Mental health care has traditionally focused on psychological therapies and medication. While these remain the cornerstone of treatment, growing evidence suggests that nutrition should also be considered as part of comprehensive mental health care. The emerging field of nutritional psychiatry examines how dietary patterns influence brain function, emotional wellbeing, and the prevention and management of mental disorders (Marx et al., 2026; Firth et al., 2019).
Observational studies consistently show that higher diet quality is associated with a lower risk of depression and anxiety. More importantly, randomized controlled trials indicate that improving diet can significantly reduce depressive symptoms, particularly when nutritional interventions are delivered alongside standard treatments such as psychotherapy or antidepressant medication.
One of the landmark trials, the SMILES trial, demonstrated that adults with major depressive disorder who received dietary support based on a Mediterranean-style diet experienced significantly greater improvements in depressive symptoms than those receiving social support alone (Jacka et al., 2017). More recently, systematic reviews and meta-analyses have confirmed the effectiveness of dietary interventions as an adjunctive treatment for depression (Firth et al., 2019).
Who May Benefit?
Current evidence suggests that nutritional interventions may be particularly beneficial for people with:
- Mild to moderate depression.
- Anxiety disorders.
- Chronic stress.
- Metabolic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease, which frequently coexist with mental health disorders.
- Poor diet quality characterised by a high intake of ultra-processed foods and a low intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.
Clinical recommendations should always be individualised, taking into account medical conditions, medications, nutritional status, socioeconomic factors, and cultural preferences.
Nutrition should not be viewed as an alternative to evidence-based psychiatric care but as one component of a multidisciplinary treatment plan.
Simple ways clinicians can integrate nutrition into routine practice include:
- Screening dietary habits during the clinical assessment.
- Identifying barriers to healthy eating, such as financial constraints, limited cooking skills, or reduced motivation.
- Encouraging gradual improvements in overall dietary quality rather than restrictive diets.
- Referring patients to registered dietitians when specialised nutritional care is needed.
- Collaborating within multidisciplinary teams that include psychiatrists, psychologists, primary care physicians, and nutrition professionals.
Recent guidance from the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research recommends incorporating nutrition into routine mental health care while acknowledging that interventions should remain person-centred and evidence-based (Marx et al., 2026).
Despite growing evidence, several barriers limit the implementation of nutritional psychiatry in clinical practice.
Many mental health professionals receive little formal education in nutrition during their training. Access to dietitians within mental health services remains limited in many healthcare systems, and clinical guidelines are still evolving. Furthermore, dietary advice must consider food insecurity, cultural practices, eating disorders, and social determinants of health, all of which influence an individual’s capacity to adopt healthier eating habits.
Nutrition alone cannot treat mental illness, but it represents a promising and modifiable factor that can complement conventional care. As research continues to evolve, nutritional psychiatry is likely to become an increasingly important component of integrated mental healthcare.
Future studies will help determine which dietary interventions are most effective for different psychiatric conditions, identify the patients most likely to benefit, and establish how nutritional care can be incorporated into routine clinical practice.
Ultimately, supporting mental health requires attention not only to medication and psychotherapy but also to sleep, physical activity, social relationships—and the food we eat every day.
References
Firth J, Marx W, Dash S, et al. (2019). The Effects of Dietary Improvement on Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Psychosomatic Medicine, 81(3), 265–280.
Jacka FN, O’Neil A, Opie R, et al. (2017). A randomised controlled trial of dietary improvement for adults with major depression (the SMILES trial). BMC Medicine, 15, 23.
Marx W, Mueller-Stierlin AS, Wallace C, et al. (2026). What is Nutritional Psychiatry? Position statement from the International Society for Nutritional Psychiatry Research. Nutritional Psychiatry, 2, Article 100015.
Compton MT (Ed.). (2025). Food, Nutrition, and Mental Health. American Psychiatric Association Publishing.
