This Is The Only “Diet” You Need To Know About, According To A Harvard Nutritional Psychiatrist
From Atkins to keto, paleo or intuitive eating, there are quite literally hundreds of different diets out there–all recommending (and promising) different things. While in the past diet programs were purely a tool to lose weight, nowadays the focus is less on how we look, and more on eating balanced and healthy meals that will benefit our mental as much as our physical health. There is “power on our forks,” as Dr Uma Naidoo, a nutritional psychiatrist at Harvard, previously told me. So: Out with diet culture, in with eating to boost our brains and our quality of life.
“Within the health and wellness space, there is ample debate on what is the ‘healthiest’ diet to follow–should we be keto or vegan? Paleo or vegetarian? What about pescatarian?” Dr. Naidoo outlined on Instagram recently. “When working with patients, there is one dietary recommendation I stress above all else: eat real, whole, unprocessed, or minimally-processed foods.” It really is as simple as that.
Her advice taps into a wider conversation around ultra-processed foods (UPFs) at the moment–a recent study showed that they are directly linked to 32 different negative health outcomes, including cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, mental health issues, and increased mortality. But many of us are still (sometimes unwittingly) eating these foods multiple times a day–if not at every meal.
UPFs include baked goods such as croissants and Danish pastries, fizzy drinks, high-sugar cereals, ready meals, and all sorts of other sugary and salty snacks–all of which contain additives, emulsifiers, and flavorings that are detrimental to our health. Not to mention the fact that they contain none of the nutrients, fiber, protein, healthy fats, and phytonutrients that a diet rich in whole foods and plants can offer.
Focusing on consuming whole foods above everything else may “sound overly simplistic,” says Dr. Naidoo, “and we can of course dive more into the minutiae of micronutrient intake and macronutrient ratios, [but] I find that helping my patients first reduce their intake of ultra-processed foods can yield significant mental and physical health benefits.” The more ultra-processed foods we eat, the higher the odds that we will experience symptoms of depression and anxiety, which is why Dr Naidoo stresses the importance of minimizing UPF consumption as a first step to eating for good health.
She also warns that the labels on many UPFs might “boast that they are ‘keto-friendly’ or ‘vegan’, and yet [they] still contain ingredients that are detrimental to our mental wellbeing.” It’s yet another reminder to always (always) read the label–if there is a long list of ingredients you don’t recognize, chances are the item you are looking at is highly processed. Also, it’s worth noting, you’ll never find an ingredients list on a cucumber, or a carton of plums.
“When in doubt, opt for foods that are in their natural, unprocessed, or minimally processed form,” Dr Naidoo adds. “And when buying pre-packaged or processed foods, be sure to look beyond the ‘diet-friendly’ tagline and pay close attention to the ingredients list.” Harness the wonders of beans, fresh fruit, and vegetables, lean protein and fish, whole grains (such as quinoa, brown rice, and buckwheat), and any other foods that come from the ground. Your body–and most importantly, your mind–will thank you.
