You're probably already familiar with the myriad reasons you should be incorporating more greens into your diet but you might not have realized the influence one of the main nutrients found in these greens can have on your mood — specifically, B-vitamin folate. "Increasing foods high in folate, like kale, spinach and collard greens, may help stabilize mood by reducing depression," says Amidor. One study published in PrevMED analyzed hundreds of thousands of adults and found that consumption of fruits and veggies rich in folate and antioxidants significantly reduced the risk of depression, anxiety and other psychological disorders.
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Mood Crusher: Processed Foods
A diet high in processed foods, such as processed meats (bacon, sausage, ham), sugar-sweetened soda and sugary foods (desserts, baked goods) is linked to higher risks of depression, says Palmer. Studies that analyzed adults suffering from major depressive disorder found that those who had a diet higher in processed foods had a smaller hippocampus (the area of the brain that controls memory, mood and learning) than those who had a diet high in nutrient-rich fruits, vegetables and fish.
