Depression is a mental illness defined by persistent feelings of unhappiness and low motivation. While a healthy diet cannot cure depression completely, it can certainly help in boosting one’s mood and overall well-being. Let’s take a look at two of the popular types of diets filled with foods for depression that have been scientifically proven to help patients with depression:

1. Keto diet

A ketogenic diet is a diet that is high in fats and low in carbohydrates with an adequate amount of protein. It is based on the science that in the absence of carbs, our brain converts fats into glucose, known as ketones. When this happens, our body starts regularly burning fats for energy—a process known as ketosis. It is the most popular diet for weight-loss and diabetes as it burns fat and causes a major reduction in blood sugar and insulin levels. Many patients with depression struggle with overeating and weight loss. Keto diet can help by reducing cravings and increasing metabolism, which can boost energy levels in the brain, thereby improving one’s mood.

Since this diet contains foods for depression that are high in fat and protein content, it is incredibly filling and helps with weight loss without having to constantly track the amount of food intake or count calories. It has also been known to reduce LDL cholesterol levels and increase HDL cholesterol levels. Lean protein is a staple of the Keto diet, and a high-protein intake, apart from being food for the brain, has numerous health benefits such as reducing blood pressure, promoting muscle growth, maintains weight loss, and prevents wear and tear of bones during the aging process. Though the Keto diet isn’t specifically aimed at depression patients, the health benefits it offers promote systemic well-being and a healthy physique can contribute overall to a healthy mind.

2. Mediterranean

Another diet that has proven to be beneficial to patients suffering from depression is the Mediterranean diet. This diet takes its inspiration from the food habits of the population of Mediterranean provinces like Greece and Italy. This diet is typically high in fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, olive oil, and seafood. It focuses on the consumption of limited dairy products and red meat and instead focuses on intaking meat products from fish and poultry. The foods that are beneficial for depression consumed under this diet have been directly linked to improved mental health. As this is mainly a plant-based diet, meat as a whole is consumed very little. Red meat, in particular, is not recommended and meat options like seafood and poultry are consumed about once a week.

This is entirely focused on the intake of healthy monounsaturated fats. Olive oil, nuts, and seeds are great sources of monounsaturated fats that have been known to lower systemic inflammation. Also, fatty fish like tuna and mackerel and nuts like walnuts contain high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids which are directly linked to brain health. Studies show that lower inflammation in the body prevents or reduces depression symptoms in vulnerable patients. Not only is this diet good for brain health but it has also been known to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.