What are Carolyn Scott’s top strategies for improving mental wellness through diet?

Hi, I’m Carolyn Scott-Hamilton from The Healthy Voyager. Love this question because what you eat deeply affects how you think and feel.

Here are my top diet-focused strategies for mental wellness:

• Prioritize a whole-food, plant-based diet: Lots of colorful veggies, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds support a healthier gut and more stable mood.
• Clean up inflammation triggers: Minimize ultra-processed foods, excess sugar, alcohol, and highly refined oils that can worsen anxiety, fatigue, and brain fog.
• Feed your gut for better mood: Aim for fiber-rich foods (beans, lentils, oats, chia, flax, veggies) to support beneficial gut bacteria, which help regulate neurotransmitters like serotonin.
• Stabilize blood sugar: Build meals around fiber + plant protein + healthy fats (for example, quinoa and black beans with avocado and veggies) to prevent the energy crashes that can trigger irritability or low mood.
• Get your brain-boosting fats: Include omega-3 rich foods such as ground flax, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and walnuts for cognitive and mood support.
• Support steady sleep and stress response: Magnesium- and B-vitamin-rich foods (leafy greens, legumes, seeds, whole grains, nutritional yeast) help your nervous system cope with daily stress.
• Hydrate well: Even mild dehydration can worsen fatigue and mood. Most people feel better aiming for roughly half their body weight in ounces of water per day, adjusted for climate and activity.
• Crowd out, don’t obsess: Focus on adding nourishing foods instead of obsessing over restriction. A positive, flexible mindset around food reduces stress eating and guilt.

If you’d like, I can put together a sample one-day “mood-supportive” vegan meal plan tailored to your lifestyle.

Do you currently follow any specific way of eating (vegan, gluten free, omnivore, etc.) and are there particular mood issues you’re working on, like anxiety, low energy, or brain fog?