How What You Eat Impacts Your Mental Health: Lessons from The Happiness Diet

How What We Eat Impacts Our Mental Health: Lessons from The Happiness Diet

What if improving your mental health wasn’t just about therapy, meditation, mindset, or exercise, but also about what’s on your plate?

More and more research is showing a powerful connection between nutrition and mental health, and it’s something I’ve experienced firsthand. Changing the way I eat has had a profound impact on my mood, energy levels, and emotional resilience. One book that deeply shaped my understanding of this connection is The Happiness Diet, which explores how certain foods can support emotional well-being, reduce anxiety and depression, and promote overall mental wellness.

Let’s explore how what we eat affects our mental health, what science says about it, and how small changes in our daily food choices can create meaningful transformation.

The Powerful Connection Between Food and Mental Health

The idea that food influences mental health isn’t new, but science is now catching up to what many holistic health practitioners have long known: our gut and brain are deeply connected.

Often called the gut-brain axis, this connection allows constant communication between the digestive system and the brain. In fact, about 90% of serotonin, our “feel-good” neurotransmitter, is produced in the gut. This means the health of our digestive system plays a major role in how we feel emotionally.

When we consistently eat highly processed foods, excess sugar, and artificial ingredients, we may disrupt gut health, increase inflammation, and negatively affect neurotransmitter production. Over time, this can contribute to symptoms of anxiety, depression, brain fog, and emotional imbalance. I must admit, when I started out on my journey, this was my diet.

On the other hand, nutrient-dense whole foods can nourish the brain, stabilize blood sugar, reduce inflammation, and support emotional regulation.

Key Lessons from The Happiness Diet

In The Happiness Diet, authors Tyler Graham and Dr. Drew Ramsey explore how diet directly influences mood, mental clarity, and emotional stability. The book emphasizes eliminating foods that contribute to inflammation and emotional volatility while focusing on whole, nourishing ingredients that support optimal brain function.

Some of the core principles include:

• Prioritizing whole, unprocessed foods
• Reducing refined sugars and simple carbohydrates
• Eliminating foods that trigger inflammation
• Supporting gut health with nutrient-rich meals

The book highlights how modern diets, heavy in sugar, processed grains, and additives, can wreak havoc on mental health. By returning to a more natural way of eating, many people experience improvements in mood, energy, focus, and emotional resilience.

I have experienced these improvements first-hand, and I highly recommend reading this book for a deeper understanding. The book also includes facts about processed foods that are horrifying and were enough to get my booty in gear regarding updating my eating habits.

For example, “Animal feed given to factory-farmed cows contains rendered roadkill, euthanized cats and dogs, and plastic pellets as a cheap form of ‘roughage” (Graham & Ramsey, 2011, p.24). What?!?! Check out my Recommended Reading list, which includes this book and many others that have helped me on my journey.

My Personal Experience: How Changing My Diet Transformed My Mental Health

My journey with nutrition and mental health hasn’t been perfect or linear. Like many people, there were times when convenience, comfort eating, and emotional stress dictated my food choices. In all honesty, I still experience those times, and my eating habits are not perfect by any means.

But when I intentionally began changing my eating habits, focusing more on whole foods, reducing sugar, and paying attention to how different foods made me feel, I noticed a profound shift.

Some of the changes I experienced included:

• More stable moods
• Reduced anxiety
• Improved mental clarity
• Better energy throughout the day
• Less emotional reactivity

I realized that when I fueled my body with nourishing foods, I felt more emotionally grounded and resilient. Food became another powerful tool in my healing journey, working alongside meditation, self-reflection, exercise, and personal development.

This isn’t about perfection. It’s about progress and awareness. Paying attention to how food impacts my mental and emotional state allows me to make choices rooted in self-love rather than restriction or guilt.

Best Foods for Mental Health and Emotional Well-Being

If you’re looking to support your mental health through nutrition, here are some powerful food categories to incorporate:

1. Omega-3 Rich Foods
   Salmon, sardines, walnuts, flaxseeds, and chia seeds support brain health and reduce inflammation linked to depression.
2. Leafy Greens & Colorful Vegetables
   Spinach, kale, bell peppers, and broccoli provide antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals essential for neurotransmitter production.
3. Healthy Fats
   Avocados, olive oil, nuts, and seeds support cognitive function and emotional stability.
4. Fermented Foods
   Yogurt, kimchi, sauerkraut, and kombucha nourish gut bacteria, supporting the gut-brain axis.
5. High-Quality Protein
   Eggs, poultry, fish, legumes, and grass-fed meats provide amino acids needed for neurotransmitter production.

Foods That May Negatively Impact Mental Health

Certain foods may contribute to mood instability, anxiety, and depression when consumed in excess:

• Refined sugar
• Ultra-processed foods
• Artificial additives and preservatives
• Highly refined carbohydrates
• Excess caffeine

Reducing these doesn’t mean eliminating joy or comfort. It means creating balance and awareness so your body and mind can thrive.

Small Changes, Big Impact

You don’t need a complete dietary overhaul to experience mental health benefits. Even small changes, like adding more vegetables, drinking more water, or reducing sugar, can create noticeable improvements.

I started by committing to reducing my fast-food intake (sometimes I would eat fast food for all three meals!) and only having one soda per day instead of drinking it all day, every day. Success tip: Have a soda (or coke as we called it growing up) as a treat in the afternoon instead of with a meal. Practice mindfulness while drinking it and make it an enjoyable moment of presence.

Start with one or two small changes, and then you can build from there. Also, listen to your body. Notice how certain foods affect your mood, energy, and clarity. This gentle awareness can naturally guide healthier choices without rigid rules or pressure.

Healing Through Nourishment

Mental health healing is multifaceted. While food isn’t the only piece of the puzzle, it is a powerful and often overlooked one.

My own experience, combined with insights from The Happiness Diet, has shown me that nourishing the body is a form of self-love. When we treat food as fuel for healing rather than punishment or comfort, we open the door to deeper emotional wellness.

If you’re struggling with your mental health, consider starting with what’s on your plate. Small, mindful changes may create profound shifts in how you feel, think, and live. I believe in you. You got this.

 All my love,

Shanna