Nutrition and Mental Health
Many of us know nutrition is an important factor when it
comes to our physical health; it can play a role in our gut health, our heart health
and many other areas. But what about our mental health? Can nutrition and diet
help us to feel better? Could it potentially be used as part of a treatment
plan for mental health conditions such as depression?
To help answer these questions we must first recognise that
mental health conditions are very complex; they are complex in their treatment
and complex in their development. Usually there will be multiple factors
involved in both development and treatment, and so we must not think of
nutrition and diet as being a ‘cure’ or single preventative factor when
considering our mental health.
However, a good diet with emphasis on a number of key
nutrients, may be able to provide support to individuals who have been
diagnosed with a mental health condition, such as depression. If you are
interested in using nutrition and diet to support improvement of symptoms, or as
a preventative strategy, the first thing to consider is your overall diet – how
does this stack up? We know that dietary patterns such as the Mediterranean
diet can have significant benefits for health, including mental health. So instead
of thinking about what single foods you can add into your diet, consider what
your overall diet looks like over a whole week; are there improvements you can
make? To help improve your overall diet, there are a few simple steps you can
start with:
·
Reduce your red meat intake to 2-3 times for
week and increase your fish consumption
·
Make sure you have at least 6 serves of
vegetables per day
·
Include legumes in your meals at least 2-3 times
a week
·
Include more healthy fats in the diet such as
extra virgin olive oil and avocados
·
Have a handful of nuts at least once a day
Once you have started to improve your overall diet, you can
start to think about specific nutrients and how they may benefit you. Folate,
omega 3, zinc and vitamin D are a couple of nutrients associated with improved
mental health and there may be benefit in tailoring your diet to focus on
these.
What about supplements you ask? To understand whether a
supplement is right for you there are a number of factors that come into play
when looking to answer this question. Firstly, food has many other components
(some known and some unknown), that are not present or able to be replicated in
supplements, so in some instances there may be more benefits from foods.
However, it all depends on your condition and what you are trying to improve-
you may need to have nutrients at an amount not possible to achieve through
foods alone and supplements may play a role and be beneficial.
Overall, nutrition and diet are very important to consider
in both the management and prevention of mental health conditions. It is
important to seek advice from an Accredited Practising Dietitian to understand
how you can make changes to your diet that are specifically right for you. It
is also important to involve your treating psychologist – a team approach can
help ensure you are getting the most appropriate advice and best results.
Melissa Adamski is an
Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) and nutritionist; her private practice,
Nutted Out Nutrition, provides appointments in Melbourne CBD and the eastern
suburbs. Nutted Out Nutrition believes nutrition and diet are fundamental
components of good health and work with clients to personalise nutrition
recommendations to help ensure they are useful and achievable. More information
can be obtained from www.nuttedoutnutrition.com.au
