The link between mental health and nutrition is rather complex. Certainly, mental health disorder causes are multi-factorial ranging from trauma, biological factors, genetics, abuse etc, but does nutrition and the food you eat impact your mental health in any way? To a certain extent, it can be argued that nutrition can affect your mental health state though there is scarce research in this area. Nutrition might not necessarily be a causal factor for mental disorder, but it surely can influence your mental health.
When discussing the essential vitamins and minerals, we need for optimal function, we noticed that the deficiency states of certain nutrients including vitamin B12, vitamin B1, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, iron and folate were associated with effects such as poor cognitive function, irritability, lack of concentration, depression etc indicating some element of mental health influence. In other words, the inadequate intake of a nutrient-dense foods such as vegetables, the whole grains, fruits, fish etc that contain the mentioned nutrients -vitamins and minerals can negatively impact your mental state. Therefore, it is recommendable that you consume healthy, nutritious foods to mood, reduce stress levels, and enhance cognitive functioning, to decrease the risk of developing mental health symptoms such as depression, anxiety etc.
The consumption of processed foods especially those high in fat and sugars can also impact your mental state as immediately you consume these foods, your mood may be elevated; though, this is usually only for a short while which can be followed with changes in mood and the worsening of various mental health symptoms.
What you should do is try to include a variety of nutritious foods i.e. vegetables, the whole grains, fruits, fish etc as this can help you to promote good mental health. Opt for variety so that you are able to obtain a variety of nutrients.