Over the years I have written extensively about mood, depression, mental health and the brain. This area of nutrition excites and intrigues me greatly and I have specifically researched it and kept up to date with it, for over ten years now. A key factor for mental health appears to be omega 3 fatty acids, specifically the long chain forms EPA and DHA (eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid) found in oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, trout and sardines.  For this reason, as well as many others, low fat diets are something I have never advocated.  These fats in particular are so crucial for our optimal health   A professor that lectured me during my MSc (Nutritional Medicine) course back in 2001, Professor Basant Puri wrote a fabulous book that was published in 2005 entitled “The natural way to beat depression: the groundbreaking discovery of EPA to successfully conquer depression” it details how the long chain omega 3 fatty acid, EPA can be used, in conjunction with other therapeutic techniques, to successfully treat depression. At the time of publication Professor Puri had a 100% success rate of treating individuals with depression who had been unresponsive to other treatment. An amazing statistic. He has also written about the usefulness of omega 3 fats in the treatment of ADHD and chronic fatigue syndrome and was the first recorded person to use omega 3 fats to treat a depressive patient.   There is plenty of evidence that has shown how useful long chain….

Getting out, even for just five minutes, into a green environment such as a park or the countryside seems to positively influence self esteem and mood.  This is something that I have always found to be true for me and now research (1) has suggested that the benefits do indeed seem real. The term ‘green exercise’ has been used to describe activity that takes place outside in the presence of nature.  Studies have found that green exercise can lead to positive short and long term health outcomes e.g. Outdoor exercise seems to be linked to a reduced risk of mental illness and improved sense of well-being.  Recently (1) an analysis took place to assess the best regimen of exposure to green exercise required to improve self-esteem and mood, which are considered to be indicators of mental health. The study (1) involved the use of data from 10 UK studies which involved over 1200 individuals.  Every green environment analysed was shown to improve both self-esteem and mood, this included parks in towns and cities.  In addition to this the presence of water had an even greater effect on self-esteem and mood.  Large benefits from short engagements in green exercise was seen in both men and women.  The mentally ill and young people had the greatest self-esteem improvements from green exercise.  The study authors conclude “This study confirms that the environment provides an important health service”. “Green activity” can include things likes walking, gardening, horse-riding, cycling or farming.  Even five minutes of….