The food-mood connectionThe food-mood connection
All In The Mind
In the emerging field of nutritional psychiatry, the evidence is now building that particular foods could have a significant influence on our mental health—particularly depression.
28:51•14 May 2017
The Food-Mood Link: How Happy Foods May Lift Depression and Anxiety
Episode Overview
- Research from Professor Felice Jacka’s team links better diet quality with a lower risk of depression across cultures and age groups.
- The SMILES trial found that people with major depression who improved their diet with a clinical dietitian had greater symptom reduction than those receiving social support alone.
- Rachel Kelly’s “happy foods” approach focuses on plants, healthy fats, gut-friendly fibre, herbs and spices, nuts, and avoiding sweeteners and additives.
- Simple tools like food diaries, weekly timetables and conscious food choices can help maintain healthier eating habits, even during low mood.
- Gut health, brain plasticity, immune function and mood appear closely connected, with fibre-rich and minimally processed foods likely to support better mental health.
“You are certainly not going to lose and very likely will experience benefit from taking a dietary approach to treatment.”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? This episode of All In The Mind looks at how what you eat can shape how you feel, zeroing in on depression, anxiety and the growing field of nutritional psychiatry. You’ll hear Rachel Kelly, a mental health ambassador, describe two devastating depressive episodes that left her in a psychiatric hospital and on long-term medication.
Her turning point came when a doctor mentioned “happy foods”, a phrase that sparked years of collaboration with dietitian Alice McIntosh and led to The Happy Kitchen: Good Mood Food. Rachel shares practical rules like “eat mostly plants”, “fats are my friend”, “go nuts”, and even her doctor’s blunt advice to “avoid crap” — cutting fizzy drinks, refined sugars and additives boosted her energy within days. Balancing these personal stories, Professor Felice Jacka from Deakin University lays out the science.
She explains that diet quality is linked with the risk of depression across ages and cultures, and describes the SMILES trial, where people with clinical depression who worked with a dietitian on a Mediterranean-style eating pattern saw larger improvements in mood than those receiving social support alone.
Jacka highlights healthy fats, fibre-rich plant foods, gut bacteria, fermented foods and brain plasticity, making the case that “you are certainly not going to lose and very likely will experience benefit from taking a dietary approach to treatment.” Host Lynne Malcolm keeps things grounded, asking how anyone with low mood can actually manage to cook or follow recipes.
Rachel’s tips — food diaries, weekly timetables, and treating each meal as a conscious choice rather than a mindless snack — feel realistic for anyone trying to improve their mental health, whether they’re sober, cutting back, or simply struggling. If you’ve ever reached for hot chips or chocolate when you’re low, this episode might leave you wondering: what would happen if your comfort food actually cared for your brain too?
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