Much like the body, the brain requires a certain amount of nutrition to maintain adequate mental health. The way we eat can severely affect the way our brain develops and operates, whether that is in a good or bad way. Everything we ingest affects the brain one way or the other, and many people are not utilizing their full cognitive capacity because they are not feeding their brains right. Many ailments of the mind can be helped with a healthy diet. Healthy dieting has been linked to reduced amounts of anxiety and depression in a large number of individuals. Eating habits that are centered on a well balanced diet can even prevent triggers for mental illness and psychotic episodes. Foods from all the major food groups affect the mind in different ways, so it is in our best interests to indulge in the proper mixture of all the food groups, and avoid unhealthy, sugary junk foods that not only are unhealthy for the body, but the mind as well.