7 Healthy Foods for People With Bipolar Disorder
Mental Health ConditionsBipolar Disorder

7 Nutrient-Packed Foods for People With Bipolar Disorder

7 Nutrient-Packed Foods for People With Bipolar Disorder
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Updated on August 4, 2026
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Someone with bipolar disorder — formerly known as manic depression — typically experiences extreme shifts in their mood and energy levels. These shifts alternate between periods of feeling extremely upbeat, elated, or energized (aka mania or hypomania) and feeling deeply sad and hopeless (aka depression).

Treatments such as medication and psychotherapy can help manage the symptoms of this mental health condition. Certain lifestyle strategies, such as eating nutrient-rich foods, can help people with the condition stay well too.

Here, find out why what you eat matters when you have bipolar disorder, and which foods you might try to incorporate into your diet.

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Why Diet Is Important When You Have Bipolar Disorder

Of course, a healthy diet is not a substitute for standard treatments. However, it’s still important for people with bipolar disorder, because they have higher rates of unhealthy lifestyles and a higher risk of co-occurring health issues, compared with the general population.

Research has shown that diet may be involved in the development of depression and anxiety. That led the authors of one research review to theorize that nutrition is a potential strategy for supplemental treatment of bipolar disorder. Their review found that certain nutrients, like unsaturated fatty acids, mostly omega-3s, are connected to improved bipolar symptoms, as are seafood, folic acid, and zinc.

Another reason nutrition is important is because obesity is prevalent among people with bipolar disorder, according to research. In turn, this puts people with both conditions at a higher risk of potentially life-shortening health conditions like diabetes, as well as cardiovascular diseases like high blood pressure, and heart disease.

This is in part because the medications used to treat bipolar disorder can make it difficult for people to feel full and satisfied after eating, and they may eat more as a result, says Melvin McInnis, MD, who is the Thomas B. and Nancy Upjohn Woodworth Professor of Bipolar Disorder and Depression at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

“Choosing foods such as whole grains, produce, and fish can mean that when people with bipolar disorder eat extra helpings, they are eating healthier foods,” Dr. McInnis says.

If you have bipolar disorder, filling your plate with these nutritious foods can help you maintain or achieve a healthy weight, while delivering additional mood and overall health benefits:

Foods to Eat More of When You Have Bipolar Disorder

1. Whole Grains

Whole grains are thought to help increase the production of serotonin, a brain chemical that helps regulate mood and behavior, says April Hackert, RDN, a psychiatric culinary medicine dietitian who specializes in nutrition therapy for people with mental health conditions, based in Iron Mountain, Michigan.

Whole grains also are rich in fiber, which helps control your weight. This is especially true if you eat foods high in soluble fiber — a type found in whole grains (along with insoluble, or indigestible, fiber), including oats, barley, wheat, and rye. That’s because soluble fiber dissolves in water and forms a gel-like substance in the stomach that slows digestion and keeps you feeling fuller longer after eating.

In addition, both types of fiber help reduce your absorption of fat and cholesterol, improve your gut health, keep you regular, and may reduce your risk of heart disease.

If you haven’t included many whole grains in your diet, add them in gradually. Suddenly increasing your intake can trigger bloating and cramping.

A good place to start is with oats, whether in oatmeal, granola, muffins, or pancakes. “They can be easier on the stomach for people who aren’t used to the fiber of whole grains in their diet,” says Hackert.

2. Mangoes

It’s hard to beat the sweetness — and the nutritional profile — of a mango, making it an excellent food for people with bipolar disorder. According to Hackert, mangoes are especially rich in folate, which may help stabilize mood.

They also contain:

  • Fiber, which, as already noted, has many health benefits
  • Potassium, which Hackert says may help with side effects from bipolar 1 medications

3. Citrus Fruits

Lemons, oranges, and other citrus fruits contain folate (aka folic acid or vitamin B9), a nutrient that plays a key role in the development of neurotransmitters, chemical messengers that have a direct impact on thoughts, memory, and feelings.

Although researchers don’t know exactly why, people with bipolar often have lower than normal levels of folate in their systems, according to research.

Citrus fruits are also rich in vitamin C — another vital nutrient with many important functions, including having a positive impact on mood.

Snacking on citrus fruits, or simply adding lemon and lime to other foods you eat, is a great way to help keep up your levels of folate and vitamin C, Hackert says. However, check with your doctor before consuming grapefruit or grapefruit juice, since it can interact with certain medications for bipolar disorder.

4. Fish and Seafood

Many types of seafood — including salmon, tuna, cod, sardines, herring, and Atlantic mackerel — are loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, including eicosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid. These nutrients may help with brain signaling and also decrease oxidative stress, a type of damage from unstable molecules called reactive oxygen species that can harm the brain, says Hackert.

While the link between omega-3 levels and people with bipolar disorder isn’t completely understood, having low levels of the nutrient is seen as a risk factor for developing bipolar disorder in the first place.

What’s more, a study linked a diet high in omega-3s and low in omega-6s (found in sunflower, safflower, soy, sesame, and corn oils) with fewer shifts in mood, energy, irritability, and pain.

 And other research on omega-3s indicates that they may be beneficial for symptoms of bipolar disorder, though larger randomized controlled trials done over the long term are needed to test their potential.

5. Nuts and Seeds

Several types of nuts and seeds — including walnuts, Brazil nuts, and sunflower seeds — contain the brain-friendly nutrients folate and selenium.

 Research has found that selenium supplementation significantly reduced depressive symptoms in people with unipolar depression.

Selenium is important to get from your diet in small amounts, because it helps your body produce antioxidant enzymes that protect cells from damage. Preliminary studies suggest that selenium may help prevent certain cancers or protect the body from the toxic effects of heavy metals and other dangerous substances, though more research is needed.

Portability is a key benefit of nuts and seeds, since it is easy to carry around a handful in a purse or pocket to eat as a snack, she says. Nuts and seeds (including spreads like almond butter or tahini) have the added benefit of containing fiber.

6. Root Vegetables

Many root vegetables, including beets, carrots, and sweet potatoes deliver a host of nutrients, including:

  • Vitamin C
  • Potassium
  • Fiber
  • Niacin (aka vitamin B3)
According to Hackert, the nutrients found in many root vegetables are especially good at improving blood flow to the brain. This could be helpful, as research suggests that increasing circulation to the brain may help improve depressed mood in people with bipolar disorder.

7. Avocados

Although avocados are not low-calorie, they’re packed with fiber and healthy, unsaturated fats, a combination that can make digestion slower and prevent blood sugar from rising too fast. They also provide niacin and omega-3 fatty acids, nutrients that help the brain function at its best, says Shebani Sethi, MD, a clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine in California.

Avocado can be easily sliced and added to salads or sandwiches made with whole-grain bread. On the run? Consider snacking on guacamole in single-serving packages, which can be found in the supermarket’s refrigerated section, paired with a single-serving package of whole-grain crackers, says Hackert.

Resources We Trust

EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
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