Applied psychopharmacotherapy and psychotherapy do not always bring the expected results in the treatment of mental disorders. As a result, other interventions are receiving increasing attention. In recent years, there has been a surge in research on the effects of nutrition on mental status, which may be an important aspect of the prevention of many mental disorders and, at the same time, may lead to a reduction in the proportion of people with mental disorders. This review aims to answer whether and to what extent lifestyle and related nutrition affect mental health and whether there is scientific evidence supporting a link between diet and mental health. A review of the scientific evidence was conducted based on the available literature by typing in phrases related to nutrition and mental health using the methodological tool of the PubMed database. The literature search yielded 3,473 records, from which 356 sources directly related to the topic of the study were selected, and then those with the highest scientific value were selected according to bibliometric impact factors. In the context of current changes, urbanization, globalization, including the food industry, and changes in people’s lifestyles and eating habits, the correlations between these phenomena and their impact on mental state become important. Knowledge of these correlations creates potential opportunities to implement new effective dietary, pharmacological, therapeutic, and above all preventive interventions. The highest therapeutic potential is seen in the rational diet, physical activity, use of psychobiotics, and consumption of antioxidants. Research also shows that there are nutritional interventions that have psychoprotective potential.

The development of cardiovascular diseases is undoubtedly influenced by improper dietary behavior. The most common mistakes include irregularity of meal consumption, high dietary atherogenicity: snacking on sweets between meals, low supply of dietary fiber, unsaturated fatty acids, legume seeds, and high supply of meat and meat products. Among many food components, some are characterized by a specific cardioprotective effect, which means that their supply of food may prevent the occurrence of cardiovascular disease or improve the health of the sick. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is one of the ingredients showing cardioprotective effects on the heart and blood vessels. Antioxidant and lipid profile-enhancing effects are also attributed to sitosterol which is one of the plant-derived sterols. A very important argument indicating the necessity of a varied diet rich in a variety of plant products is the beneficial effect of polyphenols, which are most abundant in multicolored vegetables and fruits. Numerous studies show their effectiveness in lowering blood pressure, improving lipid profile, and regeneration of vascular endothelium. The collected publications from the field of lifestyle medicine can be a source of knowledge for dieticians, physicians, and people associated with physical culture and human mental health to prevent the development of cardiovascular diseases and reduce the risk of death from this cause.

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is a relatively new disease entity in DSM-5 and ICD-11. This disorder continues to pose a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge for many professionals. This disorder can affect people of all ages. The most characteristic pattern is considered to be a lack of interest in eating or avoidance of food intake, which may result in nutritional deficiencies, weight loss or lack of expected weight gain, dependence on enteral feeding or dietary supplements, and impaired psychosocial functioning. This disorder cannot be explained by a current medical condition or co-occurring other psychiatric disorders, but if ARFID co-occurs with another disorder or illness, it necessarily requires extended diagnosis. Its treatment depends on the severity of the nutritional problem and may include hospitalization with multispecialty care (pediatrician, nutritionist, psychologist, psychiatrist, neurologist). The nutritional management strategy may include, inter alia, the use of Food Chaining, and should in the initial stage of therapy be based on products considered “safe” in the patient’s assessment. The role of the dietitian in the management of a patient with ARFID is to monitor weight and height and nutritional status and analyze the foods that should be introduced into the food chain first.