Diet and depression
 

I've recently been watching "The Food Hospital" online and have learned all about how different types of foods can help various health problems. I have started eating a lot healthier and feel much better :) I have also bought a health/diet book called "The Food Doctor". Here are some things I've learned about the correlation between diet and depression.

Eat breakfast. You need something to wake up your metabolism. Without breakfast you will be grouchy and will be more inclined to eat foods high in sugar to wake you up. Healthy breakfasts include:

Porridge with semi-skimmed milk. You all could add some fruits :) Porridge contains fibre and it also slowly releases energy. Depression typically makes you feeling fatigue so slow releasing energy is great :)

Wholegrain breakfast cereal with semi-skimmed milk. This also contains a fibre :)

Wholemeal toast :) I like marmite on toast. Marmite includes loads of B vitamins which also increases energy levels.

Your five a day. Eat more fruit and vegetables. They're packed full with vitamins and minerals, as well as antioxidants. Antioxidants help boost the immune system. When I'm feeling depressed my immune system goes haywire, the more antioxidants the better :) Try to eat a "rainbow" of fruit and vegetables, try to include everything of different colours :)

Avoid alcohol. I find that drinking alcohol really triggers off depression the following day. Alcohol depresses the nervous system which slows down your reflexes and other brain functions. Not a great thing to do if you're already feeling depressed.

Avoid "energy stealers" These include alcohol, tea, coffee, fizzy drinks, etc. These foods stimulate hormone adrenaline. If adrenaline is over-produced it may lead to general fatigue. The less adrenaline I produce the better because I have problems with anxiety.

Follow the "Eat-Well" plate.

Dark chocolate. I come across a study a couple of weeks ago claiming that dark chocolate can combat fatigue. I thought I'd give it a go because I have nothing to lose. My energy levels have definitely increased. I also felt happier in myself. Why? Dark chocolate contains tryptophan which breaks down into two very important neurotransmitters, serotonin and melatonin. Serotonin is a natural antidepressant. Melatonin helps you relax and helps you fall into a deep sleep. Deep sleep is essential, it's when your body repairs itself. It also contains plenty of B vitamins :)

85% dark chocolate is what I eat. At first it tasted gross but I've gotten used to the taste :)

Eat a kiwi before bed. This sounds mental but it has been proven to help insomnia, which is often associated with depression.

Also, switch white bread, pasta and rice with wholemeal :) Wholemeal provides a LOT more fibre.

I have been feeling so much better over the past few weeks because of this :) I have so much more energy and I'm a lot less depressed, which is very odd considering I feel more depressed in the winter.

You may think this is a huge change and will be difficult but it really isn't. Just educate yourself about different types of food and what it really does for you. Also, stop thinking about food simply as a way to gain weight. It's so much more than that :)

(I know my written English isn't the best so I hope this is understandable :p)

Re: Diet and depression
 

I think this is a wonderful post, Ceilidh! The winter months (Northern Hemisphere) is when people tend to get depressed and if they have an eating disorder, abuse food. The tips you gave sounds really good. You hear eating tips year-round and it does nothing but trigger me, but your post kinds of inspires me. :D I know that sounds dorky, but it really does! Especially around the holidays, I need to watch what I eat and eat better.

Re: Diet and depression
 

Thanks :) Glad you find it useful :D I drank a can of coke over my boyfriend's house yesterday and the taste turned me >.> I haven't been drinking fizzy drinks for about 2-3 weeks so I'm not used to it anymore. I now just drink water, fruit juice and milk.

My mum said to me earlier "will you stick with this diet around Christmas?" I honestly think I will. i don't see the point in eating junk food now, it's not doing anything for me :/ I'm just having empty calories.

Re: Diet and depression
 

Re: Diet and depression
 

Try it :) It should give you more energy. With the increased energy and deep sleeping you may be able to wake up earlier which will give you more time to eat breakfast.

Re: Diet and depression
 

Hey!

Thanks for posting this!
This information seems really useful.
I recently have changed what I eat because I realized that gluten makes me sick and i feel quite a bit better.
It is a hard change to make at first but the benefits of changing diet are very helpful if done correctly and with help of people that are educated on nutrition such as dieticians, nurses or doctors.
A lot of factors can affect someone's mood including what they eat. I am glad you decided to post this and I hope it helps other people as well.

Re: Diet and depression
 

Ah, that sucks :( So many foods contain gluten too :( Luckily quite a few people have an allergy/intolerance to gluten so the are plenty of gluten free foods out there.

Glad I helped :)

Re: Diet and depression
 

Re: Diet and depression
 

Aw, thank you <3333 :) Glad I'm helping others too ^____^