Now that the clocks have gone back and the days are getting shorter, you may feel the winter blues creeping in. But it turns out that blueberries, along with a few everyday cupboard staples, could support your mood and help you shake off the blues. What you eat can play a powerful role in how you feel, with the right foods helping you feel calmer, less stressed and cheerier overall.
Over the years in my clinic, I have seen first-hand the impact dietary changes can have on mood. Many clients that come to me feeling low, struggling with mild depression or simply not feeling like themselves notice a real difference after cutting back on ultra-processed, refined foods and replacing them with healthier, nutrient-packed alternatives. And while I always encourage a balanced diet packed with a variety of whole foods, there are a few surprising mood-supporting foods I regularly recommend, in particular those that support gut health.
How Blueberries and the Gut-Brain Axis Influence Mental Health
Results from one recent study found that eating blueberries could reduce symptoms of depression while boosting gut enzymes linked to better mood. Researchers from Harvard Medical School observed that adults aged 65 and over who ate blueberries every day for three months reported an improvement in their depressive symptoms by the end of that period.
What is more, changes were noted in six different types of bacterial enzymes in the participant guts, including a neurotransmitter that has previously been linked to depression. Scientists stressed that the consistent improvements in depression symptoms, as well as changes to the gut microbiome, highlighted that further studies on the effects of blueberries are needed. Now, you might be wondering what your gut has to do with your mood, but it is an area that is attracting growing interest from scientists.
Research is continually uncovering more about the powerful connection between the gut and the brain, revealing just how closely the health of your microbiome may be linked to your emotional wellbeing. Another recent study showed that taking a daily probiotic alongside standard treatment may help ease symptoms of depression and anxiety, highlighting the potential role of supporting gut health as part of a wider approach to emotional wellbeing. The gut microbiome, in other words, the trillions of bacteria living inside our digestive system, is in constant communication with the brain through what is known as the gut-brain axis.
Why Oats Are the Best Breakfast for Your Gut
A bowl of oats costs pennies per serving, but weighs in big when it comes to supporting your mental wellbeing. This humble breakfast staple is packed with nutrients that can help nourish both your body and your brain. The way oats may support mood starts in the gut.
Rich in beta-glucan, a type of soluble fibre, oats act as a prebiotic, providing fuel for the beneficial bacteria that live in your digestive system. Studies suggest that regularly eating oats can help increase levels of beneficial bacteria, including Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli, while encouraging the production of short-chain fatty acids. These compounds help maintain a healthy gut lining.
They are also thought to play an important role in the gut-brain axis, the communication network linking your gut and your brain. For an even bigger gut-health boost, top your oats with probiotic yoghurt, berries and a sprinkle of seeds to combine beneficial bacteria with the fibre they need to thrive.
The Best Salad Leaf for Stress and Mood Regulation
While all colourful vegetables provide a wide range of nutrients, wearing my nutritionist hat, I would argue that dark green vegetables are some of the most impressive when it comes to supporting mood. Dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, often come up trumps in studies ranking fruits and vegetables for their nutritional prowess.
As a general rule of thumb, the darker the leaves, the more nutrient-dense they tend to be, with vegetables such as spinach providing a powerful combination of fibre and magnesium. The fibre helps nourish your gut microbiome by feeding beneficial bacteria, while magnesium plays an important role in normal nervous system function. This helps the body manage stress and supports the processes involved in mood regulation.
Spinach is also rich in folate, a B vitamin involved in the production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, which are chemicals that help regulate mood, motivation and emotional wellbeing.
Choosing the Right Yoghurt for Probiotic Support
Not all yoghurts are created equal. For the biggest probiotic boost, choose a yoghurt that contains live and active cultures, such as Greek yoghurt or kefir yoghurt, and look out for specific strains including Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. Research suggests these probiotic strains may help support the gut-brain connection and have been linked with improvements in symptoms associated with anxiety, stress and low mood.
Avoid flavoured varieties, which are often packed with added sugar that may work against the benefits of a gut-friendly diet. Instead, choose plain yoghurt and add your own toppings, such as antioxidant-rich berries, fibre-packed nuts or omega-3-rich seeds, for a naturally sweeter and more nutrient-dense snack, or have yoghurt for breakfast.
Why Kombucha Makes a Great Swap for Sugary Drinks
Kombucha might sound like a fancy health drink, but this fermented tea has become increasingly mainstream in recent years. Whenever my clients crave fizzy drinks, I encourage them to swap to kombucha. While sugary drinks can provide a quick hit of pleasure by stimulating the brain reward pathways, this is usually followed by a crash as blood sugar levels rise and fall rapidly.
This can leave you feeling tired, sluggish and reaching for another energy boost. Kombucha, on the other hand, offers a more gut-friendly alternative that can support the gut-brain axis. Made by fermenting tea with a SCOBY, which is a culture of bacteria and yeast, it contains live microorganisms that can help nurture the gut microbiome, which could have a bigger impact on how you feel than you might think.
How Green Bananas Help Stabilize Energy and Blood Sugar
Bananas are my go-to mood-boosting fruit. I am not talking about the soft, speckled bananas that have been sitting in your fruit bowl, but more their greener, less ripe counterparts. Greenish bananas are a great source of resistant starch, a type of prebiotic fibre that passes through the digestive system and acts as fuel for beneficial gut bacteria.
In other words, they help nourish the probiotics already living in your gut, supporting a healthier and more diverse microbiome. As bananas ripen, their resistant starch is converted into natural sugars, so greener bananas have a slower impact on blood sugar levels. Keeping blood sugar more stable may also help support steadier energy levels and avoid the highs and lows that can leave you feeling tired and irritable.
Try adding sliced green banana to yoghurt, overnight oats or smoothies for a simple mood-supporting breakfast boost.
