AVOID DEPRESSION: FOOD AFFECTS YOUR MOOD

Much is written about the negative effects of a poor diet on your health, but what about the havoc it can wreak on your mind?  Over the past decade, mums have been frantically force feeding their children fish oils as Omega 3 is related to mood and concentration.  Ironically, I’ve seen them washed down with soft drinks and snacks laden with sugars (artificial or otherwise), food colourings, preservatives and any amount of E numbers you care to mention.  What about depression two weeks into a diet?  

Avoid depression with a healthy, balanced diet

Food is our fuel: it’s what makes us function both physically and mentally.  Putting poor quality fuel in your body is like putting low grade petrol in your car.  A healthy, balanced diet leads to a healthy body and a balanced mind, but you must also avoid foods that will deplete your body of healthy nutrients.  You could take supplements but they won’t work if you then eat a load of food that will destroy them. 

Nutrients have the ability to alter the production or release of neurotransmitters which carry information to the brain, such as happiness, anxiety, pain, etc, so it stands to reason that if you include the correct nutrients in your diet, you will be happy, calm and alert. 

Mood Boosting Tips 

• Protein:  (Fish (especially oily fish), lean meat, pulses and tofu) Aids the release of an amino acid called tyrosine which produces neurotransmitters responsible for energy and alertness.
• Carbhydrates:  (Whole grain bread, rice, pasta and fruit, vegetables, cereals) Contributes to the production of serotonin, responsible for producing a sense of wellbeing and calm, reduction in pain and decrease in appetite.  So beware those of you on a popular low carb diet: not only is it linked to depression, but it may also interfere with your appetite.
• Caffeine:  Just a cup a day can help relieve depression.
• Eat regularly:  Three balanced, portion controlled meals a day is an ideal plan for stabilising the blood sugar levels, with possibly a small, healthy snack mid morning and mid afternoon, eg, a piece of fruit with a few nuts.
• B vitamins:  Essential for a healthy nervous system http://vitalflow.tv/2009/09/vitamins-an-overview/
• Folate or folic acid:  People suffering from depression often have low levels, so increase them by eating whole grain bread, dark leafy vegetables and liver.
• Chocolate:  This sounds too good to be true, but chocolate stimulates the production of serotonin and endorphins!
• Exercise:  Another way of increasing the level of endorphins in the body is through exercise.

Stay happy, alert, calm and stress-free with a healthy, balanced diet. There are no miracles: you don't need them!

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