These seven dietary practices, backed by science, can be incorporated into your day to promote healthy mood, brain health and optimal gut functioning.
While happiness is a subjective experience for all of us, most of us would agree that having control over our mood and the cognitive function to appreciate our ‘happy’ state is a good thing.
Our brain is the destination where our happy moods and emotions are felt and may be the result of a complex interplay between our environment, biology, brain structures (prefrontal cortex, amygdale, hippocampus, anterior cingulated cortex and insular cortex), neurochemicals (dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, endorphin and melatonin), hormones (cortisol, adrenaline and oxytocin) and overall health (1). This is where the food we choose to eat each day may impact our potential to experience happiness as it can either promote brain, hormonal and gut health and functioning, or harm it.
Given the diversity in our genes, culture, health and even tastes, it would be naive to think there is one diet best suited to all of us. Although what we can use is a universal set of guidelines to integrate into our daily dietary habits that promote healthy mood, brain health and optimal gut functioning.
These practices combine current thinking on dietary requirements for brain and gut health and can be followed regardless of your chosen dietary camp. Yes that’s right, finally some advice the herbivore, carnivore, gluten free, dairy free, ketogenic and paleo enthusiasts can all agree on.
Avoid processed and packaged foods
Processed and packaged foods are often high in energy, lower in fibre and can be packed with refined sugar and unhealthy fats such as trans-fats that can cause inflammation in the gut. They often leave us feeling undernourished and overfed. High intake of processed and packaged foods is also associated with a smaller hippocampus, that is the area of the brain responsible for mood regulation, learning and memory (2).
Eat a plant-based whole food diet
Choosing to eat a variety of whole foods will help provide you with the essential nutrients needed for brain function. Stick to the outside aisles in your local supermarket and fill your shopping trolley with fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, fish, seafood, lean meats, eggs, nuts, seeds, legumes, unsweetened dairy if you can tolerate it and healthy fats such as extra virgin olive oil and avocado (3). This Mediterranean-style of eating has been shown to support healthy ageing, reduce depression symptoms in moderately to severely depressed patients and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, depression and cognitive impairment (4, 5, 6).
While you may choose to follow a specific diet that better supports your personal needs and beliefs, ensure the diet you are following only includes whole foods. While there are a number of different diets that may support health and wellbeing, it is important that the diet you are following promotes eating only whole foods and eliminating processed and packaged foods.
Add probiotics to your diet
Probiotics are beneficial live microorganisms that live in our digestive tract and on our skin and can provide us with a number of health benefits – including helping us break down hard to digest foods, producing vitamins, supporting our immune system and keeping harmful bacteria from wreaking havoc. Their ability to help maintain this healthy balance of bacteria is thought to have a role in gut and brain health as imbalances in gut bacteria – called dysbiosis – is often found in digestive conditions and mood disorders (7).
Probiotics are also important for a healthy gut as they produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that help to protect the cells of our gut (8).
Foods that contain probiotics to eat each day include yoghurt, kefir, kombucha and fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi. Probiotic supplements that contain specific strains in adequate amounts may also be beneficial for managing certain health concerns. If you are considering supplementing with a probiotic, it would be worth speaking to a qualified nutritionist who could recommend a probiotic strain best suited to your individual needs – as we are starting to understand there are some probiotic strains better suited to specific conditions such as digestive discomfort and possibly even depression, as suggested by early research (9).
Feed your gut health with fibre and prebiotics
Include prebiotics and fibre in your diet every day to feed your gut bacteria and promote digestive health. Fibre helps you have regular bowel movements and stable blood sugar levels. The National Health and Medical Research Council recommends that we eat between 25-30g of fibre each day (11). This could be achieved by eating high fibre foods such as lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans, oats, brown rice, quinoa, chia seeds, almonds, pears, apples, avocados and 70% or higher dark chocolate.
A prebiotic is an ingredient that is selectively fermented by gut microorganisms. Through this process, prebiotics are able to improve digestion, provide energy and lower gut inflammation (12). Think of prebiotics as food for your beneficial probiotics. Prebiotic foods to include in your diet include Jerusalem artichoke, asparagus, garlic, chicory, onion, leek, tomato, dandelion greens, Brussel sprouts, banana and wheat if you can tolerate it.
Include healthy omega-3 rich foods in your diet
Getting enough omega-3 fatty acids in your diet is essential for normal brain development and function. Omega-3 also has a role in memory, mood and concentration. But it’s not only your brain that loves omega-3. Higher intake of omega-3 has been linked with increased production of SCFAs in the large intestine and greater diversity of gut bacteria for better health (13). Some of the best sources of omega-3 are oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, tuna and sardines, as well as seaweed, walnuts, chia seeds, hemp seeds and flaxseeds. Eating a palm sized portion of oily fish twice a week is a simple way to boost your omega-3 consumption to help support a healthy mood.
Add some flavour with herbs and spices
Incorporating herbs and spices is an easy way to support the health of your gut and brain for balanced mood. Turmeric, coriander, cinnamon, cumin and saffron are all worthy inclusions as they have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Turmeric and saffron could be a good choice if you are feeling a little down as they have been shown to be beneficial for the management of low mood (14).
Listen to your body when it comes to eating
Some of us don’t tolerate foods such as gluten, wheat, dairy, sugar, coffee and alcohol and may experience symptoms after eating these foods. If you notice any symptoms and suspect they could be diet related, try keeping a food diary that records all the foods you have eaten and the associated symptoms. Or an even easier way is to try using a food allergy app such as mySymptoms. This may help you identify any potential triggers. If you would like help investigating any potential food intolerances or allergies, or are concerned that your digestive symptoms or low mood may be related to your dietary choices, speak to a qualified nutritionist or book an appointment.
Recognising that your diet can impact your mood, gut function and brain health is a powerful motivator to adopt healthy eating habits. Equipped with this knowledge, you will be surprised at how you start to notice the effects of poor dietary choices compared to healthy options. Experiencing these effects make it easier to favour foods that provide you with the nutrition for healthy mood and a happy brain.