Eat your way to happiness

Diet can boost your mental health, says Dr Drew Harper

What you eat not only influences your weight and energy levels, but also your mood. Studies have shown that mental health can be greatly influenced by what you eat.

By making targeted changes to your diet, adding in nutrient-dense foods that can provide the building blocks your brain needs to thrive, you have the power to improve your mental health.

The foods you eat and your brain’s overall wellbeing will always be intimately connected. Scientists are learning there are vital nutrients that can help prevent or manage depression and anxiety by fostering a better, stronger and more dynamic brain.

Our brains consume 20 per cent of everything we eat and those foods provide the energy and nutrients to produce and support each element that makes up our brain.

When the brain is deprived of one or more of these brain-healthy nutrients, cognition, mood and overall function will suffer.

Take serotonin, the neurotransmitter linked to mood. Without eating foods that contain adequate levels of nutrients such as folate, iron and vitamin B12, your body cannot produce adequate levels of this mood-enhancing chemical.

When it comes to nutrition and the brain, there is no single right way to eat. You need to understand the basic building blocks that can truly nourish your brain. Then it’s up to you to figure out what works best for you, because that is how you’re most likely to see positive, sustained changes to your mood and anxiety levels.

You have the power to decide what you’d like your brain to be made of and put your brain into a mode of growth, resilience and health. Better brains are made, not born, by the decisions that you make about the food you consume every day.

These are 12 crucial nutrients you need to help your brain combat anxiety and depression and boost your mood.

FOLATE Th is nutrient is a

B vitamin that helps to support the creation of new cells.

Find it: Beef, liver, Brussels sprouts, oranges and leafy greens

IRON The brain needs red blood cells to function at the highest level. The body uses iron to build haemoglobin, an important protein in red blood cells that helps transport oxygen from the lungs to the brain.

Find it: Pumpkin seeds, oysters and spinach

OMEGA-3 These long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids are made in small amounts by the body, but to get enough it’s important to include them in your diet to help with brain growth.

Find it: Oily fish such as wild salmon and anchovies plus flaxseeds, hemp seeds and leafy greens

MAGNESIUM This helps to regulate several important neurotransmitters, including those that facilitate mood. It’s also known to improve sleep quality.

Find it: Almonds, spinach and cashews

POTASSIUM This is needed for every electric impulse that travels along a neuron. Many fresh fruits and veg contain this essential mineral.

Find it: Bananas, broccoli, sweet potatoes and white beans

SELENIUM This helps create a powerful antioxidant in your brain and is necessary for proper functioning of the thyroid gland, which is involved in regulating mood, energy and anxiety.

Find it: Mushrooms, Brazil nuts and oatmeal are all good sources

THIAMINE This is also known as vitamin B1 and is fundamental to brain health because of its role in energy production.

Find it: Beef, nuts and legumes such as peas and beans

VITAMIN A This key vitamin has been linked to the brain’s ability to grow and adapt in response to the environment.

Find it: Liver, mackerel, salmon, pumpkin and sweet potato

VITAMIN B6 This plays a pivotal role in brain development and function.

Find it: Wholegrains, pork and eggs

VITAMIN B12 Central to the production of mood-regulating brain chemicals such as serotonin, it helps to transmit signals more efficiently and effectively.

Find it: Clams, beef, liver and mussels, nutritional yeast, fortified cereals and eggs

VITAMIN C This is a powerful antioxidant that can counteract the damage caused by free radicals in brain cells.

Find it: Cherries, chilli and greens as well as citrus fruits

ZINC Another mineral that helps regulate brain signalling and neuroplasticity, which is the long lasting functional changes in the brain that occur when we learn new things.

Find it: Pumpkin seeds, oysters and turkey

● Eat To Beat Depression and Anxiety: Nourish Your Way to Better Mental Health in Six Weeks by Dr Drew Ramsey (£22, HarperWave an imprint of HarperCollins)