The 30-second article
• For those who are obese or have
metabolic syndrome, the risk of
depression is 30 to 60 per cent higher
than for healthy people of the same age
• Depressive symptoms are
dramatically increased in people who
eat less nutritious food and eat more
non-nutritive food
• A Mediterranean diet high in
vegetables, fruit, legumes, fish, low
fat dairy, nuts and olive oil is
associated with reduced inflammation
and lower depression rates
• High-fat high-sugar food can be
enjoyed in moderation. As long as
you choose nourishing foods for 80
per cent of the time then you will be
eating in a manner consistent with
reduced rates of depression.
A second fat fact relates to the use of
olive oil. Not just full of monounsaturated
fat, the anti-oxidants, vasodilators and antiinflammatory compounds in this food are
critical to good maintenance of the brain
tissue through providing building blocks,
healthy blood flow, and neural protection.
It is worthwhile mentioning that olive oil,
particularly the extra virgin variety, doesn’t
deal well with high heat. It is best used
as a dressing and in simmering sauces
(especially those containing tomato, garlic,
herbs and spices).
Essentially the message is that
eating whole nutritious foods will reduce
inflammation in the body, making the
environment in your brain much more suited
to growth of new brain cells, less reactive to
bad situations and more resilient in general.
Coping with human cravings for
‘bad’ stuff
Foods that can cause distraction to the
balance of chemicals are typically high fat
and high sugar (or both) processed foods.
These provide no nutritive value to the
brain or body, and they load it up with fuel,
which often turns into fat. When it comes
to inflammation in your body, most of the
‘stress’ chemicals are made in your fat
tissue, particularly as organ fat (otherwise