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As people across the globe 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 benefit our mental health. Instead, whole foods such as vegetables, fruit, fish, eggs, nuts may be a better bet.

Historically, nutrition research has focused largely on how the foods we eat affect our physical health, rather than our mental health, though. Over the years, large population studies have found that people assigned 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 experts around the world have started encouraging people to adopt lifestyle behaviors like exercise, sound sleep, a heart-healthy diet and avoiding smoking that may reduce inflammation (发炎) and have benefits for the brain. Individual clinicians 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 does not wat people to think that the only factor involved in brain heath is food. “Lots of people get their food exactly right, live very active lives, and still have significant 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.”