Header: Learn How Food and Mood Are Connected. Image: White pasta, sugary treats, candy, and a greasy sausage animate onto a white plate, forming the image of a sad face. These items fade out and the following healthy foods animate in, forming the image of a happy face: spinach, onions, blueberries raspberries, banana, mushroom, beans.

May is Mental Health Month.

Celebrate with Happy Food!

If you could lift your spirits with food that is both delicious…and healthy…would you be interested? There's persuasive evidence that smart food choices can have a major mood-boosting effect.

Understanding which foods help, and the exquisite way they work their magic, will change the way you think about your food choices.

Merry Microbes Make a Blissful Brain

The millions of helpful microbes that live in your gut are biochemical wizards capable of making a wide range of chemicals. Which ones are made depends on the food you send down the hatch.

The microbes grow mightier on a steady diet of fiber—in fact, fiber is by far the microbial meal of choice.

When you eat fiber-rich foods, your microbial residents reward you by producing large amounts of a powerful group of chemicals (a.k.a. short-chain fatty acids) which enter the circulation and travel to the brain.

These microbial-formed chemicals are helpful to reduce inflammation. They also trigger the release of BDNF, a key protein that regulates the function of nerve cells in the brain and influences mood.

Foods Linked to Mood Enhancement

High-fiber foods, including generous portions of vegetables and fruit, are associated with improved mental outlook:

In one study, adding 8 total servings of vegetables and fruit per day increased a measure of happiness to the same extent as experienced by unemployed individuals who were offered a job.¹

Another study showed that general adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet—rich in vegetables, fruit, nuts, and whole grains—was linked to a greater sense of well-being.² Alternatively, fried and high-sugar foods were more closely linked to depression.

For all these reasons, it makes good sense to take advantage of all of the benefits of healthful eating! Add plenty of high-fiber foods to your diet—some superstars are beans, greens, lentils, berries, nuts, and whole grains such as oats, barley, and brown rice.

At the same time, please understand that food is just one element that contributes to mood. If you are in need of guidance, please consult with your health professional to learn about the best options for you.

Passed this Month:

U.S. House Resolution Calls for Nutrition Education in Physician Training

Does it take an Act of Congress to require medical schools and training programs to teach nutrition?

Yes, apparently it does! Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan res oluti on calling for U.S. medical training programs to provide meaningful nutrition education. (Currently, medical students receive, on average, just 19 total hours of nutrition education over 4 years of medical school—and often no nutrition education whatsoever in the 3-6 years of hospital-based training after medical school.)

The new resolution is high-level acknowledgement of the importance of nutrition education. And we're proud of the Gaples Institute's groundbreaking work—our accredited nutrition science course for clinicians is now required in 6 leading medical schools and has trained over 3,000 clinicians.

We're hopeful that this resolution will move more medical educators to provide future health professionals with life-saving nutrition knowledge—so that they can address the preventable epidemic of diet-related diseases.

Click for a video of Congressional Representative Jim McGovern introducing the resolution

Watch Congressman Jim McGovern introduce

the bipartisan resolution

And here's one more way to be kind to your mind during Mental Health Month — and all year long:

You've probably heard that meditation is a good way to support mental health—but if you're new to meditation, you might wonder where to start. This simple two-minute mindful breathing exercise is something anyone can benefit from. Give it a try:

Click to play the 2-minute video "An Easy Way to Meditate"

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