Looking For Foods That Fend Off Stress? Meet The Psychobiotic Diet

Functional FoodFeed Your Gut & Fend Off Stress With The Psychobiotic Diet

Author: Morgan ChamberlainDecember 1, 2022

mbg Supplement EditorBy Morgan Chamberlainmbg Supplement EditorMorgan Chamberlain is a supplement editor at mindbodygreen. She graduated from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Science degree in magazine journalism and a minor in nutrition.Image by Nadine Greeff / StocksyDecember 1, 2022

For some time now, researchers have known that food influences our mental well-being. However, most studies on nutritional interventions for neurological health have focused on single foods rather than realistic, whole-dietary approaches.

That's exactly why scientists from Cork, Ireland, set out to see if a psychobiotic diet designed to promote gut health has a positive influence on mental well-being1 with a new randomized controlled study (RCT) from Molecular Psychiatry.

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What is a psychobiotic diet?

A term coined by study co-authors Timothy "Ted" Dinan, Ph.D., and John Cryan, Ph.D., the psychobiotic diet leans into the gut-brain axis by prioritizing gut-healthy foods known to support gut microbial balance (i.e., whole grains, prebiotic fruits and vegetables, legumes, and fermented foods) and discourages the consumption of sweets, sugary drinks, and processed foods.

The study diet included:

6-8 daily servings of fruits and veggies high in prebiotic fibers (e.g., apples, bananas, leeks, onions)
5-8 daily servings of whole grains (e.g., oats, whole wheat, quinoa)
2-3 daily servings of fermented foods (e.g., sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha)
3-4 weekly servings of legumes (e.g., chickpeas, lentils, peas)

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