Improve Mood By Eating Fiber

Maintaining an inadequate diet not only affects our health at an organic level, but also our emotional well-being. Raquel Marín tells us more about it below.Would it be possible to improve mood by eating fiber? This is a question that is becoming increasingly common, given that several scientific studies have been made known that the amount of fiber we consume regularly may have a much more important role in our emotional well-being than can be believe.

Depression is increasing. It is estimated that there are about 300 million people with depression in the world, 40 million in Europe alone. In Spain, it is estimated that 5% of the population suffers from depression. In addition, 2 out of 3 people do not overcome depression, so they live with chronic depression.The factors that lead to a depressive state are multiple and sometimes inevitable. An increasingly common factor is stress. Chronic stress greatly increases the risk of depression and impairs intellectual activity. Another important parameter is the type of feeding. An inadequate diet can greatly affect your mood.

The fiber-rich diet is key

A diet high in fat and sugar and low in fiber increases the risk of cardiovascular and intestinal diseases. In addition, it affects the brain.In the article entitled: "Do not fill the plate and you will improve memory" I commented on the scientific works in which it has been shown that maintaining hypocaloric diets slows brain aging and improves intellectual activity and memory. In addition, a proper diet can improve depressive state and anxiety.In a scientific study involving 45,826 people, the type of diet they followed was analyzed. The programs were varied:

1. Slimming programs
2. Low fat diets
3. Selective or other diets rich in all types of nutrients

The conclusion reached by researchers is that eating more vegetables and fiber foods (fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, cereals) is essential to improve depression symptoms. However, these diets did not improve anxiety.In addition, for unknown reasons, symptoms of improvement against depression were greater in women than in men. In addition, emotional relief was greater when the diet rich in fiber was combined with the practice of physical exercise, especially outdoors.

The best for depression: the Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet is one of the most advisable for intellectual and emotional health. It consists of the consumption of a high variety of vegetables, fruits, legumes, grains and seeds, olive oil, moderate consumption of fish, lean meat (especially poultry) and fermented dairy products (yogurt, cheese). The consumption of sugars, saturated fats and red meat is very low or non-existent.
This diet provides essential fatty acids, antioxidants, vitamins, fiber, microminerals and slow assimilation carbohydrates that promote the optimal state of mind and mood.Several scientific studies have endorsed the benefits of the Mediterranean diet in improving depression, even when it is severe. Some are indicated below:

1. An investigation carried out in 27 women following this diet for 10 days;
2. An investigation conducted on 152 people for 3 months;
3. An investigation carried out in 166 people during 12 weeks.

In particular, these studies emphasized the importance of eating legumes, vegetables and blue fish.

Gut health influences depression

The bacteria of the intestine also have much to say in the mood. The intestine is housed by billions of microorganisms of about 1,000 types. These microorganisms (especially bacteria) must maintain a stable balance for the head to function well. When microorganisms have altered levels, the risk of suffering from neurodegenerative diseases increases.Although much remains to be investigated, some research indicates that gut bacteria also influence depression.For example, a scientific work carried out in Belgium with 1,054 participants identified at least two types of intestinal bacteria (Coprococcus and Dialister) that had low levels in depressive people compared to people without depression.

There is no doubt that depression is a combination of many different factors, both genetic and environmental and of lifestyle that cannot be generalized. However, among the parameters we must consider the type of diet as a factor that can play in favor or against a healthy mood.Although it is necessary to continue investigating in this regard, many already consider that it may be possible to improve the mood by eating fiber (within a balanced diet, such as the Mediterranean) and also, improve the outlook for patients with chronic depression.