The SMILES Study: Can Food Improve Mood? - Drew Ramsey MD

The SMILES Study: Can Food Improve Mood?

by | Jan 31, 2018 | Blog | 0 comments

In early 2017, the first-ever randomized controlled clinical trial to test a dietary intervention as a treatment for clinical depression was published. The study was aptly called the SMILES (Supporting Modification of Lifestyle in Lower Emotional States) study. While there has been much research looking at the link between the foods we eat and depression, a randomized controlled clinical trial is the gold standard of research. Rather than looking at correlations, an RCT is able to better identify cause and effect relationships.

In the SMILES study, 67 patients with moderate to severe depression were divided into two 12-week parallel group trials. The treatment group received seven 60-minute sessions of dietary counselling. The parallel control group received a matching social support protocol. The vast majority of participants were also receiving either psychotherapy, medications or both.

Participants in the treatment group were encouraged to adopt a modified Mediterranean diet. They increased what I like to call “Brain Food”; whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, lean meats and seafood. They were also encouraged to decrease foods associated with the Standard American Diet – empty carbohydrates, refined starches, and highly processed foods.

In the treatment group, 32% of patients achieved remission, compared with 8% in the control group.

And that’s not the only good news. People got wealthier! Participants in the treatment group saved $104 per month eating the brain healthy Mediterranean diet. Beats depression and saves you money. Chalk up a win for brainfood.

I recorded a vlog with Medscape Psychiatry if you want to learn more about the SMILES study. You can read or listen here.

Photo Copyright: bhofack2 / 123RF Stock Photo

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Eat Complete

Winner of a 2017 IACP Cookbook Award  •  Finalist for a Books for a Better Life Award

Named one of the top health and wellness books for 2016 by Well + Good and MindBodyGreen

 

From leading psychiatrist and author of Fifty Shades of Kale comes a collection of 100 simple, delicious, and affordable recipes to help you get the core nutrients your brain and body need to stay happy and healthy.

What does food have to do with brain health? Everything.

Your brain burns more of the food you eat than any other organ. It determines if you gain or lose weight, if you’re feeling energetic or fatigued, if you’re upbeat or depressed. In this essential guide and cookbook, Drew Ramsey, MD, explores the role the human brain plays in every part of your life, including mood, health, focus, memory, and appetite, and reveals what foods you need to eat to keep your brain—and by extension your body—properly fueled.

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Eat Complete includes 100 appetizing, easy, gluten-free recipes engineered for optimal nourishment. It also teaches readers how to use food to correct the nutrient deficiencies causing brain drain and poor health for millions. For example:

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The Happiness Diet

For the first time in history, too much food is making us sick. It's all too apparent that the Modern American Diet (MAD) is expanding our waistlines; what's less obvious is that it's starving and shrinking our brains. Rates of obesity and depression have recently doubled, and while these epidemics are closely linked, few experts are connecting the dots for the average American.

Using the latest data from the rapidly changing fields of neuroscience and nutrition, The Happiness Dietshows that over the past several generations small, seemingly insignificant changes to our diet have stripped it of nutrients--like magnesium, vitamin B12, iron, and vitamin D, as well as some very special fats--that are essential for happy, well-balanced brains. These shifts also explain the overabundance of mood-destroying foods in the average American's diet and why they predispose most of us to excessive weight gain.

After a clear explanation of how we've all been led so far astray, The Happiness Diet empowers the reader with simple, straightforward solutions. Graham and Ramsey show you how to steer clear of this MAD way of life with foods to swear off, shopping tips, brain-building recipes, and other practical advice, and then remake your diet by doubling down on feel-good foods--even the all-American burger.

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Fifty Shades of Kale

Kale gets sexy in Fifty Shades of Kale by Drew Ramsey, M.D., and Jennifer Iserloh, with 50 recipes that are mouth-wateringly delicious and do a body good.
 
Release yourself from the bondage of guilt and start cooking meals with the ingredients you love: meat, cheese, and yes—even butter. Nutrient-rich kale provides essential vitamins and minerals to keep you healthy, happy, and lean—so you can indulge in your most delicious desires. Whether you’re a cooking novice or a real kale submissive, you will undoubtedly succumb to Kale’s charms.

From Mushroom and Kale Risotto to Kale Kiwi Gazpacho, Fifty Shade of Kale offers simple ways to have your kale and eat it, too, as well as nutritional information, cooking tips, and a tutorial on kale in all her glorious shades.
 
Indulge your culinary passions with Fifty Shades of Kale: 50 Fresh and Satisfying Recipes That Are Bound to Please.

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