{"id":51182,"date":"2022-05-09T09:30:58","date_gmt":"2022-05-09T13:30:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=51182"},"modified":"2026-04-30T22:48:04","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T02:48:04","slug":"the-best-diet-for-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/the-best-diet-for-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"The best diet for mental health"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mental illness is one of the most common conditions affecting people in the U.S. According to the CDC, <\/span>more than 50% of the population<\/span> will be diagnosed with a mental illness in their lifetime\u2026that\u2019s half of all Americans! Depression, anxiety, personality disorders, eating disorders, substance abuse disorders, and PTSD are just some of the mental illnesses widely diagnosed in our society; there\u2019s a <\/span>long list of mental health conditions<\/span><\/a> defined by the current edition of the <\/span>Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders<\/span><\/i> (DSM).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While certain people may be more at risk of developing a mental illness than others, it doesn\u2019t discriminate: anyone, at any time, can experience a change in their mental health that deeply affects their well-being. Therapy and prescription medication are typically considered the gold standard for the treatment of mood disorders, and for good reason. These approaches have thorough research and long-standing evidence to support their use. But what <\/span>else <\/span><\/i>can be done to improve mental health? Is there a link between diet and mental health?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Experts say yes: What you eat can have a major impact on your brain, and therefore on your overall mood. Here\u2019s how closely connected your physical health is to your mental health\u2014and why feeding good food to your belly will make your brain happier, too.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is the best mental health diet?<\/span><\/h2>\n

To understand how what you eat affects your mental health, it\u2019s important to understand the gut-brain connection. According to <\/span>Uma Naidoo<\/span><\/a>, MD, a Harvard-trained nutritional psychiatrist and author of <\/span>This is Your Brain on Food<\/span><\/i>, your gut and your brain are deeply connected from the beginning of their development with a complex neurotransmitter (chemical messaging) system between the two.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFoods that help promote the production of neurotransmitters reduce inflammation, support the [gut] microbiome, and keep the gut lining intact and strong, ultimately supporting the brain,\u201d says <\/span>Eva Selhub<\/span><\/a>, MD, author of <\/span>Your Health Destiny<\/span><\/i>. \u201cFoods that are nutrient-poor and evoke inflammation have the opposite effect.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In other words, dietary changes that avoid inflammation are optimal for gut <\/span>and<\/span><\/i> brain health. \u201cTraditional diets that support the microbiome and are anti-inflammatory have been shown to support improved mental health,\u201d Dr. Selhub says. \u201cThese diets are high in a variety of plant-based foods, many of which are fermented and therefore probiotic or prebiotic [because they feed the microbiome].\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

What does this look like in practice? The following well-researched diet plans are designed to decrease inflammation:<\/span><\/p>\n