“Women who mostly ate junk and processed foods were more likely to have depression and exhibit increased psychological symptoms.”

So says  Dr Felice Jacka of Deakin University.  She  ran a research the study that tested more than 1000 women from a cross-section of Australian society, finding that those women who followed the national dietary guidelines were less likely to suffer from depression or anxiety.  No surprise – if you don’t get the basic nutrients you need to keep your body functioning properly, how can you expect your brain or your emotions to stay in balance.

The relationship between diet and mental health was strong, even stronger than the relationship between diet and

• socio-economic status
• obesity
• illness
• education
• whether they smoked or not

The World Health Organization has identified 2020 as the year when depression is likely to become the second biggest cause of disability – after cardio-vascular disease.  In addition to all the other benefits of good nutrition, preventing an increase in depression has just been added to the list.  Why not take a few moments today at lest to review the basic health guidelines offered up by the government.  They are not very detailed, but following them is way, way better than not following them.

More from Deakin University

I bet you never knew that by using sauce, you were creating an environmental danger.

I read this interesting article on how to save the planet by eating leftovers. Less waste, less pollution – you can guess how it goes.

So I wanted to offer a couple more ways that diet can help you save the planet.  First, stop eating meals with sauce.  Think about it.  As soon as you use sauce, you need a plate to hold the mess…er, I mean the sauce.  And you need forks and knives because sauce is, well, let’s just say it – sauce is messy.  If you ate the same meat and rice and veggies in a pita, in a fajita, on crackers or on bread, you could save the energy and water used to wash the dishes.

Imagine if just once a day, you could eat a meal with no fork, knife or plate.  That means 365 plates less to wash this year.  365 fewer forks to wash.  365 fewer knives to wash.

There are some added benefits, too.  For instance…

• Lower costs from running the hot water and the dishwasher less frequently.
• Less time spent washing dishes (Yay!!!).  Yes, if you hate washing dishes, this can make you twice as happy.
• Better health because, let’s face it, sauces rarely contain any real nutrition.  At best they are empty calories.
• And if you are prone to clumsiness, fewer stains on your nice clothing…which can save you money at the clothing stores, too.

And think of the personality benefits, too.  People will stop calling you saucy behind your back.  OK, I made that one up.

READ ALSO: Get a $1000 Raise With Your Personal Fast Food Outlet

There are downsides, especially if you love dishes that include a lot of sauce.  I never said that this was a black and white world.  Maybe you can use sauce just a little less frequently and you’ll be ahead in several ways (and still enjoy your Thai and Indian dishes).

So hold the sauce for the planet, for your wallet, for your health, for your good looks and out of pure laziness.

Diets do vary in different parts of the world, but the pyramids of food are universal. Right?

The pyramids of food are only slightly less famous than the Great Pyramids of Egypt. These modern pyramids are not built from rocks and sand, but rather from scientific knowledge about what is good for the human body. Still, science, it seems, varies from location to location.

Below are a number of food pyramids from various locations, although many of them no longer use the pyramid structure.

Canadian food pyramid

Get more information on Canada’s Food Guide.

UK food pyramid (the “Eat Well Plate”)

Irish food pyramid

Indian food pyramid

Image credit www.medindia.net

Okinawa (Japan) food pyramid

Okinawa is the area of Japan famous for living long, healthy lives. (image credit www.okinawa-diet.com)

Estonian food pyramid

Czech food pyramid

Hungarian food pyramid (the Hungarian House)

Austrian food pyramid

Latvian food pyramid

Spanish food pyramid

Belgian food pyramid

Swiss food pyramid

The basics are universal.

You will notice some commonalities across all these diagrams (aside from the “pyramid” analogy still used ion a couple of them). Grains are always at the base. Not ideal for a low-carb diet, but whole grains are the foundation of each of these regimes.

READ ALSO: What are the world’s healthiest foods?

In some cases, water is placed before grains, and in some cases physical activity is, too. As important as hydration and fitness are to your health (so are sleep and sanitation, by the way), there are not directly part of the nutrition.

And in each case, vegetables and fruits come in close behind the grains. between these two categories, however each system divides them up, you have the majority of the food you should be eating.

At the top of the pyramid, there are some differences. The Canadian and western European pyramids place a great deal of value on dairy products, a nod to a very strong dairy industry lobby. In fact, there really is no logical reason for these to be a separate food group.

Don’t get me wrong – I am a big fan of getting protein from milk. But that is already covered in the protein food group.

READ ALSO: The cheapest ways of getting your protein

And in the dark Canadian winters, the vitamin D added to milk is pretty important. But we don’t give vitamin A foods their own group.

And the calcium in milk is also important. But we don’t give foods high in iron their own food group.

The Indian food pyramid includes milk with proteins – but then it divides proteins in three. Go figure!

If you roughly follow any one of these plans, you will be doing fairly well. Don’t sweat the details. Get the proportions right, eat lots of variety and serve food as close to its natural state as possible…and you’ll be way ahead of most people I know.

(Photo credit for most of the European diagrams: www.eufic.org)