Add more of this to your diet to prevent depression, anxiety and mental illness

The Mediterranean diet has been known to have significant positive impacts on cardiovascular health and has been associated with longevity. However now, another major health benefit of the diet has been identified.

According to researchers from the University of South Australia, people who take the Mediterranean diet are happier, less stressed and had an improved quality of life compared to those who ate less Mediterranean foods.

A Mediterranean diet includes plant based foods like vegetables, fruit, olives, olive oil, fish, legumes, nuts and also a moderate red wine consumption. According to the research, the omega-3 rich fish play an important role in improving mental health and stability.

The researchers analysed 82 adults with depression across a wide spread of ages. They used the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales and Positive Negative Affect Scale to measure the difference a strong Mediterranean diet has compared to a diet with less Mediterranean foods. Those who had increased Mediterranean foods in their diet has a much lower score on the scales.

If you’d like to learn more about the Mediterranean diet, click here.