Foods to help reduce anxiety and support mental health

In a period of great stress and uncertainty, making positive dietary changes is one way to support our mental health.

With millions of Australians currently in lockdown, and others living on a knife-edge, anxiety levels are peaking across the nation.

In a recent report on the mental health ramifications of Covid-19, the Black Dog Institute noted a heightened level of anxiety, with an estimated 25 to 33 per cent of the community experiencing high levels of worry and anxiety during similar pandemics.

Anxiety is Australia’s most common mental health disorder, and is thought to peak during lockdown periods.

Even at the best of times, anxiety is the most common among mental health disorders, which overall, affect about one in five Australians annually, and almost one in two during their lifetime.

As the stresses of employment stand-downs, home schooling, and other pandemic-related concerns intensify, liquor cabinets and confectionery stashes may become an increasingly tempting source of comfort.

But feeding our woes with unhealthy comfort food is counter-productive from a mental health standpoint, with a growing body of research demonstrating that what we eat can have a significant impact on our mental state.

The emerging field of nutritional psychiatry identifies nutrition-based approaches to preventing and treating mental disorders, with particular implications for depression and anxiety.

“We already have such strong evidence that what we eat improves our physical health,” says Dr Wolfgang Marx, research fellow at Deakin University’s Food & Mood Centre.

“Now, with evidence that food also improves our mental health, it’s time to eat for a healthy body and brain.”

In one Food & Mood Centre study, people with clinical depression experienced dramatic improvements in mood after 12 weeks on a healthy Mediterranean diet.

“In 32 per cent of people, the symptoms were so low that they met remission criteria,” Dr Marx says.

“A lot of research coming out is also showing that high fibre diets, fermented foods and probiotics affect a lot of pathways linked to anxiety.”

Dietitian and nutritionist Lyndi Cohen has battled with anxiety for the past decade, and says people that hadn’t experienced anxiety prior to the pandemic may find themselves starting to struggle.

“Covid is creating a mental health crisis,” she says.

“People are more isolated than ever before. You have young people spending more time on social media, which is correlated with mental health issues, and parents home schooling on top of work. It’s all very overwhelming.”

Dietitian, nutritionist and author of The Nude Nutritionist, Lyndi Cohen, uses healthy eating as a coping strategy for her anxiety.

Cohen approaches her diet as one of several coping strategies for her anxiety, along with exercise and psychology sessions.

She says making simple changes to our diet can have a powerful effect on our mental state. “Nutrition alone may not be enough, but there are things we can do in relation to our diet to support our mental health and help ourselves feel better,” she says.

Gut health

Sometimes described as our second brain, our gut is closely intertwined with our mental health.

To support a healthy gut, Cohen recommends a diet rich in prebiotics, such as sauerkraut, yoghurt and kefir.

“Other surprising sources of prebiotics are slightly under-ripe bananas, beans and legumes, seeds and nuts,” she says.

“Macadamia nuts are around seven per cent total fibre, and some of that fibre is prebiotic fibre, which acts as food for the microflora in the gut.”

Fermented foods such as yoghurt, kimchi and sauerkraut support a healthy gut, and in turn, a healthy mental state.

Hold the drinks

A spike in alcohol sales has been a common lockdown phenomenon globally, but pouring a stiff drink isn’t the best solution to unwinding after a long day of homeschooling.

“In lockdown, many of us turn to alcohol to help us cope, and numb difficult situations,” Cohen says.

“It may impact our mood immediately after drinking, but ultimately, it’s a depressive substance.”

She recommends establishing dry days, and being mindful of tonics and sugary mixers when consuming alcohol.

Excessive alcohol and caffeine can also prevent our bodies from absorbing key nutrients.

“Some coffee can be beneficial, but too much can contribute to you feeling anxious and jittery,” Cohen says.

“Rather than setting an arbitrary goal of how much coffee to allow yourself, check in with how much makes you feel good.”

Woman drinking wine alone in the dark room

Mix it up

Avoid the ‘superfood’ hype and instead, focus on dietary diversity.

“If you eat the exact same foods every single week, you’re only supporting a certain type of gut microbiome,” Cohen says.

“You should be constantly mixing up the plant-based foods you eat, with different seeds, nuts, legumes, fruits and vegetables.”

Recommending we try at least 50 different plant-based foods each week, Cohen suggests looking for at least one new food during each grocery shop.

“If you normally go for lentils, try cannellini beans. Try different nuts to sprinkle over your salad. Instead of always reaching for an apple, try a persimmon. Challenge your kids to find something new and healthy.”

This diversity supports a healthy gut, and in turn, our mental wellbeing.

Welcome fats

Our brain needs healthy fats to perform at its best.

“Many of us eat too many omega 6 fats – the kind you get in hot chips and fast food – but we should be aiming for more omega 3,” Cohen says.

“These are easily found in oily fish like salmon and sardines. Aim for eating these about three times a week. You can also find omega 3 in chia seeds, flax seeds and algae.”

Snack smart

All-day access to the snack cupboard while working from home needn’t be a dietary disaster. Cohen suggests creating snack shelves, at eye level, to ensure healthy options are front of mind when cravings strike.

“If you’re craving something crunchy, a handful of macadamias instead of chips can be equally satiating,” she says.

“For something sweet after dinner, it could be medjool dates with peanut butter. Popcorn is a great high-fibre snack, or make your own sweet potato chips or kale chips in the air fryer. When the first things you see are healthy options, you don’t go searching for those chips or ice cream.”

For more mental health resources and support, visit blackdoginstitute.org.au