To help prevent depression, focus on a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and omega-3s, similar to the Mediterranean diet, incorporating foods like oily fish, leafy greens, berries, nuts, seeds, beans, and fermented foods to support brain health, gut microbiome, and neurotransmitter production, while reducing processed foods, sugar, and unhealthy fats.
Choose foods higher in antioxidants like berries and leafy green vegetables. Eat foods with Omega-3 fatty acids like salmon and black chia seeds. These help fight inflammation and support your overall physical and mental wellbeing.
Natural Mood-Boosting Drinks
Turmeric Tea: There are countless teas that provide a mood boost, but nothing quite comes close to turmeric tea. Its antioxidants reduce the type of stress commonly connected to depression. Water: Water is at the crux of all healthy diets.
Green leafy vegetables, like spinach, kale, escarole, collards, and arugula, are the most important of all veggies to protect the brain from cognitive decline. A study showed that eating leafy greens delayed cognitive aging by 11 years.
About 75% of your brain is water, making hydration crucial for sharp thinking, focus, and mood, as even mild dehydration (losing 2% of body water) can impair memory, concentration, and reaction time. The remaining part of the brain is mostly fat, and this water content is essential for creating neurotransmitters and supporting brain function.
Magnesium: Magnesium can help manage anxiety and insomnia by regulating serotonin and improving brain function, explains Dr. Madrak. Plus, it can improve other areas of our health, including digestion, cardiac function and sleep patterns.
The 1-2-3 drinking rule is a guideline for moderation: 1 drink per hour, no more than 2 drinks per occasion, and at least 3 alcohol-free days each week, helping to pace consumption and stay within safer limits. It emphasizes pacing alcohol intake with water and food, knowing standard drink sizes (12oz beer, 5oz wine, 1.5oz spirits), and avoiding daily drinking to reduce health risks, though some health guidance suggests even lower limits.
Vitamin B-12 and other B vitamins play a role in making brain chemicals that affect mood and other brain functions. Low levels of B-12 and other B vitamins and folate may be linked to depression.
These serotonin-boosting ingredients and their food sources will help better control your mood, stress, sleep and hunger: Tryptophan: Chicken, turkey, fish, beef, pork, nuts, seeds, tofu, cheese, eggs, oats, beans, lentils, spinach, dates, bananas and dark chocolate (70-85% cocoa)
8 Superfoods for Brain Health
5 steps to mental wellbeing
Eat complex carbohydrates.
This can have a calming effect. Eat foods rich in complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains. Examples of whole grains include oatmeal, quinoa, whole-grain breads and whole-grain cereals. Stay away from foods that contain simple carbohydrates, such as sugary foods and drinks.
Top 10 Foods for Health
The 2-2-2 food rule is a simple guideline for leftover safety: get cooked food into the fridge within 2 hours, eat it within 2 days, or freeze it for up to 2 months to prevent bacteria growth, keeping it out of the temperature "danger zone" (40-140°F or 5-60°C).
Common dietary supplements for cognitive health
Spotlight the Super Six:
When it comes to the plants you eat, you want to eat from across the six different plant groups: vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, legumes (beans and pulses), nuts and seeds, and herbs and spices.
Vitamin B-12 and other B vitamins play a role in making brain chemicals that affect mood and other brain functions. Low levels of B-12 and other B vitamins and folate may be linked to depression.
Teas for stress and anxiety relief
The 5 C's of Mental Health provide a framework for well-being, often cited as Competence, Confidence, Connection, Character, and Caring, focusing on feeling capable, believing in oneself, nurturing relationships, living by values, and showing empathy. While some variations exist, like adding Compassion, Coping, or Community, the core idea is building resilience through personal growth and strong relationships, helping individuals manage challenges and thrive.
Here are some self-care tips:
Be sure to eat a diet rich in whole grains, lean meats, vegetables, fruits, beans and nuts. Interacting with others can also help boost a person's mood. Call a friend or family member to discuss problems or concerns. Get involved in community and volunteer activities to reach out to others and make a difference.
A peanut butter and jelly sandwich (PB&J) adds about 33 minutes to your healthy lifespan per serving, according to a University of Michigan study that measured life expectancy impacts of over 5,850 foods using the Health Nutritional Index (HNI). This sandwich tops the list for adding time, with nuts and seeds also being highly beneficial (around 25 mins) and processed items like hot dogs subtracting time.
By incorporating brain-boosting foods like berries, citrus fruits, dark chocolate, nuts, eggs, avocados, salmon, olive oil, beets, rosemary, bone broth, and turmeric into your diet, you can enhance your memory, focus, and concentration.