Eat and Drink Your Way to Mental Health, Say Researchers
by Celia Hall

People who experience mood swings can improve so much with simple dietary changes that they no longer need anti-depressants, researchers say today.

The Food and Mood study, supported by the mental health charity Mind, found that 80 per cent of people interviewed said they felt better when they changed what they ate and drank and a quarter said their mood swings, depression or anxiety disappeared. The greatest benefit was felt by drinking more water and eating more vegetables or by reducing or avoiding eating sugar and drinking coffee. "Our results do not prove anything but I think there is some-thing going on here that needs further investigation," said Amanda Geary, a nutritional therapist and founder of the study.

"We had questions about taking weird and wacky supplements but most people were making sensible changes to their diet and finding a major benefit in their mental and emotional health. If someone came to me complaining of anxiety, for example, I would ask how much caffeine they drank and about their consumption of refined sugar."

Richard Brook, chief executive of Mind, said the charity was pleased to see increased recognition of links between food and mood. "This recognition has begun to allow people to have more control over their mental health, and develop self-management programmes," he said.

The survey was conducted among 200 people, mostly women living in south-east England, who had already been in touch with the Food and Mood programme. Eighty per cent said cutting down on sugar had been helpful. The cure for caffeine was 79 per cent, alcohol 55 per cent and chocolate 53 per cent.

Benefits were also felt from drinking more water (80 per cent) eating more vegetables (78 cent), eating more fruit (72 cent) and eating more fish (52 cent).
Telegraph, 18th September 2002

PHILLIP DAY'S COMMENT: …which is the central message of my new book The Mind Game. If you suffer from anything which has been labelled 'a mental illness', please obtain a copy of this book and go through the dietary information contained in Part 2. Why suffer one moment longer?