The link between mood and diet is well known but no study had formally demonstrated it. This is done now with SMILES, an Australian study conducted on 67 patients who were on anti-depressants or psychotherapy, with moderate to severe depression according to the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Scale.¹

Over a 12 week period, half of these patients changed their eating habits while the other half received social support sessions without any diet changes. The recommended ModiMedDiet is inspired by the Mediterranean diet and excluded industrial and processed food.

At the end of the study period, Felice Jacka and Michael Berk team researchers observed a significant difference of 7.1 points on the Montgomery Asberg scale and four times more remissions in the “food group”.

Learn more about the ModiMedDiet

Olive oil, vegetables and cereals
11 food groups have been selected for ModiMedDiet.

• Whole cereals (5 to 8 per day)
• Vegetables (6 per day)
• Fruit (3 per day)
• Legumes (3 to 4 times per week)
• Low fat and unsweetened dairy products (2-3 per day)
• Whole and unsalted grains (1 per day)
• Fish (at least twice a week)
• Lean red meat (3 to 4 times per week)
• Chicken (2 to 3 times per week)
• Eggs (up to 6 times per week)
• Olive oil (3 tablespoons per day)

¹ A randomised controlled trial of dietary improvement for adults with major depression (the ‘SMILES’ trial) – https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-017-0791-y