Commemorating World Mental Health Awareness Day

If you or someone you know is thinking of harming themself or needs mental health support, please call 988.

Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. If you feel that you need support with your mental health, the first thing you must know is that you are not alone. One in five adults will suffer from mental illness during their lifetime. You then might try to find a mental health counselor. You can always start with your primary care provider. 

Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act, and helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. These conditions can deeply impact day-to-day living. Over the course of a person’s life, if you experience mental health challenges, your thinking, mood, and behavior could be affected. 

What  we eat every day also plays a central role in our mental health. Choosing certain foods over others greatly impacts our thoughts, our mood, and our overall health and wellbeing.   

Foods that are beneficial to mental health are also helpful in preventing chronic conditions such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and certain types of cancer, so this is great news. Choosing these foods can be challenging when we are not used to them, when their preparation is unfamiliar, or when we feel that time is limited, but know that there are many choices and ways to enjoy them.  

The important thing is to eat a variety of whole foods on most days. Preparing meals at home, or when eating out or ordering food, choosing simply prepared meals like grilled chicken with sautéed veggies and rice. No one food is “the one”. Other things to consider are seasonality -foods that are in season are often more nutritious and less costly- and how they are grown. Consider organic foods if you can afford them.   

Below are groups of foods that you can eat ALWAYS, every day, as part of your daily diet. These foods can be part of your everyday meals or snacks.  Listed below are foods that are especially high in a group of compounds called polyphenols, which are vital to our mental health and help prevent diseases. Don’t let this distract you though. ALL fruits and veggies are good for you! Choose foods from these groups based on what you find in season, what you like, what you know how to prepare, or what you wish to try and can afford.   

Herbs, Spices and Teas

• Basil
• Cinnamon
• Cloves
• Cumin
• Ginger
• Green tea
• Oregano
• Parsley
• Peppermint
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Thyme

Nuts & Seeds

• Almonds
• Caco
• Flax Seeds
• Pecans
• Walnuts

Grains

• Oats
• Rye

Fats

• Olives
• Olive Oil

Vegetables

• Artichokes
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Red lettuce
• Red onion
• Spinach

Fruits

• Apples
• Apricots
• Blackberries
• Cherries
• Grapes
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pomegranate
• Plum
• Raspberries
• Strawberries