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Diet & exercise

Looking after your diet

Most people know that having a healthy diet is vital to good health. We tend to generally feel better when we eat well.

To summarise the key dietary guidelines for adults in Australia as developed by the National Health and Medical Research Council:

  • Eat plenty of vegetables, legumes and fruits
  • Eat plenty of cereals (including breads, rice, pasta and noodles), preferably wholegrain
  • Include lean meat, fish, poultry and/or alternatives
  • Include milks, yoghurts, cheeses and/or alternatives. Reduced-fat varieties should be chosen, where possible
  • Drink plenty of water
  • Limit saturated fat and moderate total fat intake
  • Choose foods low in salt
  • Limit your alcohol intake if you choose to drink
  • Consume only moderate amounts of sugars and foods containing added sugars.

A number of studies have shown that, in addition to looking after your diet and general nutrition, there are some specific dietary approaches that may help depression and mood disorders. They are:

  • avoiding alcohol if you're a heavy drinker
  • avoiding caffeine if you're sensitive to caffeine (however further research is necessary)
  • increasing the amount of Omega 3 oils in your diet
  • avoiding sugar (however further research is necessary).

See the article by Anthony F Jorm, Helen Christensen, Kathleen M Griffiths and Bryan Rodgers, 'Effectiveness of complementary and self-help treatments for depression', The Medical Journal of Australia, 20 May 2002 Vol 176 : S84-S95. (Link provided with the kind permission of eMJA.)

There are many reliable sources of advice on nutrition and diet. Three are:

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Exercise

Apart from its physical benefits, exercise has been shown to have very positive effects upon mental well-being. Exercise not only releases endorphins (the 'feel good' chemicals that also alleviate pain) into our bloodstream, but also increases serotonin, which has a number of benefits including lifting our mood and helping to counteract insomnia.

The good news about exercise is that it doesn't have to be strenuous for us to feel some of these benefits. Experts say that even 30 minutes of walking at least 3 times a week is a good start.

It can help to find someone else to exercise with. This makes it sociable, as well as more likely to be regularly maintained.

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