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The Japanese diet <\/a>is famously healthy \u2013 packed with vegetables, fish, fermented foods, and beans \u2013 but now, a major study suggests it could also guard against depression<\/a>. Researchers studied around 12,500 working adults and found that those who most closely followed the washoku diet \u2013 Japan\u2019s traditional way of eating, rich in white rice, miso soup, fish, mushrooms, soy-based foods, seaweed<\/a>, and green tea \u2013 were significantly less likely to report symptoms of depression than those who ate a more Western-style diet, typically high in processed meats, refined grains, sugary snacks, and fried foods.<\/p>\n Those who followed a more modern, health<\/a>-conscious version of the diet, which added fruits, raw vegetables, and dairy while cutting back on salty foods, saw an even greater benefit. The study revealed a clear pattern: the more closely someone\u2019s diet followed these Japanese<\/a> eating habits, the less likely they were to experience depressive symptoms. Compared to those with the lowest adherence, people with the highest adherence to the traditional diet were 17% less likely to report depression. For the modern version of the diet, the risk was reduced by 20%.<\/p>\n The findings held steady even when accounting for factors like age, sex, and job stress \u2013 though interestingly, the benefits were less pronounced in people working very long hours, suggesting that high stress might dull the positive effects of a healthy diet. The lead researcher, Haruka Miyake, of the Japan Institute for Health Security, said: \u201cDepression is a growing public health concern worldwide, and diet is increasingly recognised as a modifiable factor that may influence mental health. \u201cWe found it encouraging that our results supported the hypothesis: individuals whose diets more closely adhere to dietary patterns rooted in Japanese food culture tend to report fewer depressive symptoms. <\/p>\n \u201cAlthough further research is required to establish a causal relationship between adherence to the Japanese diet and depression prevention, these findings highlight the promise of promoting traditional dietary practices as part of broader public health strategies aimed at improving mental health.\u201d The scientists, who published their findings in the journal Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, say that the washoku diet may support good mental health because the foods help trigger the production of feel-good neurotransmitters as well as other mechanisms.<\/p>\n So, what foods can we incorporate into our diets to eat a little more washoku?<\/p>\n When it comes to feel-good neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, foods high in folate support their production \u2013 and it turns out these are common in traditional Japanese cuisine. These include seaweed, spinach and green, leafy vegetables. Edamame (young soybeans) and anything made from soybeans such as natto (fermented soybeans), soy sauce, tofu and miso (fermented soybean paste) are also all excellent sources of folate. These fermented foods also feed the good microbes in our gut which supports both physical and mental health. If you can\u2019t access those ingredients then good sources of folate, readily accessible in the UK include cooked spinach, lentils, asparagus and, although not eaten much these days, liver.<\/p>\n Colourful vegetables and green tea<\/p>\n The traditional Japanese diet is rich in colourful vegetables packed with beneficial compounds, including antioxidants that may help reduce stress in the brain<\/a>. Antioxidants protect us from oxidative stress, which, when it happens in the brain, has been linked to inflammation, neuron damage, and mood disorders such as depression and anxiety. Other phytonutrients, such as polyphenols, which are present in plants, are also beneficial for good gut health and researchers now believe \u2013 because of the gut\u2019s close relationship with the brain \u2013 that this can help with mood.<\/p>\n Green tea contains catechins which protect the brain<\/p>\n Pexels<\/p>\n Another key element of the Japanese diet that may support mental health is green tea. It contains catechins, powerful plant compounds that protect the brain, along with L-theanine, an amino acid known to boost calming neurotransmitters like GABA, serotonin, and dopamine.<\/p>\n While regular green tea offers these benefits, matcha \u2013 a powdered form of green tea that\u2019s grown in a different way \u2013 provides an even higher concentration of these brain-supporting compounds.<\/p>\n One of the most interesting parts of the study is the researcher\u2019s suggestion that umami \u2013 the fifth taste that\u2019s sometimes described as savouriness \u2013 might play a role in helping us to feel calm (it certainly helps me to feel happy). \u201cUmami not only enhances taste but may also promote relaxation by reducing heart rate and stimulating parasympathetic nervous activity,\u201d reads the paper. \u201cTogether with the nutrient-dense composition of Japanese cuisine, the profound role of umami may contribute to its potential to prevent depressive symptoms.\u201d <\/p>\n The savoury umami taste which is found in beef stock, mushrooms and kimchi, can reduce stress<\/p>\n Pexels<\/p>\n The idea that umami may help reduce stress was found in a randomised, placebo-controlled trial published in the journal Foods in 2021. In the washoku diet umami \u2013 that deep savouriness \u2013 comes from foods such miso, soy sauce, seaweed, and mushrooms. Other foods that give a big hit of umami include: aged parmesan, anchovies, sun-dried tomatoes, egg yolk, chicken skin, slow-cooked beef, fish sauce, kimchi and any stocks or broths \u2013 especially those made with meat or mushrooms. <\/p>\n Fish \u2013 especially the oily kind<\/p>\n Firstly, fatty varieties are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce brain inflammation and support the production of mood-regulating neurotransmitters like serotonin. Fish also provides high-quality protein, B vitamins (especially B12), iodine, and selenium \u2013 all essential for healthy brain function and emotional balance. <\/p>\n Regular fish consumption has been linked to lower rates of depression and cognitive decline.<\/p>\n When it comes to nutrition, it’s not just about what a diet includes, but also what it leaves out \u2013 and in the case of the traditional washoku diet, ultra-processed foods (UPFs) a<\/a>re notably absent. Packaged snacks, ready meals, sugary cereals<\/a>, and mass-produced baked goods simply don\u2019t feature. A growing body of research links high UPF consumption to increased risk of mood disorders like depression and anxiety. If you want to support your brain (and body), focusing on home-cooked meals made from whole and minimally processed ingredients is one of the most effective steps you can take.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Japanese diet is famously healthy \u2013 packed with vegetables, fish, fermented foods, and beans \u2013 but now,…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":46039,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[4465,6017,210,35849,517,9985,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-46038","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-brain","9":"tag-depression","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-japanese","12":"tag-mental-health","13":"tag-seaweed","14":"tag-united-states","15":"tag-unitedstates","16":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114812120326151962","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46038","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46038"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46038\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46038"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46038"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46038"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Green](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/pexels-polina-tankilevitch-3735470.jpeg\")
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