Diet and depression are linked pretty tightly. I don’t find that to be all that surprising. After all, who hasn’t felt gross after a big greasy meal, and who hasn’t found solace in chocolate or ice cream when the day has gone absolutely sideways? I even wrote a blog with a recipe for chocolate depression cake a while back (though that was a play on words). That said, science has backed this one up and has looked into it more specifically in terms of overall eating habits and the risk of becoming depressed. It’s really interesting stuff, if you’re into that kind of thing, which I am. So, I’m determined to start coming up with meals that will nourish my mental health.
The Link Between Diet and Depression
We are what we eat, and that counts for both physical and mental health. This was backed up by a randomized controlled trial called “A brief diet intervention can reduce symptoms of depression in young adults”.
What it found was that the Western diet seemed to be associated with an increased risk of depression. However, other eating strategies that are regularly viewed as quite sustainably healthy, such as the Mediterranean diet, were not associated with a risk that was as high as the Western diet.
The research also suggested that by tweaking what we eat in certain ways, it is possible to help reduce the symptoms and severity or even onset of depression. That’s how closely this mental health condition is linked to what we eat.
To me – especially right now – it feels like a good time to make some smart choices to take care of myself as a whole, inside and out. As food prices get more expensive, I’m working hard to stop mindlessly buying things on a whim based on cravings or impulse. Instead, I’m starting to create lists that I bring to the store based on recipes I plan to make.
The lists are often influenced by foods that are on sale. That said, they’re also based on less expensive ingredients that I can make into large meal batches so I can freeze them. It might mean that I spend an hour or two cooking on the weekend, but it also often means that I am off the hook when it comes to cooking dinners and even lunches for most of the rest of the week. Plus, it makes my freezer look so cool and organized with all my ready-made homemade meals!
Making a Mental Health-Friendly Meal
The following is an example of how I take diet and depression into consideration when I’m cooking, so I can create a nutritious, filling and tasty meal for myself. First, I check the fish section of my grocery store to see if there is anything on sale. I look for options like salmon or trout mainly. Tuna is wayyyy out of my price range. I’ll look for sales in both fresh and frozen fish. If I get lucky, I grab it. Otherwise, the canned stuff is just fine as a fall-back.
I look for greens – especially dark greens – like kale, rappini, different types of chard, or collards. Then I head to the herbs, tomatoes (I like cherry or grape tomatoes. I find they last longer and stretch more). I follow that up with carrots, which are typically dirt cheap (so the speak) where I live.
As much as it’s a nuisance, I get them all whole instead of buying bags of chopped veggies. They’re so, so much cheaper. I will do them all up for the week all at once and store them in containers in my fridge.
A massive salad with greens, tomatoes, shredded carrots and a great vinaigrette is super-filling next to a little piece of salmon, chicken, or even a sliced boiled egg. I add fresh herbs like dill for an additional flavor burst, along with garlic and freshly ground black pepper. It’s fast to prepare (especially when I do the grunt work on the weekend) and delicious. It’s simple but it feels fancy. It’s filling and it respects that diet and mental health are connected.