Prescribing a Diet to Treat Depression

Nutritional psychiatry is gaining momentum; exploring more and more the influence of nutrition on mental wellbeing.

It’s a relatively new field and the first randomised controlled clinical trial has just been completed in Australia. Two researchers Felice Jacka and Michael Berk, based at the Food and Mood Centre at Deakin University, Victoria, Australia completed a 3-year-study of several hundred participants with a diagnosis of a moderate to severe Depressive illness. 

Over the past decade significant evidence is supporting the link between diet and the risk for depression, this study explored diet as a treatment. The results were remarkable, by implementing a Modified Mediterranean Diet high in;

• whole grains
• fruits
• vegetables
• nuts
• legumes
• lean meats
• chicken
• seafood 

The trial resulted in 32% of participants achieving remission, compared to 8% in the control group. This continues to support what we already know, that nutrition plays a significant role in both physical and mental wellbeing.

When we are burdened by stressors in our busy lives we do tend to go for the quick and easy when it comes to our diet, it is at these times when diet can be critical in supporting our wellbeing. Not only in lowering our risk to experiencing mood issues, but also in supporting the standard depression treatments of medication, psycho-therapies.

                                                                “Eat well”

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