Foods for depression? Yes, there are foods that can help you with depression. Foods play an important role in our life, and frankly, foods can affect our mood. But there is one thing we need to watch out for, emotional eating. If it gets the better of us, emotional eating can have negative effect on our health.
Food can affect us, positively and negatively. Did you think eating junk foods help you when you feel sad? You were fooling yourself. Junk foods do not have any nutritional value to help you cope with your emotions. Truth of the matter, your brain needs vitamins and minerals when you are on the verge of depression. Since your emotions are wired to your brain, the presence or lack of specific nutrients can help prevent depression or trigger it.
Marjorie Nolan Cohn, author of “The Belly Fat Fix and Overcoming Binge Eating For Dummies” and national spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, said, “An overall healthy and balanced diet that provides the body with all the essential nutrients can help when someone is depressed.”
Here are four foods for depression you should remember
Turkey
Wonder why turkey is an important menu during Thanksgiving? Turkey is a feel-good food, and there is a reason why. This Thanksgiving bird is rich with tryptophan, a protein building-block that helps your body produce the serotonin, the feel-good hormone. According to WebMD, some anti-depressant drugs try to mimic how the brain uses serotonin to boost mood. But hey, you can get the same effect when you eat turkey. Other foods that give the same mood-boosting effect are chicken and soybeans.
Brazil Nuts
Did you know that free radicals can damage your brain? Good thing you can prevent this by having selenium on your diet. Selenium, what? Selenium is an active nutrient found in Brazil nuts. One study showed that low selenium level among young people showed signed of depression. Can’t find Brazil nuts? You can eat brown rice, lean beef and sunflower seeds.
Carrots
Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which can lower levels of depression. Beta-carotene is also present in pumpkin, spinach, sweet potatoes and cantaloupe.
Seafood
Seafood like clams and mussels are good source of B-12. Lack of this vitamin may lead to the shortage of s-adenosylmenthionine (SAM), a substance needed by the brain to utilize other chemicals that affect your mood. Aside from seafoods, B-12 can be found in eggs, milk and lean beef.
The next time you go food shopping, make sure to have any of these foods for depression in your kitchen. You’ll never know when a wave of sadness may occur. Do not let depression get the better of you.
Photo: Kulanunux
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