Should You Eat Ultra Processed Foods When Taking SSRI Medications?

You know that a poor diet can affect your overall health, and you’re most likely aware of the fact that it can affect your mental wellbeing as well. This is common knowledge by now, and it is a good thing that people are becoming increasingly aware of it. After all, such awareness is often motivating people to make better dietary choices, which then has a positive effect on their health in general.

Yet, there is now another question that we have to answer. In short, while we get that highly processed foods can ruin our mood, cause fatigue, contribute to anxiety and depression, we may not be sure about how they interact with certain medications, such as SSRIs, for example. And, well, there is now talk about Ultra Processed Foods interacting with those medications negatively. So, that is something new we have to learn and something new we have to make clear today, so that we know what to do in case we get prescribed those medications.

As always, when a piece of information like this pops up, people tend to be skeptical. Or, at least, half the people. Half just accept it as a logical fact and move on with their lives. Well, I do value critical thinking, which is why being skeptical is not a bad thing here, as it will result in you doing your own research in order to check the facts, instead of just blindly trusting what anyone says.

The fact that you are here, of course, tells me that you are ready to do your own research and check those facts. What we are going to do, therefore, is tell you a bit more about what it is that you need to know here, and give you a better idea about whether combining UPF with SSRIs is a good idea, a bad one, or a completely neutral one. In other words, we’ll help you understand the impact that those foods have on the effects of these medications, so that you can then understand if you should continue consuming such food when taking these medications, or if you should stop, or if that doesn’t matter at all. Without any further ado, thus, let us get started.

What Is UPF?

Of course, before moving any forward, we have to make sure that you understand what UPF really is. So, to cut right to the chase, this is a term coined to describe those industrially manufactured products that have been far, far removed from their original ingredients. They are made for convenience, they often have a long shelf life, and they also have a strong flavor appeal, which is pretty much what is attracting people to them.

Here’s more on them: https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/blog/ultra-processed-foods-what-are-they-and-which-ones-should-i-avoid

So, they taste amazing. But, they often contain a lot of unhealthy fat, a lot of salt and unhealthy sugars, refined starches, as well as plenty of artificial additives, such as emulsifiers, colorings and similar. Clearly, thus, you can already understand how unhealthy these foods can be, and why it is that we should consume them in moderation, instead of creating a diet that is made up entirely of them. These foods often include frozen ready meals, instant meals, processed meats such as hot dogs or sausages, chips, candy, pastries, sodas, as well as sugary cereals and snack bars.

So, Should You Combine It With SSRIs?

Okay, you get how unhealthy these foods can be in general. But, you may still not be sure what that has to do with your SSRI medications, and whether you should, thus, consume these types of products while taking the drugs? Well, that is the most important question here, and we are now going to do our best to answer it for you.

Basically, what you should know is that UPF can negatively affect the way SSRIs work, or the way you actually respond to them. These medications work by preventing the re-uptake of serotonin, thus ensuring that you’re getting plenty of this neurotransmitter, which then works towards improving your mood, and helping you deal with certain symptoms. Yet, as much as 95% of serotonin is produced in the gut, while UPF can disrupt the gut microbiome, and thus lead to a lower production of serotonin in general, ultimately making the drugs not that effective. Read more about the link of diet and mental health in general.

What Should You Do?

Apart from the above, UPF can deprive you of the important nutrients that your brain needs, which is another way in which it can negatively affect the work of SSRIs. Anyway, what it is that you should do about it, then, as a patient? Well, the idea is for you to create a balanced diet plan that will contain all the necessary nutrients that your body and your brain need, and thus consequently reduce the intake of UPF, all of which will help the SSRIs work properly.