The world has long been in awe of Japan's washoku, its traditional diet, for its ability to promote longevity and strong physical well-being. But emerging research shows that the virtues of the old diet may reach beyond the body to provide essential insurance for the mind too. In a big study released in the journal Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, researchers found strong evidence to believe that a traditional Japanese diet may protect against depression, a mental health crisis that plagues millions worldwide.

Mental health has become a worldwide issue in recent years, with depression reaching millions of people across the world. Although diet plays a well-proven role in physical health, its possible role in mental health has only recently gained attention.

What Is Washoku?

Washoku, which is a cultural heritage passed down by UNESCO, is a traditional Japanese meal pattern with high content of seasonal foods and well-balanced nutrition. The diet commonly consists of white rice, miso soup, fish, soy foods, seaweed, mushrooms, steamed vegetables, and green tea. This eating habit is honored not only because of the flavor but also due to its nutritional balance.

Although the health advantages of washoku for heart disease, diabetes, and longevity have been established, its possible influence on mental health has only begun to receive scientific attention in recent times.

Research: The Link Between Washoku Diet and Depression?

Between 2018 and 2021, scientists questioned almost 12,500 workers from five large Japanese businesses. The volunteers, who were mostly men with an average age of 42.5, completed extensive questionnaires about their weekly intake of foods and beverages. The researchers then rated their compliance with washoku on two scales: the classic 0-to-9 scale and a revised 0-to-11 scale that added other foods that have been shown to aid mental health, including fruit, raw vegetables, and dairy.".

Of critical note, the researchers also tested for depressive symptoms, with 30.9% of survey respondents expressing feelings of despondency or demoralization—an extremely high percentage and one that reflects worldwide trends in workplace mental health.

The findings were dramatic. The more participants scored on the washoku diet questionnaires, the less likely they were to have symptoms of depression. When they were split into four groups according to diet compliance, those who consumed most washoku were 17% to 20% less likely to have depressive symptoms than those who consumed the minimum.

To ensure accuracy, the researchers statistically adjusted for a range of non-diet factors—including age, gender, marital status, education, job position, alcohol intake, smoking, exercise, sleep, and obesity—minimizing the risk that something other than diet was driving the results.

Why Washoku Diet Might Protect Your Mental Health?The researchers highlighted several possible mechanisms:

Folate and Neurotransmitters

Seaweed, vegetables, and soy foods in the washoku diet are good sources of folate, a B vitamin used to make neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine that control mood and emotional health.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Fatty fish, a cornerstone of the washoku diet, is filled with omega-3s, which have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower depression risk.

Antioxidants

Vegetables of bright color, green tea, natto, and miso contain antioxidants that decrease oxidative stress in the brain—a component involved with depression.

Umami and the Nervous System

The distinctive umami taste of Japanese cuisine can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps lead to mental calmness and stability.

Washoku vs. Other Diets: How Does It Compare?

Even though fewer studies have examined the impact of the washoku diet on mental health, comparable trends have been seen in analyses of the Mediterranean diet, which also focuses on vegetables, whole grains, and fish. That similarity lends credence to the hypothesis that nutrient-rich, traditional diet styles may have similar protective features against depression.

Diet is a major factor, but mental health is determined by a multitude of other variables, such as stress levels, sleep quality, social support, and genetic makeup. The Japanese study controlled for some of these by adjusting for confounders, but experts stress the need for more holistic approaches to lifestyle intervention.

Washoku is not so much about what is on the plate—it's about how food is prepared, shared, and consumed. Meals tend to be consumed slowly, with regard to presentation and seasonality, encouraging mindfulness and social connection. These cultural elements might also contribute to aiding mental health.

How You Can Add Washoku Diet To Your Routine?

If you’re looking to support your mental health through dietary changes, integrating elements of the washoku diet into your meals could be a smart move. Focus on whole, minimally processed foods such as:

• Steamed rice or other whole grains
• Miso soup and fermented soy products
• Grilled or simmered fish
• Seaweed and mushroom dishes
• Green tea as a daily beverage

And although the entire washoku diet may not be practical or appealing to all, the underlying philosophy—variety, balance, and nutritional value—can be translated into much cultural and regional cuisine.

As depression reaches epidemic levels in many parts of the world, these results could have potentially broad-ranging consequences. Promoting traditional diets such as washoku could be a straightforward, culturally acceptable means of promoting mental health—particularly in the workplace and communities.

"More studies need to be done, but we would like evidence presented among Japanese individuals to be used in public health practices in workplaces and districts relating to depression prevention," the Japan Institute for Health Security stated in a press release.

When we feel thirsty, our first instinct is to reach for a glass of water. It’s often considered the gold standard of hydration—but is it actually the best drink to keep us hydrated? According to a fascinating study by researchers at Scotland’s St. Andrews University, the answer may surprise you.

The 2016 study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that while plain water—both still and sparkling—is effective at hydrating the body quickly, it's not necessarily the most effective at keeping us hydrated over time. Beverages that contain a mix of nutrients—like milk or oral rehydration solutions—may do a better job.

Why Some Drinks Hydrate Better Than Others

Hydration isn’t just about how quickly fluid enters your system. It also depends on how long that fluid stays in your body. Professor Ronald Maughan, who led the study at St. Andrews’ School of Medicine, explained that two key factors influence how hydrating a beverage is: volume and nutrient composition.

First, the volume of a drink plays a crucial role in how fast it empties from the stomach into the bloodstream, where it can start rehydrating body tissues. The more fluid you drink, the quicker it’s absorbed—up to a point.

Second, drinks that contain small amounts of sugar, fat, protein, or electrolytes can actually slow down gastric emptying. That might sound like a bad thing, but in terms of hydration, it’s beneficial. It means fluids stay in your system longer, which helps you retain water and stay hydrated for extended periods.

Milk Tops the List

Surprisingly, skim milk was ranked as the most hydrating beverage in the study. Its mix of lactose (a natural sugar), protein, and fat slows the rate at which fluid leaves the stomach. Additionally, milk contains sodium, an electrolyte that helps the body retain fluid and reduces urine output.

“Milk’s nutrient profile essentially acts like a hydration booster,” said registered dietitian Melissa Majumdar, who was not involved in the study but reviewed its findings. “It offers a balance of electrolytes and macronutrients that support fluid retention.”

Hydration Rankings: What the Study Found

The research team tested 13 common beverages to determine how well they hydrated the body over a four-hour period. Here’s the ranking, from most to least hydrating:

• Skim milk
• Oral rehydration solutions (e.g., Pedialyte, Liquid I.V.)
• Whole milk
• Orange juice
• Cola
• Diet cola
• Cold tea
• Tea
• Sports drink
• Still water
• Sparkling water
• Lager
• Coffee

While oral rehydration solutions are designed for medical use—such as rehydrating patients with diarrhea—they include optimal amounts of sodium, potassium, and sugar to help the body absorb water efficiently.

Not All Sugars Are Created Equal

It might be tempting to think fruit juices and sodas are good hydrating options due to their high liquid content, but the reality is more complex. While these beverages may linger in the stomach slightly longer than water, their high sugar concentrations can pull water into the intestine via osmosis. That can actually reduce your body’s net fluid gain.

And unlike solid foods, sugary beverages add calories without satiety. “Juices and colas might quench your thirst briefly, but they don’t support long-term hydration and contribute excess sugars,” Majumdar warned.

What About Coffee and Alcohol?

Contrary to popular belief, coffee can contribute to your daily hydration—up to a point. A cup of coffee with around 80 milligrams of caffeine hydrates you about as well as water. However, drinking more than 300 milligrams (roughly 2–4 cups) could tip the scale, causing mild fluid loss, especially in those unaccustomed to caffeine.

Alcohol, on the other hand, is not your hydration friend. Strong alcoholic beverages like whiskey act as diuretics, increasing fluid loss. But a lower-alcohol beverage like beer may have a less dehydrating effect, primarily because it contains more water. “Beer would result in less water loss than whiskey,” Maughan explained. “Strong alcoholic drinks will dehydrate, dilute alcoholic drinks will not.”

Do You Need to Rethink Your Beverage Choices?

In everyday life, most people can rely on thirst cues to guide their fluid intake. However, for certain groups—like athletes training in the heat or individuals working long hours without access to fluids—strategic hydration becomes crucial.

While water remains an excellent and essential drink, it’s worth considering what else you’re sipping. Milk, rehydration solutions, and even some teas might offer better hydration under certain circumstances. But the takeaway is clear: hydration is about more than just drinking water—it's about how your body processes what you drink.

High blood sugar is a concerning matter because if a person has consistently high numbers for it, they may find themselves on the way to a pre-diabetic diagnosis or even diabetes. While there may not be apparent signs, high blood sugar silently causes harm to your body, and this is not a rare issue. In 2021, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention 11.6%, which is 38.1 million people have diabetes and 8.7 million adults aged 18 or older were not aware or did not report having diabetes.

So, for those who are health conscious and wish to keep their health in check, they avoid unhealthy foods, even if they are natural. These perceived unhealthy foods are often sweet fruits like mangoes. However, a new study suggests that mangoes may have the opposite effect on this!

Are Mangoes Good for Your Health?

According to a new study published in the Nutrients journal, found that eating fresh mango every day could help your body use insulin better and manage your blood sugar levels. The best part? It did this without causing any weight gain.

Researchers mentioned that adding fresh mangoes to your diet can be an easy and enjoyable way for people who are overweight or obese to improve their insulin function and lower their risk of getting type 2 diabetes.

The study involved men who were overweight or obese. They were split into two groups: one ate two cups of fresh mango daily for a month, while the other ate a similar amount of mango-flavored Italian ice. Both groups took a sugar tolerance test at the beginning and end of the study. After the study, the men who ate fresh mango showed several good changes in their health:

• Their fasting insulin levels were lower.
• Their insulin resistance improved, meaning their bodies responded better to insulin.
• They had better control over their blood sugar levels.

Even though both groups ate about the same number of calories, the mango group's weight stayed stable. However, the group that ate Italian ice gained a small but noticeable amount of weight.

This improvement in insulin use without weight gain in the mango group is important. It helps clear up misunderstandings about mango's natural sugar and its effect on weight and diabetes. These findings also support earlier research showing that eating mango doesn't lead to weight gain. While we don't know the exact reason yet, improved antioxidant levels from mango might be helping with blood sugar control.

How Can Mangos Help Manage Blood Sugar?

Mangoes are naturally sweet, which has led some to question their sugar content and how it might affect weight, especially for people who have insulin resistance but this new study, along with previous research, confirms that concerns about weight gain from eating mango are not true. People with insulin resistance don't need to worry about regularly including mangoes in their diet.

In fact, it might be the opposite, researchers believe that the fiber, antioxidants, and special plant compounds found in mangoes could help prevent sudden rises in blood sugar and make cells respond better to insulin.

For example, fiber slows down digestion. This means sugar isn't absorbed into your body too quickly, which helps keep blood sugar levels steady. Mangoes also have important vitamins like A and C, plus minerals like potassium and magnesium, all of which support your body's overall metabolism.

Should You Eat Mango Every Day?

Even though this study was small and more research is needed, experts agree that mango is a healthy fruit to add to your diet. It's full of vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber.

The positive effects seen when people regularly ate mangoes might not just be because it's a fresh fruit, but because of its unique mix of nutrients.

That said, eating two full cups of mango every day might not be practical for everyone. Instead, it's best to enjoy mangoes as part of a varied diet, perhaps by eating them with or alternating them with other fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains.

Forgetting your keys once can be frustrating but forgetting them over and over—or forgetting the name of a good friend—may raise an unsettling question: Is this normal aging or more? For almost 1 in 3 adults age 65 and older, these little changes in memory and thinking are usually early symptoms of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)—a condition that can lead to dementia or Alzheimer's disease. But there is fresh hope. Researchers have discovered that a high-antioxidant diet may cut the risk of MCI by as much as 80%.

That's correct—more than you may have thought, what you eat on your plate can help maintain your brain function. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) occurs in almost one-third of individuals aged 65 and older, a subtle but important change in thinking and memory abilities that can develop into dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. Although there is no treatment for these conditions, an increasing amount of research is identifying lifestyle modifications that could have neuroprotective effects on the aging brain—and diet is the leading candidate.

A recent paper in the journal Nutrients has been making headlines by putting numbers to how effective dietary antioxidants might be in defending the brain. Scientists examined the diet and cognition of older people, and the connections between antioxidant food intake, alcohol intake, and risk of developing mild cognitive impairment.

People who had a higher antioxidant index score were much less likely to have MCI. Indeed, risk fell by as much as 80% in those with antioxidant-filled diets but there was a catch—the cognitive-enhancing effect only benefited non-drinkers.

Among individuals who drank alcohol—one or two drinks per week—a protective effect of antioxidants was lost. Alarming, those with light-to-moderate drinking had over double the risk of MCI compared to abstainers.

The findings were dramatic: those with the highest antioxidant index scores had a risk of MCI that was as much as 80% lower than that of those with the lowest scores. This observation lends further credence to decades of research suggesting that antioxidants—molecules in plentiful supply in bright-colored fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains—play a key role in protecting the brain against oxidative stress that leads to decline.

What Are Antioxidants, Really?

Antioxidants are food chemicals that occur naturally and aid in neutralizing free radicals—unstable molecules that harm cells and lead to disease and aging, including loss of mental functioning. The most typical antioxidant nutrients are vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, selenium, and zinc.

They’re abundant in whole, colorful foods—think leafy greens, berries, nuts, and whole grains. But they don’t work in isolation. It’s the synergy of nutrients within whole foods that delivers the most potent effect.

And that’s what makes food so powerful compared to supplements. You’re not just getting a single antioxidant—you’re getting a full spectrum of phytochemicals that support one another.

What Is The Problem with Alcohol?

The antioxidant hype over red wine has been around for decades, but the new study turns that hypothesis on its head. By the research, any drinking at all, even light drinking, doubled the risk for having MCI.

While the exact mechanism isn’t fully understood, alcohol can interfere with the absorption and metabolism of key nutrients. It also increases inflammation and oxidative stress—the very processes antioxidants aim to reduce. Essentially, alcohol may cancel out the very brain-protective effects you’re trying to gain from a healthy diet.

The researchers noted that although their results are intriguing, one has to take them with a grain of salt. This was a cross-sectional study, so it indicates correlation—not cause. And because the nutritional information was self-reported, there could be some error in participants' memories for what they consumed or imbibed.

Nevertheless, the trend is obvious: an alcohol-free, high-antioxidant lifestyle seems to be highly correlated with enhanced brain function in seniors.

It should be noted that this study was cross-sectional, so it only measured associations at one moment in time and did not establish cause and effect. The food intake information was self-reported, which can lead to errors, and the study didn't separate between types or quantities of liquor consumed. Nevertheless, the results support an increasing consensus among diet and brain health professionals: what you eat has a big impact on cognitive longevity.

What to Eat for Cognitive Protection?

To get sharper and lower your risk of cognitive decline, diversify your diet with whole foods that are rich in antioxidants. These are some expert-approved powerhouses to put on your list:

Leafy greens (such as spinach and kale): Magnesium and vitamin E-rich, they promote neurological well-being.

Berries and citrus fruits: Vitamin C-rich, they shield brain cells from oxidative stress.

Carrots, sweet potatoes, squash: Packed with beta-carotene and vitamin A, protecting vision and cognition.

Nuts and seeds: Sunflower seeds and almonds are good sources of vitamin E and selenium—essential nutrients for cognitive health.

Whole grains and legumes: Rich in magnesium and zinc, both critical to brain function.

Small changes amount to a lot. Sprinkle sunflower seeds over a salad, replace chips with a handful of almonds, or add a spoonful of spinach to your smoothie. These tiny tweaks to your meals might mean significant gains in the long run.

Easy Ways to Increase Your Antioxidant Intake

Contrary to the idealized idea of a daily glass of wine being "good for the heart" or "full of antioxidants," the science keeps mounting against it. Not only is alcohol not adding any necessary nutrients to your body, but it actually can be speeding up aging in your brain and body as well.

Rather than relying on artificial antioxidants with hidden expenses—such as fruit salads, herbal teas, or smoothies—choose natural ones. These provide the same (or superior) benefits without compromising cognitive function. Incorporating more antioxidant-rich foods into your regimen does not need to involve drastic change. Small, sustainable modifications can have lasting impact:

• Mix a handful of berries into your morning oatmeal or yogurt.
• Mix leafy greens into smoothies or salads.
• Munch on seeds and nuts rather than packaged chips or crackers.
• Make sweet potatoes or squash a foundation for stews and soups.
• Top salads or roasted vegetables with sunflower seeds.

Variety is essential, the greater the diversity of colors and varieties of plant foods that you consume, the wider range of antioxidants and phytochemicals you will ingest.

This new study contributes to a mounting pile of evidence that diet is an influential, changeable component in the battle against cognitive impairment. Though genetics and other issues are at work, what you do daily—what you eat, how active you are, and how you handle stress—is capable of shielding your brain as you get older.

Experts suggest emphasizing a balanced, plant-based diet with ample antioxidants, healthy fats, and whole grains. Alcohol avoidance or moderation is also important. These practices, along with regular exercise and mental activity, are the building blocks of a brain-healthy lifestyle.

Although genetics and age are things we can't control, diet is something we have control over. This new research corroborates the increasing evidence that diets rich in nutrients and antioxidants may protect against cognitive deterioration, particularly when paired with an alcohol-free life.