Eating Nutritious Foods

Your diet can have a direct impact on your mental health. Your body and brain need enough nutritious food throughout the day to thrive. Depression can cause a person to stop eating or overeat. This symptom, however, can worsen depression symptoms. Our brains need us to: 

• Eat enough food throughout our days. When you don’t eat enough, your blood sugar levels can drop, resulting in irritability and low mood. 
• Eating enough protein, healthy fats, fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. 
• Cutting back on caffeine and alcohol. 
• Studies confirmed that a healthy dietary pattern, comprising higher intakes of fruit and vegetables, fish and whole grains, was associated with a reduced likelihood of depression in adults. 

The Mental Health Commission of Canada noted that “mental well-being is deeply impacted by social determinants of health, such as precarious housing, food insecurity poverty, social exclusion, and racism.” 

Although studies confirm a healthy dietary pattern reduces the risk of depression, Canadian Community Health Survey found that the prevalence of food insecurity among Black adults is the highest across all racialized groups, with a rate 2.8 times higher than White adults. This represents 13 more Black adults experiencing food insecurity per 100 people. The Black population is disproportionately represented among the food insufficient.