Healthy consuming guru Prof Tim Spector claims following his £300 weight-reduction plan might deal with melancholy and nervousness

Eating kimchi, kefir and beans could be more effective for treating depression and anxiety than taking antidepressants.

That’s according to renowned nutrition scientist Professor Tim Spector, founder of the popular ZOE diet app. 

The healthy eating guru, who sells a £300 personalised nutrition program, made the bold statement on the popular Good Company podcast — hosted by Radio DJ Jamie Laing — and advised those battling mental illness to try diet changes before other interventions like medications.

‘First thing and the safest thing is to try is to overhaul your diet and keep your gut microbes happy,’ he said, adding that eating the diet recommended by his ZOE app can improve mood and energy levels.

Failing to eat a diet rich in ‘gut-friendly’ food could also make antidepressants less effective, he said. 

‘If you have more severe depression and you go on anti-depressants a third of them don’t work at all because you have the wrong gut microbes inside of you.

‘They are breaking down the anti-depressant chemicals so they are inactivating them.’ 

Professor Spector theorised that the gut is the ‘second brain’, meaning everything we eat has a direct effect on our emotional health. 

‘It has the second biggest set of nerve cells,’ he told the podcast. 

‘Our microbes are always talking to nerve cells. This is why we get gut feelings or butterflies in our stomachs.’

He highlighted studies that have shown improving diets of depressed people can relieve their symptoms to the same extent as antidepressants.

‘It is mind blowing but if you think about what microbes do, they are basically chemical factories they produce thousands of chemicals and some of them affect the brain,’ he added. 

About eight in 100 people in the UK have depression and anxiety, according to mental health charity Mind.

A third of people with a common mental health problem will have treatment such as medication and talking therapy. 

But diet is not usually discussed as an option to treat anxiety and depression, Professor Spector said.   

 ‘A lot of our mental health issues, and there’s an epidemic of them at the moment, is because we have an abnormal amount of gut microbes producing the wrong chemicals and our brain is misinterpreting these signals and thinks we are more ill then we really are.’

‘Sadly, when you go and see your GP they won’t recommend a diet change, so you have to go and do this yourself,’ he added. 

‘It’s particularly hard because if you are in that depressed or anxious state often your brain switches off that interest in food so you just really see it as fuel.

‘It is important for friends and family to help someone in that state to eat better.’

The NHS urges people to talk to their doctor before stopping any medication. 

Going ‘cold turkey’ from antidepressants can trigger debilitating withdrawal symptoms including stomach problems, anxiety, restlessness and trouble sleeping.

Although Professor Spector credited his ZOE diet plan for its mood boosting potential,  he stressed there are other ways of eating a healthy, mood boosting diet. 

ZOE is a nutrition app that gives personalised advice on what users should eat, based on the results of gut health and blood fat tests and 14 days of blood sugar monitoring.

Health conscious Brits spend £299.99 on the tests followed by a one-year membership costing £299.88. 

It encourages people to eat a variety of fruit, vegetables, grains, nuts and fermented foods like kimchi and yoghurt to help boost diversity in the microbiome – the healthy bugs that live in the gut. 

‘If you can’t afford ZOE at the moment then just experiment with different breakfasts and see how you feel three hours later,’ Professor Spector said.

‘Note if you feel lethargic or energised, just listen to your body.’

‘For 40p, you can buy a can of beans and you are getting protein and fibre and nutrients in a way that takes a few minutes to cook and eat,’ he added.

A number of studies have previously found that a healthy diet can boost mood. 

One 2019 study analysed data from almost 46,000 people and found that weight loss, nutrient boosting and fat reduction diets could all reduce the symptoms of depression. 

Eating ultra processed food such as plant based meat could also make you more likely to develop poor mood.

Scientists compared mental health symptoms in vegetarians who eat plant-based meat alternatives such as vegan sausages with those who eat more home-cooked, vegetable-based foods.

The results, published in the medical journal Food Frontiers, revealed that those who ate meat substitutes were 42 per cent more likely to be depressed compared to those who didn’t.

The NHS urges those who experience depression for most of the day, every day for more that two weeks to speak to a GP.