{"id":7868,"date":"2025-06-01T20:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-01T20:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7868"},"modified":"2025-06-01T20:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-06-01T20:30:00","slug":"healthy-eating-can-improve-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7868","title":{"rendered":"Healthy eating can improve mental health"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2025-06-01T20:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

We often hear nutrition <\/a>is important for our physical health, but did you know it also affects mental health? Nutrition has been connected to behavior, mood and the treatment of mental illness.<\/p>\n

Studies have found that a highly processed diet can put us at a higher risk of developing anxiety or depression. A highly processed diet includes foods that are high in sugar, fat, and sodium and is low in produce, whole grains and other healthful whole foods.<\/p>\n

Gut feeling<\/h2>\n

Your gut and brain communicate with one another. Research has shown a link between a healthy gut and mental health. For example, omega-3s\u2014healthy fats that your body cannot produce on its own\u2014travel through the digestive system, pass into the brain and interact with mood-related molecules inside the brain. Studies have shown some improvements for patients with depression and other mood disorders when they take omega-3s, but more research is needed.<\/p>\n

Vitamin B6 is involved in the creation of neurotransmitters (chemicals that nerves use to communicate), which regulate mood. Research has found that B-group vitamins may benefit mood in both healthy and at-risk individuals.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Food mood<\/h2>\n

Food choices can affect your mood and even your future food choices. Eating enough of the right foods throughout the day supports energy, focus, thinking and sleep.<\/p>\n

If your body isn\u2019t getting the right nutrients, you may start craving certain foods. Eating sugary foods may solve the craving in the short term but will lead to a spike in blood sugar, followed soon after by a drop, which in turn causes more cravings throughout the day. This cycle can negatively affect mood, decrease energy levels and increase anxiety.<\/p>\n

Six ways to improve your diet and support mental health<\/h2>\n

The Mediterranean diet, which includes beans, nuts, fruits, lean proteins, vegetables and whole grains, is associated with reduced depressive symptoms and improved quality of life.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here are some ways to incorporate the Mediterranean diet to support your mental wellbeing:\u00a0<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Add color to your plate: Challenge yourself to add a piece of fruit or a vegetable at every meal or snack you eat.\u00a0<\/li>\n
  2. Change your breads and pastas to whole grain options. Oatmeal, whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta or wheat crackers are good choices.\u00a0<\/li>\n
  3. Add unsalted nuts as a snack or to salads. Try almonds, walnuts and pistachios.\u00a0<\/li>\n
  4. Make one vegetarian dinner a week by eliminating meat and adding beans as your protein source. Try serving beans for your next Taco Tuesday!\u00a0<\/li>\n
  5. Decrease your sugar intake by limiting soda and desserts to occasional treats.\u00a0<\/li>\n
  6. Give fish a try! Experiment with salmon, sardines or anchovies to increase omega-3 fatty acids.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    For recipes to incorporate the Mediterranean diet, check out the VA recipe page<\/a> or Healthy Teaching Kitchen<\/a> for more ideas. If you\u2019re interested in this or any other nutrition-related topic, contact your local VA to speak with a registered dietitian.<\/p>\n

    If you need mental health support, contact the Veterans Crisis Line<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

    Happy eating!<\/p>\n

    \n

    Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Nutrition tips on what to eat for a healthy body and improved mental health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":67,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-health-care","category-mental-health-recovery"],"yoast_head":"\nHealthy eating can improve mental health - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Nutrition tips on what to eat for a healthy body and improved mental health.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7868\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Healthy eating can improve mental health - 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