Anxious or Depressed? Ultra-Processed Foods Impact Your Mental Health

Eating a nutritious diet — with carbs, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals and water — helps build, maintain and repair our bodies. Pick foods that don't have them in the proper balance — and many of us do, subsisting on junk food and empty calories — and you are going to have issues, including impacts on mood, feelings and even mental-health diagnoses.

What Is Overnutrition and How Do Processed Foods Cause It?

Way back when early humans were still running from cave bears, we ate what we could get. There was never enough food; trying to get more was a universal priority. It wasn't until about 100 years ago that there was such a thing as excess food. Today we struggle with overnutrition, defined as consuming excess calories, a form of malnutrition.

Consuming excess calories has become a big problem in the form of highly or ultra-processed foods that often are addictively delicious — and nutritionally barren.

It's Not Just You: We're Programmed to Love Fat, Salt and Sugar

Compared to previous generations, Millennials and Gen Z report much higher incidence of anxiety and depression. Studies show they also are particularly at risk for this form of malnutrition, for a lot of reasons. Many grew up in homes where cooking was not a thing, or if it was, it was something frozen you threw in the microwave. Many such foods are high in sugar, fat and sodium.

Resisting these foods isn't easy. We are genetically programmed to love sugar. It's a carb that gives us quick energy. Fat, too. It's very concentrated and gives many calories per gram, a lot of bang for the buck. Salt is an electrolyte; if you're on the move — remember those cave bears — you can get dehydrated and need sodium. Highly processed foods check all of those boxes.

Gut Microbiome Health Affects Mood and Serotonin

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that plays a strong role in mood and emotions, as well as sleep, appetite, learning, digestion, body temperature and many other aspects of metabolism. Our bodies can make serotonin from certain foods — poultry, fish, turkey, eggs, dairy, nuts and seeds — but if your diet doesn't include those things, you could have an imbalance. While diet isn't the only factor in serotonin production, if you're not making enough, that can affect cravings, emotional eating, overeating and weight gain.

Serotonin and other neurotransmitters are produced in your gut. So keeping your gut microbiome and its "good bacteria" healthy is a big part of keeping your body in balance. This is accomplished through foods like whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables, and fermented foods like kimchi or sauerkraut. When we start replacing these foods with processed foods, our gut microbiota are not so happy.

Best Fermented Foods and Probiotics for Gut and Mental Health

Learning to stomach the most fragrant fermented foods might take some time. But you don't have to start there. Some cottage cheese is fermented (look for "live and active cultures" on the label), as well as feta and buttermilk. Miso soup is another, as well as pickles and pickled vegetables. And of course yogurt and kefir, which come in a jillion flavors and styles. For super-picky eaters, there also are probiotic supplements.

Fermentation also is a product of your gut biota processing fiber, which makes the cells in your GI tract happier and better connected to the vagus nerve that communicates with your central nervous system and immune system. How they do this is not yet fully understood, but the process has been linked to better stress response, less inflammation and increased production of neurotransmitters. Happier gut, happier you.

6 Steps to Reduce Ultra-Processed Foods in Your Diet

• Begin with a food tracker to see where you really are in your nutritional intake. Many AI bots will analyze the nutritional content of your plate from a photo. The results may be eye-opening.
• You don't have to go cold turkey. Got a hard-core soda habit? Switch to diet soda first, then a powdered sugar-substitute drink, and eventually to water. You don't have to get there overnight.
• Sign up for one of the many services that will deliver kits or boxes of fresh ingredients to your door with easy-to-follow instructions. (Downside: These can be pricey.) If you're doing it yourself, use sites like the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics or the American Heart Association for ideas to fill your plate, and your shopping list.
• Set aside time on weekends for meal prep — washing, chopping and measuring. Any steps you can do in advance will make mealtime much easier during the week. Frozen foods are fine; just make sure there are no sauces included.
• Experiment with kitchen tools. Instant cookers, rice cookers, air fryers and crockpots make it much easier to get a nutritious meal together, which will help you resist reaching for the chips.
• Perhaps the most important suggestion: Create a routine and stick to it. It will get easier with practice.

This content is not AI generated.