The surprising food that makes us happier in the long run : NPR

When you hear the phrase “happy foods,” what dishes come to mind? Many people think of sugary desserts or fatty fast foods, says Felice Jacka of the Food and Mood Center at Deakin University, in Geelong, Australia. After all, in the United States we celebrate with cake and ice cream. Parties often feature pizza. Our Thanksgiving feasts usually end with an array of pies and whipped cream.

But the idea that these foods will make you happy comes directly from advertisers, Jacka says. “People are like wallets going to food companies,” and they sell you this myth that eating these foods will make you feel good.

“It’s a bit like giving someone a glass of champagne. It feels good in the short term, but the long-term impact is the opposite,” says Jacka.

Food impacts mood

Over the past fifteen years, Jacka and his colleagues have been pioneers in the field of nutritional psychiatry. They study how various foods affect people’s moods and mental health. And they discovered that certain foods are uplifting and protect us from depression. While others ruin our mood and increase our risk of depression.

There is growing evidence that sweets and ultra-processed foods fall squarely into the second category.

Studies have shown that people may feel anxious, irritable, angry or lethargic several hours after eating foods high in refined carbohydrates and sugars. “For example, some weekend mornings I go to a restaurant and eat a waffle. Around 10 o’clock, I feel terrible,” says Dr. Kara Margolis, a pediatric gastroenterologist at New York University who studies the link between gut health and mood disorders.

And in the long term – say months and years – too much of these foods can affect your mental health. Large epidemiological studies across multiple cultures have shown that a diet high in ultra-processed foods and refined carbohydrates increases the risk of depression. “We can see that this is associated with a 20 to 30 percent higher risk,” says Margolis.

At the same time, several randomized controlled studies have shown that when people remove ultra-processed foods from their diet and replace them with more whole, minimally processed foods, their depression decreases.

Here’s the conundrum: when people believe These ultra-processed foods make them happier, studies show, people tend to eat more of it.

Happy microbes, happy people?

So if ice cream, cake, and processed fries aren’t the happiest foods, what are? Scientists are still trying to find this answer. But the doctors and scientists interviewed for this article all pointed to one prime candidate: “Whole grains seem to be particularly important,” says Jacka.

Whole grains contain a special type of fiber, called fermentable fiber, that bacteria in your gut can digest. It improves the health of your microbiome, Margolis explains, by feeding “good and bad bacteria.” When microbes consume this fiber, they produce small molecules associated with many benefits, including decreased inflammation, improved insulin sensitivity, and improved gut-brain communication. All of these effects have been associated with improved mood and a decreased risk of mood disorders, says Margolis.

“Making the environment in your gut conducive to good bacteria can not only affect mood, but can also protect you from almost every medical condition studied,” she adds, including heart disease and diabetes.

So if you’re looking to improve your holiday mood, here are a few things to try.

1. Get Homemade

There are two basic ways to influence your mood with your diet, says Felice Jacka of Deakin University. “They are both quite independent of each other.”

First, she says, you can reduce your intake of ultra-processed foods. This includes foods containing added preservatives, artificial sweeteners, refined carbohydrates and white flours, natural and artificial flavors, and emulsifiers, such as soy lecithin, xanthan gum, and guar gum.

During Thanksgiving, avoid store-bought pastries, pies, crackers and white breads. Avoid fast food pizza and burgers. Try making your favorite dishes in your kitchen with traditional ingredients, says Jacka. “For example, make a beautiful flourless cake with almond flour and honey. It will still be sweet, but it will be much better for your mood than what you find at the supermarket.

2. Don’t make the holidays white

According to Jacka, the second way to improve your mood through your diet is to increase your whole grain intake.

Instead of having a croissant or sugary cereal for breakfast, have a bowl of oatmeal or savory congee (made from brown rice). Mix corn or barley into your salads. Eat corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas. Replace cookies and rolls with 100% whole wheat bread or pasta.

When baking pies, cookies and cakes, you can replace the white flour in the recipe with whole grain flours, such as oat, barley or whole wheat. The same goes with pizza: Have the kids create a 100% whole wheat pizza from scratch this holiday. Or prepare whole wheat bread in a bread machine.

3. Focus on beans and lentils

There’s another important way to consume this mood-boosting fiber, says Dr. Meroë Morse of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center: eat beans and lentils. “Your microbiome loves beans,” she says.

“In our research, we find that a very small amount of beans in your diet can actually have a huge positive impact on your microbiome,” Morse says. Unlike many leafy greens or vegetables, you don’t need to eat a lot of beans to get a high dose of fiber. For example, a quarter cup of cooked black beans contains about five to seven grams of fiber.

Dried beans and lentils are also a very inexpensive way to increase fiber, says Hannah Holscher, a microbiome scientist and registered dietitian at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “Now that we’re entering soup season, just pick your favorite soup, pick your favorite beans and add them to the soup.”

Dried lentils cook quickly because they don’t need to be soaked. “We eat lentils frequently at our house,” she says. “You can saute onions with tomatoes and olive oil. Then add lentils with different Indian spices,” she explains. “It’s delicious.” Or make a big pot of Thanksgiving chili with beans and lentils.

4. Take it easy

Keep in mind that beans, lentils, and dense whole grains are powerful foods for your gut, says Holsher. Start with a small portion and titrate slowly over time.

With beans, some people will get a little gas and bloating if they eat too many or are not used to eating them. “Try a few different varieties,” recommends Holscher. “Or soak the beans beforehand. This can help reduce any type of unwanted side effects.”

You can also find high amounts of fermentable fiber in chia seeds, berries, apples, pears, avocados, and unripe bananas.

Once your microbiome is adjusted, the bacteria will thank you by improving your mood in the long term. After all, studies suggest that when your gut bacteria are happy, they also make you happy.