst who have long placed their pots and pans aside quite merrily, and while three cups of young kale a day in an eternal plastic tub does make for dull fare, there is 'The Salad Bar' which is gingerly commuting to some of our rural supermarkets. We can thank our Korean American Community for being pioneers in the early 80s in bringing this healthy diet to our table.
Not all of us with a family of offspring can afford the above. The author, Molly Keane, and her brother had a rough time of it as children, and war was declared between their governess and cook, Mrs. Finn, where odious porridge traveled the stairs to their nursery on trays. The children grew weedy and green, raiding the kitchen garden, and Ms. Keane later in life wrote for her daughters a book of nursery cooking where Mrs. Finn's Russian Delight features.
Having been told by our town doctor that I am made of glass and in danger of being reduced to smithereens, it is time to try Keane's recipe for 'Rabbit in The Grass', and continue with half an alligator pear, heaps of arugala, a boiled egg, raw almonds and generous slices of fresh Swiss cheese.
Keane's Nursey Book, with the pots and pans, remains in reserve in case some young orphans should wander this way.
I agree with this article. However, eating this way means having the time to do regular grocery shopping and cooking at home, which I do, rarely eating out. When I do eat out, I try ordering the healthiest thing I can find on the menu. For that reason, I prefer small family-run ethnic restaurants instead of the chains which drown entrees and soups in sodium.
17
I remember the look on my dog's face when we placed his dish in front of him with processed dog food kibble: he looked clearly disappointed and would look at us in the eye rather than eat it. My dog ate extremely well in his life and lived to 17 years by eating what my family ate for dinner every night: meat, vegetables, rice. Even an animal knows when fake processed "food" is placed in front of it. Eating well gives joy to any living thing.
45
@RG I’m so intrigued by your comment. I want to cook more for my dog but am petrified that she’ll miss important nutrients (we feed her organic canned food now supplemented with our food) I know much of this fear is planted by big dog food companies but I just don’t know how much diet balance is a real concern...
1
@LisaLisa
Feed your dog what you eat - as long as you eat well! I did this with my cats and dogs, who all lived long and very healthy lives!
1
Food isn't just fuel, it is social glue. For most of human history, people ate with other people. The group that was "coached" about a healthy diet had improved mental health. Is this improvement biochemical or did the subjects feel that there food was connected to a social bond? We need people to eat healthier food with other people. It is more economical to cook for a group than an individual and companionship must have its own positive effect on brain chemistry.
18
Thank you for this excellent article. It is filled with information that has long been deemed worthwhile and believable.
"The Mediterranean Diet" (foods from Italy, Spain, Greece, and southern France) is essential to good health. Olive oil, nuts, grains, vegetables, fruits, and some oily fish will never be bad for you if eaten in moderation. Wine and raisins from grapes are good for you and vital.
Refined white sugar is bad. Bleached white flour is bad.
One of my favorite critiques from some ill-advised people is when they admonish people to eat only brown rice. Or admonish them not to eat pasta. These food fadists are completely wrong. An entire nation, China, thrives on white rice. An entire nation, Italy, thrives on pasta.
14
@Carmela Sanford
Whole grain pasta is much the better choice!
While the recommendations to eat real food are good, this article does not mention the potential dangers of consuming raw oysters. Nor does it mention the known links to pesticide exposure and depression (and other illnesses). Nor does it mention organic food. It stands to reason that any article about "better" nutrition should also cover toxic agricultural practices, seafood harvesting practices and environmental "health" or lack thereof. That's all related to health.
31
Found this article weirdly prescient, since I'm going to have oysters tonight, but, ahem, probably not 3-dozen.
Speaking of sentient beings,like oysters, it's easy to notice that most creatures on this planet spent most of their time tryng to eat each other, and more especially, not be eaten. Humans are the rare exception -- although in our early days we did a lot of the latter, too.
6
@KBD,
Another cannibal in our midst where the poor oyster is being swallowed alive? Just make sure to squeeze a little lemon juice on the fishy victim, to see if he is still fresh for delectable consumption, or you may be feeling under the weather at breakfast.
1
This article is a perfect example of why general assignment journalists vs. science journalists, should proceed with caution and need topic specific editorial oversight when writing about nutrition or medicine.
I am a nutrition scientists by training and advocate plant based diets for the benefits they have shown in numerous large population studies of diet and disease. However the biochemical understanding behind this remains ill defined and debatable among scientists. So to oversimplify the topic and prescribe oysters for clinical anxiety due to their B12 content is nothing short of absurd and encouraging scientific illiteracy. Just eat the oysters for pleasure.
People eats fruits and vegetables (true), those people reported being happier (true). Fruits and vegetables=happiness (unrelated). Correlation is not causality and one of the challenges of epidemiological studies of lifestyle (diet, exercise, etc..) and health and disease is selection bias. Those more likely to eat those foods are also more likely to have a host of behaviors or tendencies that facilitate wellness. There are models to adjusts for these confounders, but these statistical tools are imperfect.
To add to this, feelings of happiness are intangible and challenging to measure, even with validated questionnaires that exist. I have felt elated after eating decadent, calorific meals filled with copious fat, salt and wine. Of course my happy test score would glow after such a meal from the B12 content.
194
Thank you, well stated. Junk science, at least as reported.
6
Thank you for your scientific voice of reason!
1
I will only eat what my grandparents ate when they immigrated to this country from Spain 100 years ago. If it wasn't available to them then, it's not going into me now.
24
One of my children experiences absence seizures. We kept increasing his medication dose and at a certain point the side effects of the medication we actually triggering more seizures. We were at the point of having to switch medications.
A few months earlier a co-worker had described to me how her child had similar seizures during their teen years and by adjusting their diet, managed to correct the actions of the brain.
My wife and I noticed that our child would have seizures when they were sleepy. We decided to reduce the carbs from their snacks and breakfast and increase proteins and fats(eggs, cheese and avocados) as well as adding omega-3 supplements and vitamins.
We saw a very progressive change in his seizures and sleeping patterns at night.
This is a fascinating direction these doctors are researching.
21
@ELBOWTOE-Please look into the effects of the pollution coming from the Gowanus Canal.
If we eat healthier we likely have more energy (I once managed to give up coffee and swear it increased my energy). How we deal with this extra energy is an important yet overlooked key to managing depression and anxiety, and the answer isn't always easy.
5
In addition to what we eat it’s also where and with whom we eat. For example, I always feel great after a delicious meal at a fine restaurant, and I feel even better when my friend picks up the check.
30
Having been vegetarian and vegan for nearly three decades, my blood tests and physicals are always stellar, so I am perplexed by Dr. Deans erroneous conclusion.
Nothing could create more anxiety and depression than the idea of killing (after a torturous life) an innocent sentient being for my culinary pleasure.
51
@BMD
Also people with eating disorders may become vegetarian as a way to mask their disorder from others (e.g. a reason to turn down whatever is being offered) - it's not clear that there's a causal relationship in the direction they're implying....
9
@Rebecca
As a veg for nearly fifty years, I have to agree. Dietary selections are complex and those driven purely by health concerns are among the most capricious. That's why you can hear so many people say, "I used to be a..."
2
@BMD Agree. I've eaten a plant-based diet for 15 years and, at 51, I've never felt better physically or mentally. I'm in excellent physical shape, I rarely get even a cold, and it makes me happy not to be consuming the flesh or secretions of abused animals. Also, we vegans are not contributing to the destruction of the environment the way meat eaters are.
8
Think of how many billions of dollars we would save in health care costs and how much happier, healthier and more content we would be if people ate according to smart nutritional habits that respect science.
And, yes, think of how this would threaten monopolized corporate agriculture and food industries that dominate messaging about food as a (temporarily) feel good experience.
53
@Jake1982
Unfortunately when people talk about preventive care, they mostly are referring to things such as vaccines, colonoscopy and mammograms and these are things doctors do that they get paid for. They rarely get paid to talk to patients about nutrition or exercise or anything else that would prevent many common diseases so they don't do it.
7
@Steve
No doubt about it. Unfortunately, while people can often be persuaded to make dietary changes, prescribing exercise in a culture that prides itself on the avoidance of manual labor is a difficult task at best. Somehow, some way, we need to pull back from the idea that happiness and fulfillment are digital and sweat-free.
1
@Jake1982 unfortunately The government and the Agricultural department of this country prices "Healthy" and "Non GMO" foods at a significantly higher price then the foods they throw in every chemical known to man to preserve the food. Therefore resulting in Most Americans to not be able to afford "Healthy" food. I'm sorry but not everyone gets a job nowadays right out of high school starting at $35.00 an hour with insurance care, and a 401 K. Nowadays People Finish a 4 year degree at a respectful University, Are now over $100k in debt and can not get a job due to the job market declining. The world has changed drastically As i'm sure your aware of. I assume your in your 60's and still see the world of how it was in 1975? LOL Its the older generation like yourself that doesn't look at the bigger picture. You just receive, judge, take, and expect everyone else financial struggles to be similar to yours. TYPICAL OLD PERSON in 2019. Over 70% of graduated Scholars are working Minimum wage jobs.... You can not afford to work for $15.00 an hour in 2019 pay rent, cell phone bill, insurance, health insurance, ETC and so forth. so how in the world can people afford "Healthy Living"??
2
Love the idea of promoting healthy eating - getting nutrients largely from whole plant based foods. Recommending raw oysters is actually dangerous and the reason for many cases of food borne pathogens. There is a reason the government requires warning labels on menus about raw and undercooked fish and seafood.
12
@ML
Agreed.
I can't really bring myself to eat sushi any more. I never was eating in high end restaurants, so my concern about sourcing, parasites and pathogens is even higher.
1
@ML
The oysters "scrip" is ridiculous in a culture so heavy on animal products that B12 deficiency is anomalous.
@ML
Then cook the oysters. Oysters are more nutrient-rich than any plant food.
4
Why have oysters as the cover photo? Looks like a major point of the article is about increasing intake of fruits and vegetables (and legumes). That and a B12 and D supplement takes care of nutritional needs. I'm part of a large, happy community of vegans... Whole-food, plant-based, no added oil. Diabetics who join most often stop needing insulin (as my husband did); weight, cholesterol and triglyceride levels also drop to normal. We're doing fine without fish and oysters.
20
@Sandy Rubin,
Oysters are also known to be fabulous aphrodisiacs for romantic palates, not to be confused with Spanish Fly, a whole different kettle of fish, and on occasion a sliver of smoked salmon with a sprig of parsley is a delectable treat for some of us.
Wishing you and your husband continued good health, and whatever makes your community constitution hale and happy.
4
Measuring out 1 1/2 cups of fruit and 2 to 3 cups of vegetables sounds alarming, difficult, and overly precise. But Mediterranean cooks don't usually do that. Instead they combine many vegetables in one plate. Think of Spanish paella, Italian minestrone, Greek moussaka, all begin with a combination of (usually) onion, garlic, fresh herbs, chopped carrot and/or celery, to which other vegetables are added one by one, eggplant or tomatoes, peppers, green beans or greens, whatever else is available in the market. So instead of sitting down to 2 cups of sliced peppers (which would increase my depression rapidly), you are faced with a tempting and tasty array. And you can easily and happily consume your recommended bounty. The Med diet makes sense because it's the way real people eat real food.
186
@nancy harmon jenkins
Wow. We’re at the point now where people find it overwhelming to figure out how to measure 2-3 cups of vegetables? God help us.
10
Everyone is different and I speak only from my own experience. Starting at puberty, I battled debilitating anxiety and depression. Medication was only partially helpful, and all had unpleasant side affects. About 10 years ago, I consulted a licensed nutritionist, who performed a swab test for gluten sensitivity. While I do not have celiac disease, apparently I am very sensitive to high glycemic foods. Previously I practically lived on pastas, breads, and had a high powered sweet tooth. Fast forward to present times where I eat mostly fruit, vegetables, grains (lentils, beans, brown rice), with some lean meats, eggs, yogurt, and yes - cheese! The occasional chocolate treat does pass my lips as well. For me, the change in my mental and physical condition has been miraculous. I have no scientific basis, other than this works for me. When I slip up and don't plan ahead for food on trips, or fall prey to the luscious scone in the bakery window, I pay for it in mental and physical discomfort.
115
@Reader
Keep in mind that glycemic reactions can be most severe when breaking a typical between-meals fast, making the first food down the gullet an important choice.
8
a couple dozen nice briny oysters, with a lovely mignionette and a glass or two of dry crispy Sancerre would certainly raise my mood. For someone else a good bowl of pasta or a fabulous steak with perfect Bernaise would do it....point being..quality, with joy in consumption (even kale) may be the key to the health benefits. In Google-life we tend to self-diagnose but maybe happiness is the best medicine.
26
South Indians have been largely vegetarian for probably several millennia. So you're telling me that that whole society, then, should have more depression than societies where more meat is eaten? I don't buy it.
9
@JS27 Michael Pollan posits in The Omnivore's Dilemma that our bodies adjust over time to get all nutrients needed from available food sources. See: Eskimo diet as one example.
9
@JS27, the ancients knew all about food and energy. They knew when we eat what we eat, becomes a part of us. The food particles become part of our cells and blood. They also understood that higher mammals also have higher level of consciousness and emotions. When we consume higher mammals we also absorb their emotions (how they were killed matters). The Jains go even further and do not even consume foods grown underground like tubers, because harvesting those would mean upsetting the worms that live underground.
4
@JS27
It is so hot in South India that wheat does not grow. So the traditional South Indian diet is completely gluten-free. (The land of the rice breads.)
Anecdotally people report relief from depression on a gluten and casein free diet.
1
My initial thought was that if I were required to eat five cups of fruits and vegetables per day, I would need a much larger digestive tract. Like a cow, perhaps.
Then I visualized what I ate yesterday. The large apple was about a cup. The mixed salad, perhaps two. And so on.
But forget the oysters. As my late father used to say, the bravest man in history was the first to eat an oyster.
15
@KJ You are right! It’s actually a lot of volume if you measure it out! I get very full very quickly when trying to measure exactly how much I’m eating - it’s rare that I can eat it all. But I have found that mixing it up, as well as going for less fibrous fruits and vegetables, tends to help.
1
@KJ
That first oyster was some time ago. People have been eating shellfish for 100,000 years.
1
I wonder if people who decide to eat healthier also decide to exercise more and take care of their bodies better in general. Seems to me that kind of accomplishment alone would make you feel better emotionally.
39
Parents regularly notice changes in their children's behavior based on diet, with the greatest negative affects (inattentive behavior, acting out, etc.) appearing to be related to intake of manufactured "foods" high in simple sugars and artificial ingredients. Dr. Ramsey is spot on,a and the health professions should carefully consider his work. Food is medicine, and manufactured foods may have trace minerals and other substances which which may be toxic to any body, but especially for children. Trace minerals may have been depleted from the soils of many large "factory" farms and this may also affect the body. Improper diet may cause constipation which is also associated with depression. Is it therefor proper for Child/Adult Psychiatrists and Neurologist to prescribe medications (which may also affect nutrition) without a thorough nutritional assessment?
19
"May influence" is the understatent of the century. Naturopaths and ayurvedic physicians begin and end the healing process with diet. Food "shoveling" is rampant in our country, and most supermarkets' profits come from sales in the "inner aisles" of their junk food based inventory. Those two factors alone create weakened immune systems, insomnia, depression and much more.
I was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder 14 years ago and decided to overhaul my life, not leaving it up to meds alone to improve my health. Away with alcohol, tobacco, coffee, soda, packaged lifeless foods, cow products, wheat of any kind, and most importantly, sugar. The positive effects have been exponential. The other immune disease I am treating involves junk culture: no credit cards (have learned to flourish with what I have, and what I don't have!) and no television--but lots of good music--and internet only on my phone. My computer is in a drawer.
I returned to painting (I am retired) cook all of my meals (a wicked mixed bean and pork minestra!) and have a healthy, integrated life; i went off meds 9 years ago and have never needed them since?
Radical you might say, and I say radically necessary for survival!
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I ask this out of respect and care: Are you sure you don’t have an auto-immune condition instead? My wife was misdiagnosed as bi-polar, only to find out later that she actually suffered from Hashimoto’s Disease. After years of refining her diet and weaning off her bi-polar medication, very similar to what you’ve just described, her TSH levels and antibodies have dropped substantially. She’s now six months pregnant and close to being in remission.
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@MaxCornise
An unfortunate misrepresentation of how bipolar disorder works, as arises in cycles and no matter how healthy you are, the vast majority of people with it do need medication to maintain equilibrium. Perhaps you are Type II, inaccurately diagnosed. Otherwise you are very, very lucky.
Not saying that some of those lifestyle choices don't help help (especially cutting out alcohol or other drugs) with mood stability, but 9 years without meds is not wise for 99% of people who have experienced a level of high severity of this illness. For those who do, episodes can occur at any time, regardless of lifestyle choices.
I'm glad you've succeeded at creating your own stability, but very few people have the means or will power to live your lifestyle for countless reasons.
I decided to respond because I also find it misleading for others with bipolar disorder seeking supplementary ways to stabilize their mood... key word supplementary. No one should ever advocate for anyone stopping their meds. This is a decision that should only be made with guidance and monitoring from a doctor.
Frightening that this has 50+ recommendations. Everyone is different in how their body and brain respond to nutrition and medications, but you are misleading people with a very extreme, specific anecdote.
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@MaxCornise that's awesome! keep it up! what a testimony.
5
The sharp rise in depression could be the sign of a culture that devalues and disrupts social engagement and inclusion or it could be too few oysters. Definitely easier to prescribe oysters.
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@Cameron I think it’s both. Healthy food and healthy social interactions both go a long way in feeling and looking better!
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@Cameron
[[Cameron Mississauga
The sharp rise in depression could be the sign of a culture that devalues and disrupts social engagement.]]
Why are you shouting your comment into the digital void rather than engaging with someone at Coffee Culture Cafe & Eatery or at Second Cup Coffee Co.?
@Cameron
Studies purporting to document significant increases in narcissism, coupled with a wealth of anecdotal evidence derived from any "social media" website, adds to the complexity of the cultural component. Complex problems rarely have simple solutions.
As is often the case when reading advice columns on food there is an assumption that the person actually has the money to follow the advice. I shutter to think how much 36 oysters cost even if he shucked them himself. A green pepper at the local market usually costs about $2 + tax and we're not talking Whole Foods here. Blueberries, usually from Chili. are expensive and tasteless. For me the texture of Kale is awful unless it is cooked, but it's cheap. Sweet potatoes too. Unless you are talking about salad that has volume it is hard to think of eating 2-3 cups of vegetables a day. Everyone knows canned veggies are no good, but what about frozen or frozen blueberries? It is important when writing these columns to think about the poor and near poor who probably need this food more and can afford it less. I suffer from depression and rarely eat meat, prefer fish, and other good foods. Maybe I can afford a half dozen oysters this week-end.
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@amp
Of course being poor makes it harder-but that doesn't mean the information shouldn't be offered and goals can't be set.
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@amp Frozen foods are very nearly as healthy as the "fresh" fruit/veg in stores - much of which has been travelling a good bit before it arrives in stores. And frozen fruit/veg are cheap. And of course, beans, particularly dried beans, are very cheap and very good for you and full of protein, fiber and many micro nutrients....
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@amp Two to three cups of vegetables can consist of a cup of frozen peas and a cup of steamed broccoli and carrots. That's not much. A salad which would be at least two cups of greens with a half cup of carrots and a half cup of celery would do you for the day on a 2,000 calorie diet. It is actually easy. And you don't need oysters; a tin of sardines or tuna, or fortified nutritional yeast for vegetarians, would provide B12. As for veggies, frozen over canned is best.
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This is a social justice issue: we need government subsidies to reduce the insane price of oysters, which has risen beyond the reach of all but the 1%.
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@ JBR
Made my day!
2
Good luck eating like this if you're not fortunate enough to know what you can afford for your next meal for your family, live in a food desert, or rely on school breakfasts and lunches for nutrition.
Good luck going to see the nutritional psychiatrist and personal chef team if you can't pay for it out of pocket.
The reality is that many Americans live in places where it's nearly impossible to access this kind of diet. In the school district where I work, most of the students live below the (ridiculously low to begin with) poverty line. There's a small, struggling grocery store in town with unappealing and expensive (twice what you pay in the nearest city--which will cost you $10 in gas round trip if you have a vehicle).
Yes, we're making ourselves ill in many ways with our diets, but when you don't have the luxury of regular access to quality foods, children don't get exposed to them on a regular basis and learn to enjoy them. You then buy what you know your family will eat.
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@KEL Is it possible to garden? Yes, it is time-consuming, but it allows one to produce and eat good food (grow organic, by the way: it's cheaper and healthier), get plenty of fresh air, and exercise. Seeds are cheap, and gardening can be a family activity. As a child, I had to weed potato plants (which look a lot like weeds) as did my borthers and sisters. Money was tight. There's certainly plenty of information out there about inexpensive ways to garden, how to garden longer in the year (no matter where you live), how to preserve the harvest, and plenty of cookbooks to help you prepare the fresh produce.
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@KEL
All this is true, and tragic. There are a few lights, like pop-up fresh food trucks, but the bigger problems are poverty, the capitalist/big wealth players, and the indifference of the government. It gets taken out on those who are already dispirited and having a hard time.
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@meh Did only one parent work? That has something to do with being able to do things like this.
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About 8 years ago I went to a doctor saying I feel like I'm losing my mind and my skin hurts. Long story short, I'm allergic to peroxide which is used to bleach flour and other foods and once I stopped being triggered, I was fine. Peroxide is not a natural thing to eat, but a great many of us do so daily.
This is never labeled so it wouldn't have occurred to me to make this switch on my own, but there are chemicals and preservatives in foods that can play a major role in these situations, which I wish on no one.
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Having been hospitalized many times over the past 25 years for Major Depressive Disorder, I have been served the most noxious food and certainly not part of a healthy diet. When will findings like this be practiced in the centers where the most mentally ill people are to be found?
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@Janet Amen to that! And besides the connection to mental health, I will also add that while my husband was still recovering from triple bypass surgery, the hospital served the ward things like fatty meats with gravy, dairy-laden desserts, and canned vegs. I will always remember that. We have since switched to plant-based diet, ironically based on the advice of our local heart institute nutritionists.
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@Diane
I was once in a hospital with kidney stones and they wouldn't release me until I could show I could eat a meal without throwing up. But the meal they brought as a test was the standard hospital one of boiled canned veggies and sad-looking meat which I refused because it was nausea inducing on its own, and signed myself out instead.
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@Janet
Like the time my sister was post procedure for diabetes-related heart disease and was fed 6 servings of carbohydrates in one meal.
35
I moved away from processed foods and simple carbs (any sugars, potatoes, and grains) and have made it a rule to avoid insulin spikes (although I'm not diabetic) and eat at least four servings of fatty fish a week, and vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, and olive oil. After a lifetime of mood disorders, I'm off the roller coaster.
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I gave up meat, cheese, eggs, rice, potatoes, sugar, milk, corn, bread, pasta, anything processed, all restaurant food, and anything with a high glycemic index on January 15. For two months, my brain was in a fog like never before. I couldn't remember anything and was zombied up. After I lost 25 pounds, my head started to clear. By the time I lost 27 pounds, I was clearer than I've been in years.
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@anita Although I still mess up frequently due to lack of planning or just plain laziness, about 9 months ago I switched to a diet of at least 70% whole grains, fruit, and vegetables. It has been nothing short of miraculous. Fifteen pounds dropped off me almost immediately. My brain freaked out, and then - for the first time in years - calmed down to the point where I could actually...think. It has changed my life.
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@anita what is left after you gave up all those foods? I am not a great cook but would love for my family to eat healthier.
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@anita
Wow. If I gave up “meat, cheese, eggs, rice, potatoes, sugar, milk, corn, bread” and pasta, I am sure I would be extremely depressed.
24
I am not diabetic. I am about 20 pounds over weight. I do exercise 3 times weekly, but my exercise is not rigorous due to age (75) and a chronic pulmonary condition.
What foods make me happy? A plate with a LOT of potatoes in ANY form, on it. Very dark chocolate also makes me happy. I DO love raw oysters, but 36 daily is not really in my budget!
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Maybe it's what we *don't* eat. For a time I was doing the alternate-day diet. limiting my intake to 500 calories every other day. I ate pretty healthy on the no-limit days, too.
What I noticed, and did not expect, was that my mood was better, my energy was higher, and I was thinking more clearly (no brain fog). One would think with all that positive reinforcement (plus losing weight!) I would've followed the diet assiduously. I did so for about 10 months.
But the siren song of sugary treats is strong, and even if one doesn't seek them out they show up everywhere, including the office.
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@Flaneuse
I grew up in Asia where sugar food is a rare treat. Even then they are not very sweet. I never established a sweet tooth! In fact, when I first moved to U.S., the desserts tasted so sweet, it burns my throat. In short, craving for sweet taste in food seems to be insatiable in America because of the overly sugared food, the sweeter the food, the more you crave in volume of sugar as well as frequency. America must deemphasize sweets and desserts as as treat. Easting fresh fruit is more a treat.
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@Flaneuse I travel internationally for work and spend a lot of time in East Africa. The food choices there are extremely carb and meat heavy so I often choose to fast. Once I get through feeling hungry and hydrate properly, I start to feel a mood and energy lift. I can easily get by on one meal a day.
1
@aksantacruz Yes, I live in Japan and they rely heavily on white rice. You can't find any whole grain in the markets. The eat white bread. Occasionally, you may find brown rice bread, which I love, but rarely. In addition, the Japanese eat alot of sweets. There are dessert stores on almost every corner, though not as sweet as US desserts. I am surprised by how much pork they eat. However, their chicken, lean beef and pork, though pricey, tastes better than US meats. I assume they limit hormones and other chemicals in their meat. There are gardens scattered everywhere; and they plant and eat seasonally.
1
For a variety of reasons, I moved towards (& eventually reached) a "Mediterranean diet". Hasn't helped my dysthymia and/or anxiety at all. Or not that I've noticed. I also exercise more then 150 minutes /week for at least 50 weeks of the year. Stress regarding my ability to afford even preventive health care (particularly vision & dental care) given the political changes in the US probably has somethng to do with that, ditto envirommental/climate changes. I see some of the climate changes first hand--I live in a area where oyster farming is threatened (the source of such useful nutrients) by increasing ocean acidification (some area of the globe are seeing more buffering effects, apparently there are few buffering agents in this part of the ocean/marine environment). More & more often the various types of commercial & recreational fishing (which includes crabbing, clamming, etc.) are shut down because of levels of toxic (to humans) chemical compounds (like domoic acid), with perhaps one exception, salmon populations in this area have decreased despite supposedly good quality "scientific management." There are anxoic (lack of oxygen episodes just about every year now, in nearshore waters, that wasn't so 20 years ago. The decrease in salmon populations started years ago, with construction of many dams in the west, loss of salmon habitat, logging & lack of adequate clearcut buffer zones.
That's just anecdotal information, of course
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I would like to share my own experience. I have recently switched to a Keto diet in order to lose some weight. I found it has an amazing side effect that I didn't know about. I am a senior citizen with ADD. To my surprise my ADD symptoms have decreased sharply. My mind is clearer and I am able to get things done. All in all, I'm functioning much better. Even better than when I was on stimulant medications as a treatment.
This is a very different diet from that recommended by this article. I'm limiting my carbs to around 20 grams a day and, obviously, am not eating fruit or grains. But I'm now functioning much more like a normal person! This can't be a placebo effect since no one ever suggested that this might happen.
What this does show is that yes, what we eat definitely affects how we feel. But it does not agree with the diet in the article. My belief is that one size does not fit all. Just as different strokes for different folks, I'd say that there are different ways of eating for different people. The food/mind connection needs to be explored to discover the myriad of ways it can help different people.
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@Rosemary
I think you are right, flour is not what it was a few years back. Whole grain bread is priced way more than its nutritional value. Our family is healthier on a low carb diet.
16
@Rosemary
Too true. I think the key is offering children good foods and then letting them choose between those as they wish. That way they learn to listen to THEIR bodies' needs- a skill they will need all their lives. Great that you did find a way that works for you.
4
@Rosemary
I think the bottom line is that the ketogenic diet cuts out processed carbs, and insulin spiking food for clean foods including an abundance of healthy fats and limited protein. The Mediterranean diet focuses on healthy, clean foods as well but more on healthy carbs and vegetables and fruits. The problem then, is the Standard American Diet: processed foods, heavy carbs, sugar and soda. I am so glad you found something that works for you.
41
Yes, of course it can. Is this even a question still?
60
Dr. David Perlmutter, a neurologist, explains about the meta-analysis, "Dietary patterns and depression risks: a meta-analysys".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8dxssv1qg8
And, this is the summary research:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28431261
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@Wind Surfer
His books are great!
1
I read an excellent article this morning on what anxiety is and where we believe it comes from (as in the specific neurotransmitters and brain regions involved). Well worth checking out if you're interested or you want to know how you can reduce your risk of experiencing anxiety problems: https://www.naturalnootropic.com/what-causes-anxiety/
5
@Kieran
For those who do not know :
1. Much of production of neurotransmitters happens in the gut rather than the brain
2. Over a period of time, improving your diet greatly changes the gut biome - via changes in the types and amounts of bacteria. As well as changes in enzymes, hormones, etc.
So over a period of time, going paleo, vegan, gluten-free, etc will greatly change many aspects of your individual biosphere.
1
Look team, you need to work on your headline writing. I saw "Can What We Eat Affect How We Feel?" and said to myself, "Yes, we've all had stomachaches. You eat something, and then a little later you feel bad." I skipped reading the article and only came back to it about 20 minutes later because a co-worker told me it had a story about some dude housing dozens of oysters in order to fix his depression, and I knew I had to read that. Why didn't you put the oyster rampage in the header? Also, you know the rule about questions in headlines. If I see a question mark in a headline, I almost always skip the article.
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@Locho I agree with the oyster rampage in the headline! But, and with all due respect, I’ve worked at three major international publications and all three abandoned the “no questions” in headlines eons ago. Social media played a part, as did “news” sites like Buzzfeed. I’m not a fan, either, but the rule no longer applies.
3
Three words: Food and mood! This also happens to be the title of a wonderful book on the subject of how what you eat affects your body and brain chemistry and mood (Elizabeth Somer, Food and Mood: the Complete Guide to Eating Well and Feeling Your Best, NY: Henry Holt, 1995).
This book changed my life back in 1998 when I was depressed but couldn't identify with what was described in "self-help" books; this book made sense to me, and my main change was to stop eating sugar. Depression and anxiety went away; I slept better, and could handle stress without becoming stressed out or panicky. It was amazing. (I've since gone back to eating sugar but I still try to monitor it and am much more aware of how food/nutrients affect me, my body, and my psychology).
Along with this article, this book from 1995 is a must-read!
33
I eat a plant-based diet, but very dark chocolate every day is part of my happiness inducing regimen.
100
@GiGi - watch for soy lecithin in chocolate. It's a highly processed stabilizer that is not needed, unless you plan to keep you chocolate for a very long time before eating it.
@GiGi exactly! me too!
"The patient Dr. Ramsey was seeing that day credits the nutritional guidance, including cutting down on many of the processed and fried foods and fatty meats that used to be part of his diet, with improving his mood and helping him overcome a long-term addiction to alcohol."
Sigh.
Wouldn't it be much more responsible to flip all that and say:
"The patient Dr. Ramsey was seeing that day credits overcoming a long-term addiction to alcohol with improving his mood. In addition, Dr. Ramsey suggested there is anecdotal evidence that cutting down on many of the processed and fried foods and fatty meats that used to be part of his diet, also helped."
Yeah, that's lots better. Alcohol is a big-time depressant.
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@Matthew Dead right about alcohol being a depressant. I usually find that if I have a rally good time drinking, the next day I feel totally depressed as well as hungover.
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@Matthew I disagree. Your diet is exceptionally important to mood and brain health. Many people find themselves falling into addiction BECAUSE of mood/brain disorders. As pointed out in this article,
most people, and very certainly people with addictions, eat very poorly and hence, the dramatic rise in depression and anxiety and addiction in this country and around the world.
The first step in treating any illness, should be diet. If only diet (and exercise!!) were strongly emphasized in recovery programs, there would probably be an huge decrease in relapse. Currently only lip service is given to these two very important aspects of brain/body health.
28
@Matthew While you may be correct, that's not what the patient said, so a reporter cannot falsely attribute that opinion to him.
24
One of the fascinating things about the Mediterranean diet, as opposed to the traditional processed American one, is the frequent use of large quantities of fresh herbs and garlic, which seem to have anti-inflammatory qualities. And which may have great importance on brain function and disease prevention. The ability to examine nutritional effects with greater scientific accuracy due to new technology, is growing by leaps and bounds.
69
This is fascinating. Please continue to print articles relating to food and mental health.
282
If your study “shows” that eating parsnips slightly relieves depression, it get printed and publicized. If 5,000 studies show no parsnip effects, none of them get printed.
30
@Charlierf
Parsnips cause flatulence; avoid them or get yourself some Beano.
1
Exercise (see recent research story) and diet as treatment for (some probably widespread forms of) depression? Not what big pharma would like you to try. And then there’s the placebo effect, too—which is responsible for so much “success” with antidepressants.
14
This discussion about eating to improve mental health goes hand in hand with eating to improve physical health. Both benefit from eating well.
The last sentence in the article says it all: "It’s about slowing down and becoming more mindful..."
There is a lot of information out there about mindfulness, a practice that started around 2,500 years ago.
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@a goldstein, even much earlier than that. the vedic period has records of kinds of foods, rajsic tamsic sattvic and their effect on the body.
2
@a goldstein Haha - didn't even read all the way to end to see the sentence on mindfulness! :-) I was like: oh, did they mention mindfulness? And went back to see what I'd missed.
Actually, mostly I'm surprise this article was so hesitant and like....new info? I thought the fact that diet very strongly affects mood/brain health was a well known fact - as old and known as the benefits of mindfulness!
3
For virtually all of human history people ate what was available.
The few studies cited here are only suggestive--they are all highly susceptible to placebo effects.
For example, a common therapy technique for people who are depressed is to assist them to be in control of something, anything. Set the alarm for 15 minute earlier to make getting ready in the morning easier. Clean one room each day. That sort of thing.
The same principle can apply to every aspect of life--walk 15 minutes per day, eat celery every day, etc.
Now what is needed is several years' worth of research on the topic. Then, we should read about it in the NYT--not now when the phenomenon is merely at the hypothesis stage.
12
@Dan. For at least 25 years people have been studying and writing about the relationship between food and depression. The Times is hardly presenting info in the "hypothesis" stage as you suggest. Another commenter mentions the book Elizabeth Somer, Food and Mood: the Complete Guide to Eating Well and Feeling Your Best, NY: Henry Holt, 1995. The real story is why doctors rarely ask patients what they eat. Especially pediatricians.
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@Dan For every generation before processed food (2-3 generations ago), what was available was pretty much what is being recommended here: vegetables, beans, small amounts of meat, fruit only in season, little sugar, smaller amounts of milled grain.
They had much lower rates of depression and anxiety.
7
@Rachel Pierson
These books you mention, such as the one by Somer, are peoples' opinions. What I was referring to was systematic research. There is a world of difference between the two enterprises.
2
This really isn't news. Hippocrates said "let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food" long before Big Pharma and Big Argi came on the scene and slowly began poisoning people with fake food and synthetic drugs (many of which we would not need if we changed what we eat.) OF COURSE what we eat affects how we feel! Eating healthfully is without a doubt one of the best steps we can take to ensure both physical and mental health. Food is medicine!
313
@M. Staley I was going to write and make the same points. What is newsworthy would be a series on how we lost touch with food and how this effects our choices and health, physical and mental.
28
@M. Staley - My doctor has said to me "food is the number one drug we put into our bodies". I think of that every time I eat chocolate cake!
6
@M. Staley
To a point, yes, but some of us, especially those of us with certain genetically based health issues, will remain grateful for pharmaceutical intervention.
6
I eat fatty red meat like lamb because of rich zinc source in addition to many vegetables without refined carbs but with coconut oil (medium-chain saturated fats) , olive oil and avocado oil, in addition to omega-3 fish like wild salmon or sardine. My cardiologist got stunned by the impressive results of my inflammatory biomarker tests like micro albumin, hs CRP, red cell distribution width, fasted insuline, hemoglobin A1c, fasted glucose, serum ferritin and homocysteine . I try not to eat or drink most of the inflammatory foods or drink that will cause inflammation in my body. I have never experienced depression.
21
These the researches that studied depression and diabetes, and intake of carbs or glycemic control.
"Diabetes and depression occur together approximately twice as frequently as would be predicted by chance alone. Depression is frequently missed in people with diabetes despite effective screening tools being available. Both psychological interventions and antidepressants are effective in treating depressive symptoms in people with diabetes but have mixed effects on glycemic control."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4476048/
"Depression and poor glycemic control: a meta-analytic review of the literature."
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10895843
6
I eat red meat because it is rich in zinc, B12, B6. I also eat green vegetable, rich source of folate. B12, B6 and folate will lower homocysteine, a toxin that, when elevated, increases risk for heart attack and stroke and neurological/psychiatric disorders such as major depressive disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar, psychosis, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s. I check homocysteine level every year.
"The homocysteine hypothesis of depression"
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17541043
10
I feel I owe people showing interest in homocysteine. The testing I experienced is very tricky. Homocysteine leaks out from red blood cells instantly after taking blood sample. The tester needs to use centrifuge to spin down the red cells immediately to remove all the red cells from blood sample. Then they need to keep cooling the plasma sample to ship to the labs that specialize homocysteine testing. Most major labs we use don't handle properly so that test results will rise abnormally. My test result at a major lab was 25% higher than the one tested at Cleveland Clinic. Please read this:
"Elevated Homocysteine Level or Laboratory Error?"
http://mthfr.net/elevated-homocysteine-level-or-laboratory-error/2012/03/02/
1
Dr Dean states that long chain omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12 are key nutrients for the brain, and are not found in vegetable-only diets.
Are there studies that actually document deficiencies in those substances both as causes of depression and as deficient in people on vegetable-only diets? Or is this a theory?
I ask because the Australian study cited here was somewhat equivocal in asserting a depression risk, which was described as "somewhat higher" in meat-free diet folk, and also linked it to eating disorders. It doesn't sound as if this study built an examination of data validity into its research methodology, but that is actually merely unclear.
10
@Sequel,
It's true that vitamin B12 is not found in plant food; bacteria in animal guts make it, and poop it out. We used to get it from untreated water. But it's available as a supplement -- made by bacteria in fermenters, which sounds similar to drinking it from untreated water.
Omega 3 fatty acids are found in plant foods, such as flaxseeds and walnuts.
Finally, it appears that those with eating disorders may be attracted to vegan diets; one explanation is that this may publicly mask the underlying disorder.
Check out https://nutritionfacts.org for further information on these and many other evidence-based nutrition topics.
38
@Sequel The vitamin B-12 fact is true. Vegans and vegetarians tend to replace that loss with vitamins and/or brewer's yeast. Don't know about the omega-3s.
2
@Dr. J
This is a vegan "zombie" idea that just won't die, no matter how false it is. We are adapted to get B12 from eating animal foods. There were no vegan societies before modern supplementation because they all would have died without modern supplementation.
If you want to take a chance getting your B12 from contaminated water or soil, knock yourself out.
"Nutrition facts" .org is a vegan advocacy website.
23