“Maybe it’s Not Just the Food?” A Food and Mood Focus Group Study

Abstract

Epidemiological and intervention studies in nutritional psychiatry suggest that the risk of mood disorders is associated with what we eat. However, few studies use a person-centred approach to explore the food and mood relationship. In this qualitative study of 50 Australian participants, we explored individuals’ experiences with food and mood as revealed during focus group discussions. Using a thematic template analysis, we identified three themes in the food and mood relationship: (i) social context: familial and cultural influences of food and mood, (ii) social economics: time, finance, and food security, and (iii) food nostalgia: unlocking memories that impact mood. Participants suggested that nutrients, food components or food patterns may not be the only way that food impacts mood. Rather, they described the social context of who, with, and where food is eaten, and that time, finances, and access to healthy fresh foods and bittersweet memories of foods shared with loved ones all impacted their mood. Findings suggest that quantitative studies examining the links between diet and mood should look beyond nutritional factors and give increased attention to the cultural, social, economic, and identity aspects of diet.

Staying in my lane: An exploration of counsellors' and psychotherapists' understanding and use of nutrition in the therapy room

“…Many also indicated that there was an emphasis placed on food and nutrition while they were growing up. This is consistent with findings from Lee, Angus, et al (2023), where focus group participants acknowledged that their childhood, family and related food culture were essential components of the social context around food and its link to emotional status. This focus, along with primarily positive experiences, likely influenced these therapists to continue placing importance on food and nutrition in their personal lives, as well as bringing it into their therapeutic practice.…”

“…Diet and nutrition may also be related to a person's stress levels and the ensuing physical and mental effects (Edwards, 2002). Qualitative studies, which detail subjective accounts of the relationship between food and mental well‐being, indicate that food affects individuals in more ways than simply via its nutritional effects (Lee, Angus, et al, 2023; Lee, Bradbury, et al, 2023). Therefore, clients may also bring into the therapy room the social, cultural, economic and identity‐related aspects of diet.…”

A longitudinal analysis of Australian women's fruit and vegetable consumption and depressive symptoms

“…The small effect sizes may also suggest other factors at play in the fruit and vegetable and mood relationship outside of diet quality. Factors such as socio‐economic status, physical activity levels (Firth et al, 2019), individual differences, relationships with food (Lee, Bradbury, et al, 2023), social connection and social economics may all play a role in the relationship between fruit and vegetable intake and mental health outcomes (Lee, Angus, et al, 2023).…”

The Association between Vegan, Vegetarian, and Omnivore Diet Quality and Depressive Symptoms in Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Many observational, longitudinal, and intervention studies exploring diet and depression primarily focus on healthy (Mediterranean, anti-inflammatory) and unhealthy (Western) dietary patterns [ 6 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. Four randomised control trials assessed dietary change from unhealthy (Western) to healthy (Mediterranean) dietary patterns and depression; two assessed the general population [ 14 , 18 , 24 ] and two assessed young adults [ 19 , 20 ]. All four studies found that the depressive symptoms of the participants significantly improved after the healthy dietary intervention compared with the control group.…”