When you're depressed, you may not have the energy to eat. Or you may reach for the junk food to ease your suffering. Give yourself a couple of mental health days, if you need to. But then seek ways you can pull yourself out of your depression and live a full and engaged life. All evidence points to healthy food as an important way to support your mental health.
Eat Your Veggies
Putting a rainbow of vegetables on your plate is one of the best ways to improve your health, both physical and mental. Veggies provide a variety of nutrients that nourish the brain: unrefined carbohydrates for steady energy, anti-oxidants to repair the effects of day-to-day stress, vitamins crucial for healthy brain function and minerals that affect mood. Leafy green vegetables like spinach, chard and collard greens are especially important. They are a rich source of folic acid, a B vitamin that plays a key role in mood that increases the effectiveness of anti-depressant medications. Fresh fruits and vegetables, especially the most colorful varieties, are high in anti-oxidants, which may help alleviate depression.
Healthy Fats
Nuts are abundant in omega-3 fats, which your brain needs to function properly. Increasing intake of omega-3s decreases symptoms of depression. Walnuts, ground flax seeds and pumpkin seeds provide the highest amounts of omega-3s, but pecans, hazelnuts, pistachios, almonds and sunflower seeds are other delicious sources. Olive and canola oils are omega-3-rich choices for cooking.
Omega-3 fats are also abundant in seafood. Dr. Joseph Hibbeln of the National Institutes of Health says those who eat more fish have a lower incidence of depression, particularly postpartum depression. The best choices for omega-3s are cold-water fish like salmon, sardines and albacore tuna.
Quality Carbs
Carbohydrates are crucial for brain function, but all carbs are not created equal. SUNY-Stony Brook's Dr. Gerdi Weidner found in a family heart study done in 1992 at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute that changing to a low-fat diet based on unprocessed carbohydrates like whole grains, beans, fresh fruits and vegetables eased depression. Dr. Andrew Smith, a nutritional neuroscience researcher at Cardiff University in Wales, found that eating a grain-based breakfast resulted in improved mood.
Meat & Milk
Meat, fish and eggs supply nutrients including vitamin B12 and iron that that can boost mood. Several studies have shown that a vitamin D supplement helps to alleviate depression. Among them is a randomized study by Dr. Rolf Jorde of the University Hospital of North Norway. Food sources of vitamin D include salmon, shrimp, milk, nondairy milks and eggs.
Some Things to Avoid
Lack of energy is a hallmark of depression, so a latte may seem like just the pick-me-up you need. But caffeine can increase both anxiety and depression. According to Dr. David Mrazek, a Mayo Clinic psychiatrist, alcohol also tends to worsen depression, so it's wise to limit consumption.
What's on Your Plate
Eating to ease depression doesn't need to be complicated. It's more or less the same dietary advice given over and over: Limit junk food, choose healthy fats, and eat your veggies.
References
- 1-"Medical Journal of Australia"; Effectiveness of complementary and self-help treatments for depression; Anthony F. Jorm et al.; May 2002.
- 2-"Biological Psychiatry"; Nutrition and Depression: Implications for Improving Mental Health Amond Childbearing-Aged Women; Lisa M. Bodnar and Katherine L. Wisner; November 2005.
- 3-"Lipids in Health and Disease"; Omega-3 fatty acids and major depression: A primer for the mental health professional; Alan C. Logan; November 2004.
- 4-"European Neuropsychopharmacology"; A double-blind dose-finding pilot study of docosahexanoic acid (DHA) for major depressive disorder; D. Mischoulon et al; September 2008.
- 5-"Journal of Affective Disorders"; Depressed mood and dietary fish intake: Direct relationship or indirect relationship as a result of diet and lifestyle?; K.M. Appleton et al.; December 2007.
- 6-"Journal of Affective Disorders"; Seafood consumption, the DHA content of mothers' milk and prevalence rates of postpartum depression: a cross-national, ecological analysis; Joseph R. Hibbeln; May 2002.
