"When you hear the phrase "happy foods," which dishes come to mind? Many people think of sugary desserts or fatty fast foods, says Felice Jacka with the Food and Mood Centre at Deakin University, in Geelong, Australia. After all, in the U.S., we celebrate with cake and ice cream. Parties often feature pizza. Our Thanksgiving feasts usually end in an array of pies and whipped cream."
"But the idea that these foods will make you happy comes directly from advertisers, Jacka says. "People are like walking wallets to food companies," and they sell you this myth that eating these foods will make you feel good. "It's a bit like if you gave someone a glass of champagne. Feels good in the short term, but the long-term impact is the opposite," Jacka says."
"For the past fifteen years, Jacka and her colleagues have pioneered the field of nutritional psychiatry. They study how various foods affect people's moods and mental health. And they've found some foods are uplifting and protect us from depression. While others sour our mood and increase our risk of depression. There's mounting evidence that sweets and ultra-processed foods fall squarely in the second category."
Many people associate sugary desserts and fatty fast foods with happiness because cultural celebrations and advertising link those foods to pleasure. Short-term consumption of refined carbohydrates and sugars can cause anxiety, irritability, anger, or lethargy several hours after eating. Nutritional psychiatry examines how foods affect mood and mental health and finds that some foods are uplifting and protective against depression while others increase risk. Large epidemiological studies across cultures link diets high in ultra-processed foods and refined carbohydrates to about a 20 to 30 percent higher risk of depression. Gut health also connects dietary patterns to mood disorders.
Read at www.npr.org
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