Food for mood
The Food Chain examines the business, science and cultural significance of food, and what it takes to put food on your plate.
Mental health is a hugely complex issue with many causes. There’s no simple answer, then, when it comes to therapies for conditions like anxiety and depression. But a growing body of research is now supporting a connection between nutrition and mental health - that what you eat can have a role to play in reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety.
It’s an emerging field, but dietary recommendations for patients are already being made in clinical settings. Jordan Dunbar explores the scientific evidence for this, and what a ‘happier diet’ might look like.
He speaks to Professor Felice Jacka, Director of the Food and Mood Centre at Deakin University in Australia; US psychiatrist Dr Emily Deans; UK-based chef, Daniel Edwards, and nutritionist Dr Nada Benajiba, who’s based in Saudi Arabia.
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If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk
(Picture: Woman holding a pot of mixed berries. Credit: Getty/91Èȱ¬)
Producer: Elisabeth Mahy
Last on
Broadcasts
- Thu 22 Sep 2022 03:32GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service except Australasia, East Asia & South Asia
- Thu 22 Sep 2022 04:32GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service Australasia, South Asia & East Asia only
- Thu 22 Sep 2022 10:32GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service
- Thu 22 Sep 2022 21:32GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service except East and Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa
- Thu 22 Sep 2022 22:32GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service Europe and the Middle East
- Sun 25 Sep 2022 07:32GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service except Europe and the Middle East
Food Chain highlights
Tea, coffee, spices, chillies ... snack on a selection of programme highlights
Podcast
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The Food Chain
Examining what it takes to put food on your plate