Fibre-Rich Diet: A Rainbow Plate To Tackle Depression

Do you ever think that your food plate might be the reason for your depression? According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), around 280 million people in the world have been suffering from depression. You might be surprised that depression symptoms are 50% more common among women than men. In some recent research, it has been found that a fibre-rich diet can be highly effective in fighting depression, so does it really work?

Understanding depression and its triggers

Before understanding the fibre-rich diet’s role in reducing depression we will understand depression and its triggers first. To match with the modern world, people are experiencing a lot of tension and going through a hectic day almost every day leading to higher depression rates, stress, anxiety and so on. Well, behind depression there is not a single reason. Depression can be because of so many reasons and it has different triggers.

Depression has become a common mental health problem in the world and it affects millions of people. If you are not aware of the symptoms of depression, well let’s understand it. If you are feeling consistently low, fatigued, facing difficulty in focusing and becoming hopeless regarding everything in your life, then yes you are in depression.

Now, coming to its triggers, there might be several factors. Stress can be considered a significant trigger of depression that can vary from person to person. Like for some people several stressful events like illness, divorce, job loss, bereavement and so on can be a trigger for depression.

Personality can be another trigger. You might wonder how? Well, when a person has low self-esteem, they often suffer from negative self-perception causing depressive mode. Even genes from parents can also play a critical factor in higher depression.

Linking fibre-rich diet to mental wellness

Now we know what depression is and how it got triggered, right? Let’s link it with a fibre-rich diet. Well, fibre-rich diet has been known for maintaining both physical and mental wellness. But how?

Fibre is known as a type of carbohydrate that can’t be digested because of the lack of relevant enzymes that can help break down the fibre. Unlike other nutrients that have been absorbed, it normally moves through the gut where they get the right enzymes produced by the gut bacteria.

These gut bacteria help to ferment soluble fibre into SCFAs (Short-chain fatty acids) such as butyrate, acetate and propionate. And yes, these SCFAs play the significant role of reducing inflammation and enabling to maintain a better immune system. Insoluble fibre, which is another type of fibre, became helpful in keeping the gut healthy by adding bulk to the stool and allowing regular bowel movements.

Now you might think how the fibre-rich diet can be linked to depression because it only improves our gut health. You might not know that several researches have proven that a healthy gut microbiome helps promote neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin and so on. Commonly, these neurotransmitters regulate our mood and you may shocked that 90% of serotonin is produced in the gut. So good gut health can improve mental wellness and ultimately reduce the depression and anxiety levels in us.

We can consider some studies here that have proved that the fibre-rich diet can be effective for depression relief. The first study can be considered a Japanese study where 2000 people from the age group of 19 to 69 participated. The researchers examine the link between gut health, fibre and mental health and they research specific two types of fibre: soluble and insoluble. Finally, they concluded that: “Higher dietary fibre intake from vegetables and fruits may be associated with lower likelihood of having depressive symptoms.”

Another study in the same field of fibre-rich diet, was conducted in Korea where 3000 adults from the age group of 19 to 64 were taken. Well, it concluded that seaweed and mushrooms are the most important soluble fibre in the Korean diet that can help lower the likelihood of depression.

How does a fibre-rich diet look?

A fibre-rich diet is a plant-based food option that is available in both soluble and insoluble forms. Mostly vegetables and foods are the main source of fibre. Some of the fibre-rich fruits are pears, strawberries, avocado, apples, raspberries, bananas and so on. Vegetables, carrots, broccoli, beets, brussels sprouts and so on have high fibre. Some of the other sources are lentils, oats, kidney beans, quinoa, almonds, chia seeds and the like.

Well, if you want to add fibre-rich foods to your plate you might have to change the current routine you are following. You can start your day with oatmeal with some berries, banana and chia seeds that can provide you with around 16 grams of fibre. Then in your lunch, you can add salads of beets, chickpeas, cucumbers, carrots and so on that can make you fill full with an approximate fibre of 20 grams. In your snacks you can add an apple and your dinner might be served with cooked quinoa with some roasted vegetables and whole-grain bread that contains 15-16 grams of fibre.

Well, it might be effective for you to understand how much fibre should be beneficial to take in a day to fight depression and build good mental health. Here is a table you can refer to:

Potential challenges and solutions

To fulfil the demand for modernization, we are accessing a high-busy working environment. In our daily hectic routine, we forget to eat the right meal and maintaining a fibre-rich diet to reduce depression might be challenging. Even a lack of awareness of which food source goes well with our digestive system can also be a huge challenge for many of us.

We have become too dependent on convenient and affordable foods that are most of the time processed and low in fibre. Consuming this kind of food causes digestive discomfort, bloating, gas and so on. Even some people follow a low-carb diet that can limit access to high-fibre foods. So, what are the best ways to solve these problems?

The first step to address these issues will be to create a plan. First track your current diet and then analyse how much fibre are you taking in a day. Suppose you are an adult of 21 years old, then you should consume 25 grams of fibre per day. Adding a small apple, a handful of nuts, adding vegetables to dinner and lunch, using flax seeds for your breakfast and so on can be beneficial to adopt a fibre-rich diet as a part of your busy schedule.  

However, staying hydrated throughout the day will be the best option. To create a balanced diet consulting a nutritionist will be the best option for good physical and mental health.

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