Food does not have an impact on your mood or mental health

Question

An article written by Mass General Brigham, there are explanations on how the foods we eat directly influence our mood, energy levels, and overall mental well-being. It highlights the connection between nutrition and brain function, noting that diets rich in whole food, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, support more stable moods. Highly processed foods and those high in sugar can lead to mood swings, fatigue, and increased feelings of stress.

A main focus of the article is the gut–brain connection. The author describes how the gut microbiome produces things like serotonin, which play a major role in regulating mood. When someone eats nutritious foods, they help maintain a healthy gut environment, which can support an individuals emotions. Poor diet choices, however, can upset the gut microbiome and contribute to symptoms of anxiety or depression.

The article also offers individuals information and helps them in choosing foods that help improve mood. It encourages including healthier foods such as omega-3 rich foods like fatty fish, eating high-fiber foods to support gut health, and limiting added sugars. It concludes that while food is not a replacement for mental health treatment, eating more balanced, whole-food-based meals can contribute and help improve an individual's mental health.

Answer 1

This statement is false according to three reliable sources. Food does inevitably affect our mood and could also create longterm illnesses like depression. According to the National Library of Medicine, they stated that "Poor nutrition may be a causal factor in the experience of low mood, and improving diet may help to protect not only the physical health but also the mental health of the population, say Joseph Firth and colleagues" This statement suggest that food does affect our mood suggesting that lees healthy food can affect our mood negatively and more healthy foods can be a positive factor in maintaining a positive stable mental and physical state. Harvard Health Publishing also says something similar but uses the metaphor of humans being "premium cars" and that we need "premium fuel" (healthy foods) to keep us running and if we fill our cars up with non-premium fuel then the car can experience malfunctions and cause more problems than if we were to use the premium fuel. This metaphor describes us people, if we don't fill our bodies up with good healthy foods then we won't function or be as sustainable as we could be. This is a really good example in explaining what food does to us. Also according to the Victoria State Government, Department of Health they stated that "food has a big impact on our mood, our concentration, and level of happiness" this is similar to what the other two sources talked about. They stated that a healthy diet can improve our memory, concentration, and can increase our level of optimism and protect ourselves from developing depression, and eating unhealthy foods can lead to the develop of anxiety and an increase risk of depression. They each go more in depth with how food affects our mood and every day lives depending on what we eat, but they overall all agree that the type of food that we eat does affect our moods. I will link the articles below so you can read further if needed. 

nutritional-psychiatry-your-brain-on-food-201511168626

The author is Eve Selhub MD, she is a "internationally recognized physician, author, speaker, and consultant in the field of stress, resilience, mind-body medicine, and working with the natural environment to achieve maximum health and wellbeing."

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7322666/

This source is filled with authors that are filled with knowledge and went to well credited schools. These authors include Joseph Firth, James E. Gangwisch, Alessandra Borsini, Emeran A. Mayer. You can read more on them in the article. 

food-and-your-mood

This source doesn't have a clear author but this is an article that is very informational and doesn't seem biased at all. 

Comments

I really like your answer, but it is a little long and outstretched. Maybe next time, include the articles within the paragraph to show where you got this information and quote from.

Answer 2

Yes, how you eat and the kinds of foods you put into your body dose effect your mood and mental health. “Think about your diet as something you can control and use to potentially improve not only your physical health but also your mental health,” How Food Affects Your Mood | Mass General Brigham. Your diet has a big impact over your mood and how you feel, if you are not eating properly this can lead to many health issues. For example, if someone who isn't eating correctly can have an extremely weak immune system. Which can lead to a lot of sickness and health problems. “There’s a clear link between what you’re eating, how you’re eating, and your well-being" it's claimed that maintaining a good diet will benefit how you feel and mental health. In Food and mood: how do diet and nutrition affect mental wellbeing? - PMC they talk about how your brain and gut health are directly linked and can influence how you're doing. 

Answer 3

The claim "food does not have an impact on your mood or mental health" is incorrect. An article from the National Library of Medicine states that there is a connection between the food we consume and the wellbeing of our mental health and our mood. The article states, "these barriers disproportionately affect people with mental illness...and even the appetite including effect of psychiatric medications." This article then goes into explaining how different aspects of our food groups (carbohydrates, proteins, etc) specifically affect our mental being. One example on how food affects our mental health and mood is that studies have found that people who consume an unbalanced and unhealthy diet tend to be at higher risk for depression. Additionally, Aetna (a healthcare company) states that a healthy diet including foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc lead to reducing inflammation in the brain which often leads to less symptoms of poor mental health. While the NLM is a national based website regarding medical studies it can be classified as unbiased towards this topic and strictly responding with facts. Aetna is a large company that does not seem to have any bias towards this topic. Both sources produce relevant and factual information on the topic. Overall, the food we consume does have an affect on our mental health and mood. 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7322666/

https://www.aetna.com/health-guide/food-affects-mental-health.html

Answer 4

Food and good nutrition are the main sources of a healthy functioning body. UCLA Health says, "If you struggle with mood changes and other behavioral health issues, there’s a chance that your diet has something to do with it." This is strong evidence that proves this claim is false. Your mood and mental state aren't just affected by the brain; more comes into play, and having a healthy lifestyle plays a big role in your mental state. The thing is, you can't just eat fast food thats processed, you need to at least mix in a healthy meal, nutrition is so important. "Over 2,000 years ago, Hippocrates said, 'let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.”2 The evidence base is increasing that we should re-examine his counsel, as the effect of good food has profound implications for brain health." This is also a strong support statement to prove the claim false. Based on this information, the claim is false. Nutrition significantly affects mental health, and maintaining a healthy diet is a key component of emotional and behavioral well-being. 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6170050/#sec2

https://www.uclahealth.org/news/article/you-are-what-you-eat-diet-may-affect-your-mood-and-brain

Answer 5

I think this statement is false. Food is a very important thing you need in your life. the foods we eat directly influence our mood, energy levels, and overall mental well-being. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/nutritional-psychiatry-your-brain-on-food-201511168626

the brain needs a steady supply of nutrients to function properly. a healthy, balances diet can support brain health and protect against oxidative stress and inflammation, both of which can negatively affect mood. https://www.nutrition.org.uk/nutrition-for/food-and-the-brain/

the food you eat can influence mood and mental well-being, through brain nutrition and gut-brain communication. 

Answer 6

This claim is false. According to many sources, one being a Harvard medical journal reports that your brain runs on fuel and the type of fuel you are supplying yourself matters. It states, "Eating high-quality foods that contain lots of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants nourishes the brain and protects it from oxidative stress — the "waste" (free radicals) produced when the body uses oxygen, which can damage cells.". By giving your brain "high-quality fuel" it is able to release more serotonin as serotonin is produced in your gut and when your gut is healthy, it creates more serotonin. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/nutritional-psychiatry-your-brain-on-food-201511168626. Also, a scientific article on PubMed by Joseph Firth states that,  "Indeed, epidemiological research has observed that adherence to healthy or Mediterranean dietary patterns—high consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes; moderate consumption of poultry, eggs, and dairy products; and only occasional consumption of red meat—is associated with a reduced risk of depression."

Answer 7

This claim is slightly confusing, as the title of the claim is "food does not have an impact on your mental wellbeing" however, the asker then provided information on how food does impact your mental wellbeing, so I am unsure what this poster is claiming, whether they believe it does or does not. 

However, according to my research, food and diet does in fact have a great effect on mental health and wellbeing. Many of the neurons and activities in your brain rely on bacteria and sugars for example to be able to function. According to UCLA Health, “Serotonin is one of those neurotransmitters that is associated with mental health, and it’s produced by good bacteria. Up to 95% of serotonin is produced in the gut, so, we have to eat healthy foods to increase the presence of these good bacteria,” Dr. Gupta, a co-director of the UCLA Microbiome Lab, stated. This is just one example on how a major neurotransmitter is impacted directly by diet and health, as it is made in your intestines. The National Library of Medicine states that, "The effects of certain foods or dietary patterns on glycaemia, immune activation, and the gut microbiome may play a role in the relationships between food and mood", however they do also state that more research is required to show specific effects of different foods on the mental state and mind. 

Now, this does not mean that diet is the sole factor in determining mental wellbeing, however it can attribute to either a positive or negative mental space. Of course, lack of neurotransmitters and mental disorders, i.e. genetic, trauma-based, etc., have the most impact on your mental state and what your mental health looks like, but the factor of diet is very prominent.

Both of these sources, UCLA Health and The National Library of Medicine are both reputable sources that have no need for any particular bias in this case, as they are not advertising anything or trying to convince readers one way or another, instead they state facts and findings about the body and mind relationship in humans. There are many blogs I came across stating these findings as well, however I find it best to find sources for matters like these directly from what is deemed as the most respected and credible sources, such as top universities and government programs that are believed to tell the truth to readers. 

UCLA Health: You are what you eat: Diet may affect your mood and brain function | UCLA Health

National Library of Medicine: Food and mood: how do diet and nutrition affect mental wellbeing? - PMC

Answer 8

 

This statement is false. Food can directly affect one's mental health and mood. 

Many reliable sources prove this statement. Looking at Harvard Health, what you digest  goes through the gut and impacts your mood. Your gut has serotonin receptors. We must learn about nutritional psychiatry to begin to understand how what we eat can decide how we feel mentally. Our brains never sleep. It takes care of our thinking, breathing, senses, and heart beat. To have the energy to keep up these processes our brain needs a constant supply of fuel. The foods we eat act as this “fuel”. What is in the fuel directly affects our mental state. Foods that are rich in minerals, vitamins, etc, feed our brain to do well in the processes it is in control of. 

UCLA Health conducted research explaining how specific nutrients can allow us to think clearer and better. When a person is consuming foods with antioxidants, phytonutrients and fiber. It guarantees the body is receiving a variety of different vitamins and minerals supporting anti-inflammatory properties. Those properties then can change the neurotransmitters beneficially. Which in turn affects mood and cognition.

Some studies are researching how certain diets have reduced numbers of specific mental illnesses. Healthy diets and Mediterranean diets with concentration of high fruits, nuts, vegetables, and legumes. With moderate consumption of eggs and dairy products and low consumption of red meats. Result in people with a reduced risk of depression.  

In summary, research proves good nutrition can alter one's mood and mental health for the better. Specifically, by eating good food to help support fuel for the brain, which allows us to think better and clearer, and reduce risk for mental illness.