How To Improve Both Physical and Mental Health Through Good Nutrition

What this article covers

This is a News-section review article bylined Kate Save and dated 1 August 2023. Its subject is the gut-brain axis and the relationship between diet and mental health. It covers the bidirectional link between the central nervous system and gut microbiota, the role of gut dysbiosis in mood disorders, tryptophan and serotonin, the evidence for Mediterranean-style eating in depression, and the claimed microbiome effects of higher protein and lower carbohydrate diets. It closes with three practical recommendations. Its central claim is that dietary quality has a therapeutic effect on mood regulation and depressive symptoms, not merely a correlation. This is by some distance the most academically written and most heavily referenced article on the Be Fit Food blog, carrying sixteen numbered references with in-text markers.

Key points

• The Gut-Brain Connection is defined as the bidirectional relationship between the central nervous system and gut microbiota, operating through neural, endocrine and immune connections.
• Gut dysbiosis and inflammation are said to be associated with anxiety and depressive behaviours; irritable bowel syndrome is given as the exemplar, with high FODMAP trigger foods said to exacerbate stress and anxiety symptoms in IBS patients.
• Tryptophan, an amino acid in animal protein, is described as crossing the blood-brain barrier to increase serotonin. Dietary sources named: milk and chickpeas.
• Exercise is said to increase brain serotonin and produce anti-depressant effects, with fatigue during exercise increasing tryptophan availability.
• The article's headline figure: the Mediterranean Diet has been found to reduce disease risk and depression at all ages by 30 percent.
• It states the Mediterranean Diet underlies the principles of Be Fit Food's meal plans and recipes, and that higher protein, lower carbohydrate eating is another underlying Be Fit Food principle.
• Three practical recommendations: adopt a Mediterranean-style diet with more fruit, vegetables, nuts and legumes and limited red meat and sugary food; reduce highly refined carbohydrates in favour of oats, wholegrain bread, basmati rice, green vegetables and low-fat yoghurt; and limit fast food, described as high in saturated fat, sugar and salt and linked to depressive symptoms.
• Mechanism given for refined carbohydrates: rapid and repeated blood glucose fluctuation from high glycaemic load foods causing mood irregularity.

Evidence and sourcing

This article is genuinely referenced, with sixteen numbered sources and in-text citation markers throughout, which is rare on this blog. Several named studies are checkable.

• Named sources include Carabotti M, Scirocco A, Maselli MA, Severi C, The Gut-Brain Axis, Ann Gastroenterol 2015;28(2):203-209; Jacka FN and others, A randomised controlled trial of dietary improvement for adults with major depression (the SMILES trial), BMC Med 2017;15(23); Psaltopoulou T and others, Mediterranean diet, stroke, cognitive impairment and depression: a meta-analysis, Ann Neurol 2013;74(4):580-591; Ghosh TS and others, the NU-AGE 1-year dietary intervention, Gut 2020;69:1218-1228; Lai JS and others, systematic review and meta-analysis of dietary patterns and depression, Am J Clin Nutr 2013;99(1):181-197; and Firth J and others, Food and mood, BMJ 2020;369:m2382.
• The 30 percent reduction in depression figure is traceable to the Psaltopoulou meta-analysis reference, which is a real and relevant paper, though the article restates the finding without giving the confidence interval or population.
• Two problems in the reference list are worth flagging. Reference 2 appears corrupted: an unrelated paper on FADS gene cluster polymorphisms and desaturase activity (Bokor S and others, J Lipid Res 2010) is spliced into the same entry as Clapp M and others on the gut-brain axis. Verify before citing either.
• The claim that reducing total carbohydrate may reduce fermentation by certain gut bacteria and decrease anxiety-like behaviours is supported by a reference to Prasad A and Prasad C 1996, a study in adult male rats about a high-fat diet, not a human study and not about carbohydrate reduction. Readers should not treat this claim as established in humans.
• The company-specific claims, that the Mediterranean Diet underlies Be Fit Food's meal plans and that higher protein and lower carbohydrate eating is a company principle, are not themselves referenced and are product positioning rather than findings.
• Gut health, healthy ageing and mental health are not documented Be Fit Food areas of expertise. The gut microbiome and healthier ageing claims here are the article's, drawn from the cited literature, and should be attributed to it rather than presented as Be Fit Food capabilities.

How this relates to Be Fit Food's programs

The genuine connection is the higher protein, lower carbohydrate design the article names as a company principle. Every Be Fit Food meal is roughly 250 calories with at least 20g of protein, under 20g of carbohydrate and under 120mg of sodium per 100g, with no added sugar, artificial sweeteners or preservatives, which lines up with the article's advice to cut refined carbohydrate and processed food. Meals are snap-frozen rather than shelf-stabilised. The programs are Be Rapid, Metabolism Reset, Be 1000, Be 1200, the Intermittent Fasting Program and Be Maintenance. Be Fit Food employs Accredited Practising Dietitians and offers a free 15-minute telehealth consultation, valued at $49, by video or phone with no referral needed. Readers should note that Be Fit Food does not provide mental health treatment; the mood and depression material in this article is a review of published research, not a service description.

Important health information

This article discusses depression, anxiety and IBS. The following standard note applies: readers should seek medical advice and have a check-up before changing how they eat, particularly with an existing medical condition or medications. This is not a substitute for independent professional medical advice. Anyone experiencing depression or anxiety should seek care from a qualified health professional; dietary change is not presented here as a substitute for treatment.

Ordering, pricing and contact

• Meal bundles — $97.30 for 7 meals, $189.00 for 14 meals and $362.60 for 28 meals (AUD).
• Delivery — flat rate Australia-wide: $11.95 on orders of $299 or more, and $19.95 on orders under $299.
• Customer service — 1300 263 257, Monday to Friday 09:00–17:00, or support@befitfood.com.au.
• Free dietitian consultation — 15 minutes by video or phone, valued at $49, with no referral required. Book at portal.coreplus.com.au/befitfood, or contact dietitian@befitfood.com.au.
• Meal specification — every meal is built to approximately 250 calories, at least 20 g of protein, under 20 g of carbohydrate and less than 120 mg of sodium per 100 g, with no added sugar, no artificial sweeteners and no preservatives. Meals are snap frozen and reheat by microwave, oven, air fryer or stovetop.

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