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As people all over the world struggled with higher levels of stress, depression and anxiety this past year, many turned to their favorite comfort foods: ice cream, pizza, hamburgers. But studies in recent years suggest that the high-sugar and high-fat foods when we are stressed or depressed, as comforting as they may seem, are the least likely to be good for our mental (精神上的) health. Instead, whole foods such as vegetables, fruit, fish, eggs, nuts may be a better bet.

Historically, nutrition research has paid much attention to how the foods we eat influence our physical (身体上的) health, rather than our mental health, though. Over the years, large population studies have found that people who are asked to follow a Mediterranean diet for three months had greater reductions in symptoms of depression after three months compared to a control group. Public health professors around the world have started encouraging people to take and use lifestyle behaviors like exercise, sound sleep, a heart-healthy diet and avoiding smoking that may reduce inflammation (发炎) and have advantages for the brain. Individual clinicians (临床医师) are already including nutrition into their work with patients. Dr. Drew Ramsey, a clinical professor at the Columbia University, begins his meetings with new patients by exploring their diet. He asks what they eat, learns their favorite foods, and finds out if foods that he considers important for the connection are missing from their diets, such as plants, seafood.

Dr. Ramsey said he didn’t want people to think that the only factor involved in brain health is food. “Lots of people get their food exactly right, live very active lives, and still have many troubles with their mental health,” he said. But he also teaches people that food can be empowering. “We can’t control our genes,” he said. “But we can control how we eat, and that gives people actionable things that they can do to take care of their brain health on a daily basis.”