Clinical psychologist Julia Rucklidge has spent decades researching the relationship between diet and mental health. Photo: Supplied
Kiwis love munching ultra-processed foods, which make up half of our average calorie consumption.
But filling up on that tasty stuff with the very low nutritional value doesn't serve our brains, says clinical psychologist and nutritional psychiatry researcher Julia Rucklidge.
More than 5 million people have watched her 2014 TED talk "The surprisingly dramatic role of nutrition in mental health".
Ten years on, there's no question that a diet too low in essential vitamins and minerals leaves us at greater risk of mental health struggles, she tells RNZ's Saturday Morning.
You are what you eat: Professor Julia Rucklidge
Rucklidge is currently director of Puna Toi Ora - the University of Canterbury's Mental Health and Nutrition Research Lab.
In ten years of clinical trials with people struggling due to depression, ADHD and PTSD, she has prescribed high doses of vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) in pill form with positive results.
Rucklidge's website has a recipe collection.
In treating depression, micronutrient supplements give about the same response rates as pharmaceutical antidepressants, Rucklidge tells Mihi Forbes, but with far fewer side effects.
With the symptoms of ADHD, stimulants have a greater impact than nutritional treatments, she says, but the latter also helps take down a child's emotional volatility and thereby improve a family's day-to-day life.
A direct way to access the mood-boosting benefits of nutrition is switching to a Modified Mediterranean diet of olive oil, fish, fruits, vegetables and nuts, Rucklidge says.
People whose depression has drained them of the energy required to face changing their diet and learning how to cook might find micronutrient supplements can get them out of a hole, she says.
Although not a perfect solution, they've now been proven to deliver "a robust, strong effect" as a mental health treatment.
Raising awareness of their healing potential is just part of Rucklidge's mission to empower Kiwis to become more resilient.
"It's about moving. It's about being socially connected. It's about having a purpose in life."
Eating a Mediterranean-style diet can be a mental health tool, says Professor Julia Rucklidge. Photo: Public domain