Unfortunately, “many people don’t realize the connection between food and mental well-being,” Signe Svanfeldt, nutritionist at Lifesum, tells Yahoo! Life . That’s because “eating a nutritious and balanced diet has a positive impact on our energy levels, mood, and our gut microbiota, which influences mental health,” she adds.

To help you ‘feed’ your well-being in the healthiest way, the nutritionist has revealed five simple dietary tweaks that make all the difference.

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1- Eat more prebiotics

This means loading up on foods like broccoli, spinach, carrots, oats, quinoa, brown rice, beans, lentils and chickpeas.

Like probiotics, these prebiotic foods help reduce inflammation, explains Svanfeldt, “which can increase levels of serotonin in the body, a neurotransmitter that regulates mood and reduces feelings of stress and anxiety.”

2- Include more probiotics in your diet

You should opt for fermented foods like sauerkraut, kefir, kimchi, kombucha and sourdough bread.

“Our gut loves probiotics, as they help regulate the composition and activity of the gut microbiota, which can reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety and increase resilience to stress.”

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3- Try to consume more foods rich in omega-3

This is the case with foods such as flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds, walnuts, salmon, trout and tuna.

In case you didn’t know, omega-3s are healthy fats capable of “reducing inflammation in the brain that has been linked to mood disorders, meaning they can help improve well-being,” says Svanfeldt.

4- Consume more polyphenols

You can find them in foods such as apples, grapes, kiwis, walnuts, hazelnuts, peppers, red cabbage and spinach.

“They promote healthy blood flow to the brain and can protect it from oxidative stress and inflammation,” says Svanfeldt. “This can impact mental health, reducing depressive symptoms and increasing overall mental well-being.”

5- Start increasing your intake of complex carbohydrates

This list includes foods such as oats, barley, buckwheat, sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, beans and lentils.

“Complex carbohydrates (rich in fiber) can support gut health, digestion and provide our bodies with essential nutrients that can help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety,” she explains.

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