4 May 2026

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. As a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, and because food is about more than fuel, I often hear from clients - and random people I meet - about the anxiety they experience around food and/or mental health obstacles to healthy habits.

Some research on diet and emotional well-being has indicated that vegans are more likely to be depressed than omnivores, while other studies demonstrate the opposite, or find no difference at all. We do know that what we eat absolutely impacts mental health - it’s the gut-brain connection.

Scientists often focus on specific nutrient deficiencies or adequacies as the mechanism supporting mental health. A person who consumes no animal foods may be more likely to miss out on vitamin B12, iodine, iron, vitamin D, calcium or long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, which could contribute to low mood or impaired cognition over the long term.

In other news…ten years ago, researchers were already demonstrating that increased servings of fruits and vegetables improved life satisfaction and happiness, yet the needle has hardly moved since then on consumption of those foods.

I first heard about the veganism/depression link on a dietitian’s podcast, and it surprised me. After all, I know a bit about gut health and its impact on mental health. Surely, consuming a diversity of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes would be the best way to prevent dis-ease, anxiety and depression. A recent systematic review seemed to indicate that adolescents consuming more plant foods are associated with a lower likelihood of depression, but more research is needed.

Of course, these seemingly contradictory findings may actually be saying the same thing. After all, “vegan” does not equal “healthy whole foods plant based” nor plant predominant, and it is possible we’re missing the forest for the trees. At this point in the research (and more is needed), my conclusion would be that we need to focus on what we’re eating (a variety of whole plant foods), rather than what we’re avoiding (meat and dairy).

But my next thought was: of course, they’re depressed - because they care about the animals and the planet, and we’re watching a slow-motion extinction with very little action taken around us to prevent it (sorry to be so glum, but please read on for the good news).

A systematic review of personality traits of vegetarians vs. omnivores seemed to support this idea. Compared to omnivores, vegetarians tended to score significantly higher on empathetic concern and perspective-taking, two personality traits closely linked to animal advocacy and climate awareness.

I believe that most of us are empathetic under the right circumstances. There are very few people who could watch Earthlings (although I wouldn’t recommend it 🥲) without increasing their concern for the way we treat non-humans. At the other end of the spectrum, we’ve all seen the videos of people walking past a stranger in distress - if nobody else is stopping to help, why should I?

Being an empath may be a personality trait, but expressing empathy is within most people’s wheelhouse. Mental health conditions can impact anyone; learning about them can help us respond with empathy and confidence. Witnessing empathy may be likely to increase our own.

When it comes to animal agriculture and climate change, vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians and plant curious omnivores need not be anxious nor despondent, because we all have power in our food choices. Moving toward a plant based diet is one way to grow our empathy muscle, reducing impact on the planet and stress on an unsustainable food system.

None of this mandates giving up the things we love. Try a plant based meal today, or, if you’re already doing that, encourage friends and family to join in the abundance and good health that whole foods plant based eating can offer.

We know isolation can contribute to depression. Being plant based in a meat-centric world (which my country seems to be), can be lonely. But compassion can be contagious, and I’m excited about the one million tables initiative (started for Earth month but seems to still be going), where you can see all the people near you who are sharing a plant based meal this month.

If you’re local, join with me in a Building Healthy Communities Westchester plant based potluck. If you’re somewhere else, host your own (or meet others for a meal at a plant based restaurant).

Then, please tell me all about it!

The great news is you don’t have to change everything to make a difference. Substitute tofu for chicken in your next stir fry, make a meatless chili with fiber-rich beans, try a veggie burger instead of beef or turkey (be sure to sauté lots of onions and mushrooms for topping!), blend canellini beans into a “creamy” soup or find a new plant based recipe online.

You may be surprised how easy and delicious life can be!