Results of a recent study show that changing your diet can significantly change your mood. This link between mood and diet falls under an emerging field of study referred to as nutritional psychiatry.
The study, which was published in BMC Medicine, included 67 participants who all suffered moderate to severe depression. Each participant was given seven nutritional counseling sessions over a period of 12 weeks to encourage them to change their diets. These sessions included methods like motivational interviews, goal setting, and mindful eating.
The participants were also given dietary guidelines, which advised them to include the following food groups in their diet (along with their recommended serving sizes):
- Whole grains (five to eight servings per day)
- Vegetables (six servings per day)
- Fruit (three servings per day)
- Legumes (three to four servings per week)
- Low-fat, unsweetened dairy (two to three servings per day)
- Raw and unsalted nuts (one serving per day)
- Fish (at least two servings per week)
- Lean red meats (three to four per week)
- Chicken (two to three per week)
- Eggs (up to six per week)
- Olive Oil (three tablespoons per day)
They were also asked to avoid the following foods:
- sweet refined cereal
- fried food
- fast food
- processed meats
- sugary and alcoholic drinks
Participants who followed the dietary guidelines showed significant improvements in their depression.
“These results indicate that dietary improvement may provide an efficacious and accessible treatment strategy for the management of this highly prevalent mental disorder, the benefits of which could extend to the management of common co-morbidities.” the researchers concluded. (MORE)
Source: Natural News
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