Can depression change your eating habits?
It can be really hard battling with depression. Those who have experienced it will know that, yes, depression can significantly alter your eating habits. While some people experience a near-total loss of appetite, others find themselves overeating or craving specific comfort foods. Both responses are incredibly common, and natural, but they can take a toll on your physical health and overall nutrition.
What is depression?
To start with, depression is determined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as ‘a common mental disorder, which involves a depressed mood or loss of pleasure or interest in activities for long periods of time. A depressive episode is different from regular mood fluctuations. They often last for almost a whole day, every day or for at least two weeks.’
Some of the examples of traits seen during a depressive episode are low energy, tiredness, lack of sleep, drop in concentration, hopelessness and increased guilt, which all impact daily activities. Alongside these, people commonly experience appetite and weight changes.
How dietitians can help with depression and eating habits
As mental health dietitians, we often see individuals who tell us when they have a depressive episode, “I cannot control my eating” and others say “I cannot face food”.
There is no right or wrong feeling around food when experiencing depression. This is simply due to either a higher activity in the brain’s reward system – which leads to increased appetite. OR a lower activity in brain’s areas that track the body’s physical condition (i.e. hunger) – which leads to drop in appetite. The differences in how these brain systems communicate, may also explain why depression changes appetite differently across individuals.
Now in both cases, it is important to try and maintain a healthy dietary intake to ensure your physical health doesn’t deteriorate. For instance, when there is an increased food consumption there is a risk of rapid weight gain, which may lead to other physical health conditions (i.e. cardiovascular disease). Whereas, when there is a lower food consumption, the risk of malnutrition increases.
And here is where people can become stuck, because they are often told to ‘not eat a lot’, or that they ‘need to eat’, and meanwhile their focus is on winning their battle with depression. Consequently, this is the reason why the role of a specialist mental health dietitian in individuals suffering from depression is indispensable. We are here to support with personalised and evidence-based approaches based on individual needs.
Key takeaway
A key message is to try your best to eat as balanced as possible. This is vital for both your physical and mental health and might help improve your mood.
This can be achieved by ensuring that your daily diet includes the following:
- Protein (i.e. meat, eggs, beans and pulses and meat alternatives) – will help the production of the body’s chemical messengers (i.e. serotonin and dopamine) which are vital for mental health.
- Carbohydrates (especially starchy carbs like pasta, rice and bread). This will provide your body with glucose, the main energy source for your brain.
- Healthy fats in healthy amounts (i.e. unsaturated fats & omega 3 – such us: nuts, seeds, oily fish) – will ensure brain’s health.
- Fluids (sugar free options) – will help prevent dehydration, which can lead to headaches, anxiety and low mood.
A guide that I love and I would like to share with you also, is the British Dietetic Association (BDA) food fact sheet around depression, that has a brief summary of tips on how to manage challenges and help you achieve a healthy balanced diet.
However, please remember, that not one size fits all. Personalised advice is recommended to ensure you receive the best support and personalised recommendations. This is something we can support you in our clinic, you can book a free introduction call with us today.
We are here to help
If you or someone you know is struggling to eat well while battling a mental illness. Our team of specialist dietitians is focuses on this area of mental health and eating disorders. We aim to support you in becoming your healthiest and best self while helping you achieve your personal goals. You can send us a message here or find out more about our services here.
Blog written by Cleo
Cleo is a specialist mental health dietitian at the clinic. With extended experience working in NHS adult mental health inpatient services, she provides a space where you feel heard, understood, and supported. Her approach is compassionate, collaborative, and non-judgmental, grounded in evidence-based practice.
Read more information about Cleo here.
References
Jacka FN, et al. (2017) A randomised controlled trial of dietary improvement for adults with major depression (the ‘SMILES’ trial). BMC Med. 15 (3) [online]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-017-0791-y
BDA (2026) Depression and Diet. [online] Available at: https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/depression-diet.html
WHO (2025) Depressive disorder (depression) [online] Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression
Simmons WK, et.al (2017) Depression-related increases and decreases in appetite reveal dissociable patterns of aberrant activity in reward and interoceptive neurocircuitry. American Journal of Psychiatry. 173 (4). [online]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2015.15020162
Blog reviewed by: Sophie Corbett, Specialist Eating Disorder Dietitian and founder of Mental Health Dietitians.
