Categories Of Foods That May Cause Depression
Which foods might cause depression? As nutritionists and neurologists study diet and depression, patterns have emerged. There are distinct foods types that are connected to depression and depression symptoms. When shaping your diet for depression, these are foods to avoid:
- Saturated and trans fats
- Simple carbohydrates
- Heavily processed foods
Sugary foods, in particular, are especially bad for depression, contributing to its onset, worsening the symptoms, and prolonging someones struggle with it. Carbohydrates, both complex and simple, increase serotonin levels. Thats a very good thing for depression because depression involves serotonin levels that are too low. This is why complex carbs like whole grains are good for depression .
Simple carbohydrates like refined sugars top the list of foods that are bad for depression. Foods like sweets and processed cereals do cause serotonin levels to spike. However, these simple sugars lack substance and nutrients, so they burn up quicklytoo quickly to cause lasting benefits of the short-lived serotonin increase. The brain and body experience an abrupt crash, leaving you tired and feeling down. Your symptoms of depression can feel worse following a sugary snack. The more sugary foods you eat , the more your blood sugar yo-yos, and the brain suffers.
You can probably make no single change to your diet that will be as good for your health and well-being as cutting down on sugar. Scott C. Anderson, The Psychobiotic Revolution
Tomatoes: Packed With Depression Fighters
I try to eat at least six baby tomatoes in my salad each day for lunch because tomatoes contain lots of folic acid and alpha-lipoic acid, both of which are good for fighting depression. According to research published in the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, many studies show an elevated incidence of folate deficiency in patients with depression. In most of the studies, about one-third of depression patients were deficient in folate.
Folic acid can prevent an excess of homocysteine which restricts the production of important neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine from forming in the body. Alpha-lipoic acid keeps coming up as I read more about nutrition and the brain, so I have begun to take it as a supplement, as well. It helps the body convert glucose into energy, and therefore stabilizes mood.
Foods That Help With Depression
Whatever your dietary preferences, there are a variety of options that can provide mood-boosting benefits. This isn’t to say that you need to overhaul your eating habits and only consume these foods, but being conscious of which foods impact your mood can help you better manage symptoms of depression.
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I Am Gaining/losing Too Much Weight What Should I Do
Changes to your body can sometimes affect your mental health. Start by asking your doctor to review any medicines you are taking. Some can affect your appetite and a change may help you to manage your weight.
If you have unplanned weight loss, you may be at risk for malnutrition and you should ask to see a dietitian for further advice.
You can learn more about weight loss in our Weight Loss Food Fact Sheet.
When To Seek Help
If you have depression, you may find that a change to your diet can help relieve or improve symptoms to some extent. However, results vary from person to person, and switching up your diet is not usually a substitute for traditional treatment methods. If you find diet swaps make little difference or you experience persistent and moderate to severe depression, you will likely need additional help. Dont be afraid to speak with your doctor about devising a treatment plan that may involve medication and therapy.
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Why Certain Foods Are Mood
- Some enzymes found in food can boost serotonin levels.
- Sugar is associated with depression and anxiety.
- Emerging science shows gut health plays a role in anxiety.
- Eating healthy foods is a great way to practice self-care, important in CBT.
- Taking active steps to eat a nutritious diet can increase motivation.
Caffeine And Sugary Foods
Caffeine may be difficult for many people to completely eliminate from their diet. However, it is good to only have caffeinated drinks in moderation, particularly when you are experiencing depression-like symptoms. Caffeine can disrupt sleep patterns and make you feel anxious, both of which wont help your depression. People who drink more than 400 milligrams of caffeine a day, the equivalent of four cups of brewed coffee, should consider cutting back.
Avoiding refined sugar is another way to help your mood. Sugar may make you feel more energized at first, but it wont take long for you to crash. Instead, stick with foods that will keep your blood sugar at an even level. Eating the following foods will give you a steady level of energy:
- complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains
- fruits and vegetables
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Other Foods That May Help With Anxiety
While some of the foods listed below have not been studied specifically for their anti-anxiety effects, theyre rich in nutrients thought to improve related symptoms.
- Turkey, bananas, and oats: These are good sources of the amino acid tryptophan, which is converted to serotonin in the body and may promote relaxation and anxiety relief (
Berries: Full Of Cell
Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries are some of the highest antioxidant foods available to us. I try to have a variety for breakfast in the morning. In a study published in the Journal of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, patients were treated for two years with antioxidants or placebos. After two years those who were treated with antioxidants had a significantly lower depression score. Antioxidants are like DNA repairmen. They go around fixing your cells and preventing them from getting cancer and other illnesses.
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Foods That Can Help Relieve Depression
Your brain needs certain nutrients to produce the chemicals used to regulate your emotions, Mosconi says. Some of these helpful foods and nutrients include:
Small, oily fish : These fish are all high in omega-3 fatty acids, a type of fat that has been shown to reduce the severity of depression symptoms by reducing inflammation.
Turkey: Eating turkey provides you with tryptophan, an amino acid that your body uses to produce serotonin.
Cacao: Certain compounds like flavanols and procyanidins, which are present in cacao in dark chocolate, can reduce inflammation in the body.
Probiotic foods: More research is needed to understand exactly how probiotics work and the different ailments they can treat. But what researchers have found is that probiotic-containing foods like yogurt and sauerkraut contain live bacteria that are helpful for balancing out your gut bacteria. That’s important when it comes to depression because these bacteria can produce chemicals that regulate your mood, such as serotonin and gamma-Aminobutyric acid .
Fruits and vegetables: Eating foods like fruits and vegetables can be one of the most powerful ways to fight inflammation because they contain antioxidants, compounds that help protect your cells from the damage caused by inflammation. Here are some foods rich in antioxidants:
- Walnuts and pecans
Choose More Wholegrains And Fruit And Vegetables
Wholegrain cereals, peas, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables are rich in a range of vitamins and minerals that your body needs to function well. They also digest slowly, helping to provide a slow and steady glucose supply to your brain and body.
These foods are also rich in B vitamins and zinc. Recent evidence suggests that these nutrients are important in managing depression. Try to eat at least five different fruits and vegetables daily to get a range of different vitamins and minerals.
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Alcohol And Illegal Drugs
When youre feeling depressed, it can be easy to turn to alcohol or other methods of self-medication. You may feel short-term relief, but these substances usually only make things worse. Alcohol and drugs throw off your sleep cycles, and cause mood swings and anxiety. If youre taking any prescription medications, alcohol and drugs can make you experience negative side effects, and they can even stop your medications from working.
Talk to your doctor if youre having trouble abstaining from drugs or alcohol. They can recommend you to programs that can help you get sober.
Research Show That Certain Foods May Have Antidepressant Effects
Good nutrition is associated with improved mood. The relationship between diet and risk of developing depressed mood is probably multi-factorial. Research supports that deficiencies of select nutrients are associated with increased risk of depressed mood, including certain B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, zinc, and magnesium.
Foods rich in B-vitamins, especially folate, pyridoxine , and methyl-cobalamin may be especially effective against depressed mood. Foods rich in B-vitamins include whole grains and dark green leafy vegetables. The B vitamins are enzyme co-factors that facilitate the synthesis of neurotransmitters implicated in mood regulation such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.
Nutrients enhance mood through a variety of mechanisms.
Some nutrients such as zinc, magnesium and omega-3 fatty acids may promote increased the synthesis of brain-derived neurotropic factor which enhances neuroplasticity, resulting in greater resilience of the brain in the face of stress, which may lead to a reduced risk of depressed mood. Omega-3s and some B vitamins are known to have important anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective roles, which may also contribute to their antidepressant benefits.
The Mediterranean diet and other traditional diets are associated with reduced risk of depressed mood.
Seafood and cruciferous vegetables have the highest ‘antidepressant food scores.’
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Mushrooms: Helpful Tools To Lower Blood Sugar
Here are two good reasons why mushrooms are good for your mental health. First, their chemical properties oppose insulin, which helps lower blood sugar levels, evening out your mood. They also are like a probiotic in that they promote healthy gut bacteria. And since the nerve cells in our gut manufacture 80 to 90 percent of our bodys serotonin the critical neurotransmitter that keeps us sane we cant afford to not pay attention to our intestinal health.
When To See A Doctor For Anxiety
When a person is experiencing anxiety and stress, it is always best for them to seek out a specialist, such as a psychologist.
Sometimes, a doctor or mental health professional may recommend talk therapy such as CBT to manage anxiety and stress. Doctors or psychiatrists may prescribe medications such as serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors , selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors , or benzodiazepines.
People should follow a doctorâs instructions when using these drugs, as they can have severe and possibly life threatening adverse effects.
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Foods That Cause Depression: Worst Foods For Depression
Do some foods cause depression? Evidence shows a strong link between diet and depression, and it points to the worst foods for depression. Researchers are studying how food affects the brain, mental health, and specific conditions like depression. Could there be a link between diet and depression? Are there actually foods that help depression or worsen it? The findings are astounding, if not surprising. What we put into our body has a direct and profound effect on the brain, mental illness, and mental health.
Food varies widely in quality, ingredients, and nutrition. The stuff we eat is what powers the brain and helps it work for our mental health and wellbeing. It cant function properly if the food we put into our system is neutral at best, harmful at worst.
Depression is complex and has multiple possible causes: neurochemical imbalances, genetics, lifestyle, and diet are all contributing factors. Diet also plays an important part in the severity of depression symptoms as well as the duration of the illness. With this in mind, lets take a look at foods that cause depression .
Try A Mediterranean Diet For B Vitamins
A Spanish study found that rates of depression tended to rise in men — especially smokers — as they got less folate. The same thing happened for women — especially those who smoked or didn’t exercise — but when they got less vitamin B12.
This wasn’t the first study to find a link between these vitamins and depression. Researchers aren’t sure which way the influence goes: do poor nutrient levels lead to depression, or does depression lead people to eat poorly?
In either case, you can get both of these B vitamins from foods in a Mediterranean diet. Legumes, nuts, many fruits, and dark green vegetables have folate. Vitamin B12 can be found in all lean and low-fat animal products, such as fish and low-fat dairy products.
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The Science Behind Food And Mood
The link between diet and emotions stems from the close relationship between your brain and your gastrointestinal tract, often called the second brain.
Heres how it works: Your GI tract is home to billions of bacteria that influence the production chemical substances that constantly carry messages from the gut to the brain. Two common examples of this are dopamine and serotonin.
Eating nutritionally dense food promotes the growth of good bacteria, which in turn positively affects the production of these chemicals. When production is optimal, your brain receives these positive messages loud and clear, and your mental state can reflect it. On the other hand, when production goes awry, so might your mood.
Sugar, in particular, is considered a major culprit of inflammation. It feeds bad bacteria in the GI tract. Ironically, it can also cause a temporary spike in feel good chemicals like dopamine. “You dont want that either, says Dr. Fernandez-Turner. These spikes result in a fleeting sugar rush, followed by a hard crash.
When you stick to a diet of nutrient-rich foods, youre setting yourself up for fewer mood swings and an improved ability to focus. Studies have even found that clean diets consisting of mainly whole, unprocessed foods, can help with symptoms of depression and anxiety. Whereas or stroke.
Examples Of The Worst Foods For Depression
Youve seen the categories of foods that may cause depression or worsen the symptoms. For a convenient go-to reference list, heres a list of some of the worst foods for depression.
- Processed meats
- Anything made with white flour
- Crackers and other snack food made with partially hydrogenated oils
- Regular ketchup
Unfortunately, when creating a diet containing foods that fight depression, the foods to avoid are the ones that are delicious and many of us are accustomed to eating. When you think about the bigger picture, it might become easier to avoid these foods that are harming brain and body and causing or worsening depression. When you replace them with healthier choices, you are also on your way to replacing depression with energy, motivation, positive emotions, and general mental health and wellbeing. Youre not just avoiding foods youre creating a depression-free life.
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Eating Well For Mental Health
Consuming fewer processed foods can lead to better brain and emotional health.
From a young age, were taught that eating well helps us look and feel our physical best. What were not always told is that good nutrition significantly affects our mental health, too. A healthy, well-balanced diet can help us think clearly and feel more alert. It can also improve concentration and attention span.
Conversely, an inadequate diet can lead to fatigue, impaired decision-making, and can slow down reaction time. In fact, a poor diet can actually aggravate, and may even lead to, stress and depression.
One of the biggest health impairments is societys reliance on processed foods. These foods are high in flours and sugar and train the brain to crave more of them, rather than nutrient-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables.
A lot of the processed foods we eat are highly addictive and stimulate the dopamine centers in our brain, which are associated with pleasure and reward. In order to stop craving unhealthy foods, youve got to stop eating those foods. You actually start to change the physiology in the brain when you pull added sugars and refined carbohydrates from your diet.
Seeds: Small But Mighty Sources Of Omega
When Im close to reaching for potato chips or any kind of comfort food, I allow myself a few handfuls of sunflower seeds or any other kind of seed I can find in our kitchen. Seeds are the last food on Fuhrmans G-BOMBS list.
Flaxseeds, hemp seeds, and chia seeds are especially good for your mood because they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Fuhrman writes, Not only do seeds add their own spectrum of unique disease-fighting substances to the dietary landscape, but the fat in seeds increases the absorption of protective nutrients in vegetables eaten at the same meal.
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Bonus Item: St Johns Wort Tea
While this is a drink rather than a type of food, St. Johns wort is too important to skip. The herb is often promoted as a natural way to treat depression, with many people using St. Johns wort supplements instead of prescription medication.
St. Johns wort can also be found in a tea form. This can be less concentrated than the supplements, offering a less intense way to treat some symptoms of depression.
Research into St. Johns wort has been mixed. Some studies have found that the herb helps with depressive symptoms, while others didnt find an effect at all. Still, theres no shortage of positive anecdotal reports, suggesting that the St. Johns wort can help some people.
Be sure to talk to your doctor before trying the tea. St. Johns wort has a surprising number of interactions with other medications and can come with side effects. Pay attention to how your body reacts to make sure that the tea is helping you rather than making things worse.