Whilst there is no definitive list of “bad” foods for mental health, certain types of food have been associated with various mental health conditions.
1) Processed foods: Processed foods, including fast-foods, ready meals, and many pre-made and store-bought “convenience foods” are often high in unhealthy fats, sugar and salt (preservatives involved in food addictions), dense in calories and low in nutrients. Processed foods have been linked with risk of depression, anxiety, ADHD, autism and other mental health conditions.
2) Sugary drinks and carbonated beverages: Carbonated beverages / sodas, and energy drinks tend to be high in sugar, which can lead to blood sugar spikes, subsequent crashes, and associated mood swings and fatigue. Additives for colour, flavour and preservation, such as E-numbers, have also been associated with an array of mental health and psychiatric conditions.
3) High-fat meals: Meals high in unhealthy fats, such as fried foods, fast foods, cakes, pastries and other baked good, aren’t just associated with cardiovascular disease and obesity, but body-wide inflammation, including changes in the gut which communicates with the brain via the gut-brain-axis. Both inflammation and changes in the gut have been linked with depression, anxiety and other mental health issues.
4) Alcohol: Just two alcoholic beverages nightly can have a profound impact on our health. Whilst it might seem like an acute sedative, alcohol actually inhibits our sleep hormone, melatonin, and prevents us from entering deep, restorative sleep – fostering anxiety, depression, mood disorders and burnout. Alcohol also has a cortisol (stress hormone) stimulating effect, mimicking the impact of actual stress and priming our stress response. With a hyper-sensitive stress response, we’re both more reactive to stressors (and less resilient to stress) and secrete further cortisol - perpetuating sleep disruption, and both precipitating and worsening existing anxiety, depression and mood disorders, alongside a plethora of other issues, including metabolic conditions (diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease) and psychiatric disorders. If you drink more than 2 alcoholic beverages daily, it can be dangerous to suddenly go cold-turkey - so do consult a registered practitioner to guide you.
5) Skipping meals: Skipping meals and “fasting” is the new fad, and can be helpful for some - in specific circumstances and when being advised by a professional. However, for most people, skipping meals can be harmful, leading to drops in blood sugar levels and precipitating the release of cortisol, our stress hormone. Historically, this would have woken us (in the night) and stimulated us to hunt food. In modern society, this leads to “hanger”, mood swings, energy crashes and cognitive dysfunction.
6) Coffee: Although coffee has a plethora or benefits, including helping us stay alert, supporting us during exercise, and does contain a number of beneficial compounds such as antioxidants, research has found that intake of more than 400mg caffeine daily (equal to around 3-4 cups coffee - or just a few strong coffees!) can have a deleterious effect on our health. High amounts of caffeine elevates our stress hormone, cortisol, mimicking the impact of chronic stress both physically and psychologically. It also sensitises our sympathetic nervous system - our stress response which enables us to mobilise for an attack - meaning we have a lower threshold to tolerate stressors and are more prone to experience stress in the first place. That said, when we drink caffeine-containing beverages, whether that be coffee, tea or a stimulant drink, although we may feel on top of the world (for a short time!) our body perceives this as an outside attack. Some may experience this as palpitations and anxiety; others poor digestion, bloating and diarrhoea; and yet others may experience apparently removed symptoms such as sore joints and other inflammatory conditions.
There are also various foods which are marketed as being “healthy”, but which can actually be incredibly deleterious to our health:
1. Granola / cereal and energy bars: Whilst cereal bars are marketed as a healthy snack, they are often full of added sugars, artificial ingredients and unhealthy fats. Even those purporting to be natural and sugar-free tend to be full of dried fruits and contain sugar syrups, such as brown rice syrup. Whilst this might sound healthy, dried fruit is incredibly sugar-dense, and sugar syrups are actually more deleterious to blood sugar, glucose metabolism and the onset of various health conditions than standard table sugar!
2. Smoothies and fruit juices: Beware of pure fruit juices: as soon as the fibre (from the actual fruit) is removed, a lot of the benefit is also lost. You’re left with a sugar-dense beverage which can foster energy crashes and mood dysregulation. If you’re choosing a juice, opt for a vegetable-heavy juice (e.g. carrot, apple and ginger), or a smoothie which contains the whole fruit (vs. fruit juice blended with yoghurt) which will reduce the sugar content. Better yet, make your own at home!
3. Protein bars: Whilst “protein” has become synonymous with the fitness industry, similar to granola bars, protein bars are often nothing other than chocolate bars with added protein, including sugar syrups and artificial ingredients. Even those purporting to be sugar free tend to be full of harmful additives, such as sweeteners, which research suggests can disrupt the gut microbiome (remember the gut-brain-axis) and trigger cravings for sweet foods.
4. Energy drinks: Like protein bars, energy drinks are often associated with svelte gym-goers. To the contrary, these highly caffeinated beverages increase cortisol – the body’s stress hormone – which mimics actual stress on the body and can foster anxiety, depression and other mood disorders. Moreover, cortisol increases the body’s fat storing hormone, insulin.
(7) Jamar, G., Araki-Ribeiro, D., Pellegrini-Pisani., L. (2021). High-fat or high-sugar diets as trigger inflammation in the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Critical Reviews in Food Science Nutrition, 61(5).
Comments