A Good Diet — Not Losing Weight — Will Make You Happier

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You may already know deep, deep down that crash diets just don’t work, but we all still seem to have a fixation on dropping pounds to achieve happiness — to be our perfect selves. Gaining happiness losing weight isn’t nearly as sustainable as the happiness you feel when you maintain a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.

The best part: you’ll shed pounds anyway.

In a Cambridge food-mood study, a clear relationship emerges between diet and depression (do you feel like your best self after you’ve dug into a 10-piece nugget meal at McDonalds’?), and data was put to the test.

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In a world-first trial , participants followed a 12-week dietary program for depression treatment. The participants, who were mostly overweight, didn’t see significant loss in pounds by the end of the trial, but diet improvements helped alleviate depression symptoms in most of them. One third of the participants experienced remission from their depressive disorders. All participants were on track for gradual weight loss.

The evidence is clear: cutting out the foods we don’t need and upping servings of whole foods will make you happier, healthier and more likely to lose weight the right way — slowly but steadily.

More importantly, you’ll have control over your body and your mind, and that is priceless.