NEW RESEARCH: Mediterranean Diet and Depression
You may have seen recently that a new study was conduced by Deakin University about the impact on diet and depression. It concluded that following a Mediterranean style diet may reduce the impact of mental health symptoms and state that it was accessible treatment option for these patients. Accessible meaning low cost and easy to follow.
This is such fantastic news for the medical profession and the natural health profession alike, as it is combining the 2 worlds. As the Mediterranean diet is high in essential fatty acids naturopaths have been recommending this for patients suffering mental health for many years, and now there is research to bad up the diet is a credible form of treatment.
The Mediterranean diet which was studied was a slightly modified version comprised of:
Whole grains (5–8 servings per day)
Vegetables (6 per day)
Fruit (3 per day)
Legumes (3–4 per week)
Low-fat and unsweetened dairy foods (2–3 per day)
Raw and unsalted nuts (1 per day)
Fish (at least 2 per week)
Lean red meats (3–4 per week)
Chicken (2–3 per week);
Eggs (up to 6 per week);
Olive oil (3 tablespoons per day),
Reducing these ‘extra’ foods:
Sweets
Refined cereals
Fried food
Fast-food
Processed meats
Sugary drinks (no more than 3 per week).
The dietary composition of the ModiMedDiet was as follows: protein 18% of total energy (E); fat 40% of E; carbohydrates 37% of E; alcohol 2% of E; fibre/other 3% of Extras.
Read the full article here:
( https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-017-0791-y)
The high amount of fat intake in the diet acts i a couple of different ways for mental health. It is very anti-inflammatory, which is important for depression as it has been found that depression and inflammation are linked. It also helps by improving communication between chemical messengers in the brain and improving overall cognitive function. Reducing the ‘bad’ food in the study, I believe, is just as important as what they have included. Reducing peoples intakes of pro-inflammatory food such as sugar, refined cereals, fried,fast food and processed meats will be imperative in reducing some of the maintaining factors for these patients conditions.
Increasing the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables people are eating is so important to maintaining good health, mental and physical. These foods are full of essential micronutrients which help to promote healthy neurotransmitter production in the brain, as well as assisting overall regulatory function of the body like healthy thyroid function, methylation and digestion.
Diet is a fantastic way to empower people, as it making it their choice as to the types of foods they fuel their bodies with. And if they begin to feel the benefits of it, then there is more and more incentive to continue with the new lifestyle changes that they have introduced. Combining this way of eating, with daily movement makes for a winning combination in battling depression and other mental health conditions.
Simple swaps to help mimic the Mediterranean diet:
Swap 1 snack per week with a can of tinned salmon
Swap your store bought salad dressings for fresh olive oil and lemon
Swap that packet of chips for a handful of raw unsalted nuts
Have a vegetarian meal once per week and include beans and lentils.
These are just a few examples of some easy swaps that can be made, but as you can see its just about getting inventive and becoming more mindful about the food that is going into your body.
When people are in a depressed state the general types of foods that they are consuming are easy, quick and generally very high in sugar and carbohydrates as this is going to help boost serotonin levels ( the ‘happy’ hormone). By making the switch away from these foods and increasing the good foods that are high in essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals you will be supporting the body long term, not just in the short term to get that burst of serotonin.
