As with other cognitive disorders one’s vulnerability to depression is largely dependent upon the overall health of their brain. If those basic biological needs of the brain are not adequately met, the other strategies will not be as effective. If you or someone you know is suffering from depression we strongly encourage you to read the articles under the Tab Brain Essentials. And the following research reviews and strategies.
In 2012 a epic landmark study out of England revealed some rather unexpected outcomes with regards to the importance of the type of food we eat for maintaining a positive mood. Below are excerpts from two articles related to that topic.
The first was published by WebMD Health News, suggesting various foods that may enhance mood, and the second appeared in September 2023 reviewing the results of a major study on depressing foods.
Fruit Plus Vegetables Equals Greater Happiness
Here is the first fascinating review by Kathleen Doheny of WebMD Health News. The link to this article is subject to change and old news articles can sometimes be hard or a hassle to access. So we have pasted and paraphrased it here, since it’s a great article as relevant today as it was in 2012, and illustrates the power of food and our diet in determining our dominant mood and mental status. The title of the article was:
Eating 7 Servings a Day Linked With Best Well-Being, Researchers Find
WebMD Health News Oct 11, 2012
Grumpy and out of sorts? Grab an apple. Or a carrot. Or a banana.
Repeat daily.
Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables seems to boost life satisfaction, mental well-being, and happiness, according to a new study.
Researchers analyzed the diet habits of 80,000 men and women in Britain.
The more fruits and vegetables they ate, the happier they were. Those who ate seven servings daily were happiest.
“I think it’s splendid to know that fruits and vegetables are likely to be good for your mental health as well as your physical health,” says researcher Sarah Stewart-Brown, MD, professor of public health at Warwick Medical School in the U.K. “It’s not surprising, as the two are related to each other.”
The research is to be [was] published in Social Indicators Research.
Fruit, Vegetables, and Well-Being: Study Details
Numerous studies have linked eating lots of fruits and vegetables with health benefits. Among them: a lowered risk for heart disease and cancer, and help with weight management and blood pressure control.
Less attention has focused on fruits, vegetables, and psychological well-being.
Stewart-Brown’s team looked at three different sets of data: the Welsh Health Survey of 2007-10, the Scottish Health Survey of 2008-09, and the Health Survey of England in 2008.
Each is a random sample of the population of the countries.
The 80,000 men and women answered questions about their daily intake of fruits and vegetables. They reported on exercise habits, employment, and whether they smoked.
They [also] reported on their levels of life satisfaction, mental well-being, any mental disorders, happiness, nervousness, and feeling low.
Well-being linked to fruits and vegetables peaked at about seven portions a day, the researchers found.
It appears that “the more you go from zero to seven or eights the happier you will be.” Says Andrew Oswald, PhD, professor of economics at the University of Warwick and a study researcher.
For the surveys, a portion was defined as about 3 ounces. A small apple, for instance, is about 5 ounces.
The study didn’t distinguish between types of fruits and vegetables, Oswald says. (No, French fries did not count as a vegetable.)
The study was not funded by any produce organizations.
Only about 1 of 10 British people eat seven or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily, the researchers say. In the U.S., the USDA recommends adults eat at least 1.5-2 cups a day of fruits and 2-3 cups of vegetables, depending on sex and age. But fewer than 1 in 10 people eat the recommended amount, according to the CDC. [And this study suggests that may be one reason why so many in the US feel depressed.]
Fruits, Vegetables, Happiness: Explaining the Link
How fruits and vegetables may help well-being is not known, the researchers say. ”Initially, we thought it might give people more energy and they exercise more,” Oswald says. But the link held even when they took exercise habits into account.
Fruits, Vegetables, Happiness: Perspectives
The study validates changes that some dietitians see when clients begin eating more fruits and vegetables, says Andrea Giancoli, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She reviewed the findings for WebMD.
“I can tell you that anecdotally, when they improve their diet, clients tell me, ‘I feel better,'” she says. Even those who say they hate fruits and vegetables can find ones they like, she says. “Usually it’s just certain ones they don’t like. Once we go through [the list] we find ones they do like.”
When eating plenty of fruits and vegetables becomes a habit, people don’t feel as well when they skip them, Giancoli finds.
Our Note: This study correlates with and helps to validate the Juice Plus study mentioned under The Brain Healthy Diet in Step #1 below Brain Health Essentials.
Caution: While this study extols the virtues of fruit and veggies, it does not mean a vegan diet is best for the brain, as the quantity of meat subjects ate was not specified. Various essential nutrients for the brain like vitamin B-12 the amino acids carnitine, creatine, tryptophan, tyrosine and taurine help reduce risk for depression. But these are often lacking in vegan diets, making them more vulnerable to depression. Wise Vegans therefore, usually supplement with B-12 and the essential amino acids.
On the other side of that research on diet and mood the September 2023 issue of JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) carried an article which found that eating ultra-processed foods increases the risk for depression. The researchers found that the risk was particularly related to eating foods and drinking beverages containing ultra processed food and artificial sweeteners.
Karen Z Berg, a dietitian who was not involved in the study, gave the following definition of ultra-processed foods:
“Ultra-processed foods, by the NOVA definition, are foods that are made up of manufactured ingredients with the addition of salt, oil, or sugar to make [them] palatable and to help preserve [them]. They usually don’t have any worthwhile nutritional benefits. Some examples include cold packaged snacks like chips or cookies, sodas, packaged pastries, many sweet breakfast cereals, candy, etc.”
The highly processed nature of these foods often yields a cheaper product that is more shelf-stable and more palatable than a whole food item. This makes them easy to eat. They are also usually high in calories, fat, salt, and sugar which can lead to weight gain,” she told Medical News Today. For a review of this study click here.
For a good review of what constitutes a brain healthy diet See Step # 1 under Brain Health Essentials, particularly this video by Valerie Slade, and the recommendations for What To Do at the end of that section.
Note that while Dr. Burns (see Cognitive Behavioral Magic below) acknowledges the value of good nutrition, that is the cornerstone of Dr. Nedley’s more comprehensive and overall more effective program (see Extraordinarily Effective Online Training in section below). Dr. Burns, on the other hand, has provided some extraordinary insights into how our perceptions, automatic thoughts, and internal dialogue and related cognitive strategies can effect a more optimistic outlook and feelings of wellbeing. His strategies were so effective some felt they worked like magic.
