There is little doubt that the pandemic has had a significant impact on many people's mental health. This last year was tremendously difficult, from nervousness surrounding COVID-19 to dealing with the issues of social isolation. However, the things you're eating may be making your mental health worse. You read that correctly: your diet may have a direct impact on how you feel. Therefore it's critical to know which things to eat and which to avoid.
We used research studies and a licensed dietitian, Sydney Greene, MS, RD, to determine which common foods are the most detrimental to mental health.
1. Caffeine
If you consume too much caffeine in coffee, chocolate, soda, or other caffeinated foods and beverages, your mental health may suffer.
"Excess caffeine in the diet (about 400 milligrams, or around 4 cups of coffee) might exacerbate anxiety by overstimulating parts of the brain that perceive a threat," Greene explains. "Caffeine can also turn off parts of the brain that assist manage anxiety."
If you're battling with your mental health, the last thing you want is for caffeine to make it tough to manage your anxiety symptoms.
2. Alcoholic Beverages
This may not come as a surprise, but if your mental health is suffering, drinking may be exacerbating the problem.
"The body's struggle to metabolize the alcohol throughout the night interferes with our ability to enter a REM state, resulting in a poor night's sleep," Greene explains. "Studies reveal that even a one-hour sleep decrease can raise our daily calorie consumption by 500 calories and alter irritation and mood changes."
When it comes to mental health, don't underestimate the importance of sleep—and the way alcohol affects REM sleep patterns, especially when consumed late at night, might make it the culprit, eventually worsening your mental health.
3. Artificial Sweeteners
Avoiding processed meals that contain artificial sweeteners may be the key to enhancing your mood.
"More research is needed to understand how artificial sweeteners affect our gut health," Greene adds, "but preliminary studies suggest they increase dangerous bacteria in the stomach, which can lead to poor mood and anxiety."
With the pandemic, there are many more factors that might affect your mental health; the last thing you want is to be depressed because of that processed canned soup you ate or the artificial sweetener you put in your tea.
4. Fried Foods
The harmful effects of eating fried meals on the general health of your body and mind outweigh any potential benefits—we honestly can't think of any help. Fried meals are genuinely one of the worst things you can put into your body, from the effects on cardiovascular health to weight gain, not to mention the influence on mental health.
According to a 2016 study, eating fast food frequently was linked to a poorer level of resilience to depression. This indicates that if you eat fried meals often, you're increasing your chances of acquiring depression. So, not only is it possible that eating fried foods is harming your body, but it's also possible to contribute to your mental health issues.