Depression And Nutrition
Depression and nutrition are inextricably linked. If you want less of depression, you need more of good nutrition. Less good nutrition, and you’ll have more depression. You must understand how depression and nutrition work together if you want to relieve your depression symptoms.
Depression, whether its cause is emotional or physical, whether it’s clinical depression or manic depression, is powerfully affected by what you consume. Your food and your vitamin and mineral supplements, or lack thereof, can be the difference between suffering extreme depression symptoms and relieving depression symptoms all together.
I have firsthand experience of how much depression and nutrition work together. I have experimented with several different ways of eating and several different types of vitamin supplements and mineral supplements, and I’ve found that the better you eat and the more nutrition you provide your body, the better you feel.
Unfortunately, the depression and nutrition link is a catch-22. When you eat better, you feel less depression. But when you experience depression, whether clinical depression or manic depression, you tend to eat worse.
When I suffer from depression, tend to crave sweets. I skip meals at times and then eat too much at other times. I’m too down to cook so I rely on processed foods that are high in carbohydrates. Of course, all these foods make my depression worse.
In the short run, sugar and carbs give me a little lift. Scientists think this is because carbs and sugar provide a temporary lift in serotonin levels. Unfortunately, the lift is very temporary. Once it’s gone, I find myself wanting more sugar and more carbs. Eating all this junk depletes my energy and makes me feel worse.
When I get my diet under control and focus on eating complex carbohydrates like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes, I feel much, much better. When I get rid of the processed junk, I get rid of the toxins that are in the preservatives, and that helps my mood too.
On the vitamin front, B vitamins have been shown to play a positive role in establishing the right levels of serotonin in the brain. When I take a supplement that includes B complex vitamins, I feel much better. Minerals like calcium, iron, selenium, zinc, and magnesium, have helped me too. So have amino acids and essential fatty acids.
Basically, if depression and nutrition guidelines are simple: eat a healthy, whole foods diet with lots of variety. Avoid sugar and processed carbs. Make sure you’re taking a vitamin and mineral supplement.
Major Depression Proper Nutrition Requires Help
Major depression often prevents people from eating the kind of diet that will help them get well. It’s tough to even think about shopping for whole foods much less preparing them.
If you have a friend or family member who is willing to help, ask them to buy you fruits, vegetables, canned beans, whole grain breads, brown rice, and whole grain pasta. Get jars of organic spaghetti sauce and natural salad dressings and organic bagged salads. If your friend is willing to cook for you, ask them to prepare some healthy meals. If not, stick to salads and healthy soups that are easy to throw together.
Getting good nutrition when you’re suffering a major depression is challenging, but it’s worth it. You’ll get past your depression much faster when you recognize and act on the link between depression and nutrition.