| Foods That Make You Depressed Related Links Foods to Boost Your Mood Does Vitamin D Boost Your Mood?-A Comprehensive Review Salt May Boost Your Mood -But Health Authorities Don't Recommend It How to Feel Better -10 Great Tips Something So Right-Get Used to Happiness Self-Confidence -How to Feel Better About Yourself How Much Is Too Much Salt? Foods That Help You Lose Weight How to Get Rid of Those Dark Circles Foods That Help Treat Acne Natural Home Remedies for Headaches Quick Start Diet Small Steps to Lose Big Pounds August 7, 2010 By Louise Carr, Staff Columnist We’re always being told we are what we eat. They may explain why eating junk food can literally put your mood in to the bottom of the garbage can? And eating a balanced diet full of fresh fruit and vegetables, quality meat and fish and healthy fats will make you feel good. Foods affects your body and your mind. If you’re guzzling super-sized sodas and coffee on the run, while feasting on burgers and fries and candy, your body won’t thank you and your mood won’t be the best it can be. So, which foods can make you depressed? Are there foods you should avoid if you want to boost your mood? First, let's understand some basics about depression. Depression is a medical condition that affects nearly 21 million American adults each year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Symptoms of depression commonly include a persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feeling, restlessness or irritability, loss of interest or pleasure in activities, tiredness, difficulty concentrating and insomnia or excessive sleeping. When you’re depressed you may overeat or lose your appetite. This creates a viscous circle as food can also affect your mood, creating depressive symptoms. Mood-Lowering Foods Here are 10 foods to avoid if you are depressed or if you want to boost your mood: 1. Chocolate Depresses Your Mood Ever felt down and reached for a chocolate bar? Next time, you may want to skip the delicious brown stuff. Research has discovered that depressed people eat more chocolate. A 2010 study from the University of California, San Diego, looked at 931 adults not using antidepressants who provided information on chocolate consumption (frequency and amount) and completed the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale. Those who were defined as suffering from depression reported eating significantly more chocolate than those who weren’t depressed. Depressed people consumed almost 12 servings of chocolate per month, those with lesser depression scores ate around eight servings of chocolate a month. According to the scientists, several nutrient factors that could be linked to mood, such as increased intake of caffeine, fat and carbohydrates, didn’t affect mood, suggesting relative specificity of the chocolate finding. The question is, does chocolate cause depression or does depression make you want to reach for the chocolate bar? "The study," said lead researcher Dr. Golomb, "does not address the issue of whether chocolate is beneficial or harmful in terms of mood, as this is an observational and cross-sectional study." 2. Sugar Gives You the Blues Chocolate does, of course, contain sugar, particularly highly-processed chocolate that’s low in cocoa-solids. Could this ingredient be responsible for increasing symptoms of depression? Scientists think so. Arthur N. Westover, M.D. and Lauren B. Marangell, M.D. at the Mood Disorders Center (MDOC), Baylor College of Medicine, in Houston Texas, put together a study to examine the cross-national relationship between sugar consumption and major depression. The study correlated per capita consumption of sugar with the prevalence of major depression, figures for which were obtained from the Cross-National Epidemiology of Major Depression and Bipolar Disorder study [Weissman et al., 1996] and sugar consumption data from the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. The researchers found there was a highly significant correlation between sugar consumption and the annual rate of depression. After you eat highly-sugared food your blood sugar level rises and spikes. Your body compensates by dragging your blood sugar down and this causes a sudden drop in energy that requires another sugar- hit to bring it up again. Avoid the viscous cycle, and the corresponding drop in mood and energy levels, by keeping your body fuelled with complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables. Skip sugary snacks. 3. Processed Foods Can Get You Down Research has found that a typical "Western diet", loaded with processed foods, increases the risk of depression. A 2010 study from the University of Melbourne, Australia, found that women who consumed a ‘Western diet’ high in fats and processed foods were more than 50 percent more likely to suffer from depression than women who ate a traditional diet of mixed meat, vegetables, healthy fats and non-processed foods. Another 2009 study from University College London, UK and the University of Montpellier, France, found that a healthy ‘whole food’ diet protected middle-aged people from depression compared to a processed-food diet. The study looked at 3,486 participants of average age 57 years who were part of the Whitehall II study. The whole food diet comprised mainly fresh fruits and vegetables and fish, while the processed diet was made up of mainly sugary desserts, fried food, high fat dairy foods, processed meat and fast food. People who most closely matched the whole food diet had a 26 per cent lower risk of depression and participants whose diet was high in processed foods had a 58 per cent higher risk of suffering from depression. 4. Bad-Quality Meat Can Bum You Out According to the cross-sectional study conducted by the University of Melbourne, lean, "quality meat" --meaning meat that comes from animals raised on pastures -- is part of a whole food diet that effectively decreases depression. However, study author Dr. Jacka reported that high-quality meat is difficult to source in the US because cattle here are fed a corn-based diet. Dr. Jacka claims corn-fed meat "increases saturated fat and decreases very important good fatty acids. Whereas in Australia, red meat, such as beef and lamb, comes from pasture-raised animals, so it has a much healthier fatty acid profile.” The study found people in Australia who consumed more beef or lamb were less likely to have depression and anxiety. “Red meat that comes from feedlots tends to be higher in omega-6 fatty acids - a fatty acid profile that is far less healthy and may in fact be associated with more mental health problems," Dr. Jacka said. 5. Caffeine Can Lower Your Mood Research showing a direct link between caffeine and depression is lacking, however anecdotal experience suggests that caffeine and depression are tangled together in many significant ways. Caffeine makes it more difficult to fall and stay asleep, and when you’re not sleeping well you are more prone to depression. If you abruptly stop drinking caffeine you may experience a worsening of mood or other depressing symptoms such as headaches and tiredness. Caffeine may not even give you a buzz. A 2010 study from Bristol University, UK, found that frequent coffee drinkers develop a tolerance to coffee’s stimulatory and anxiety-producing effects. While you may feel more alert after drinking coffee, the study suggests this is due to a reversal of caffeine withdrawal and that caffeine doesn’t give you any real benefits because it also increases blood pressure and anxiety. Co- lead author Dr Peter Rogers said "Our study shows that we don't gain an advantage from consuming caffeine - although we feel alerted by it, this is caffeine just bringing us back to normal." 2008 research by Durham University, UK, found people who drank a lot of caffeine were more likely to experience hallucinations including hearing voices and seeing things that are not there. Those who drank more than seven cups of coffee a day, or equivalent, were three times more likely to have had hallucinations than those who had a low intake of caffeine. One possible explanation, researchers reported, was that caffeine amplifies the effects of stress by boosting the release of the stress hormone cortisol. This can lower mood over time and cause mental health problems. 6. Low Carb Diet Can Make You Depressed Low-carb diets are all the rage. But did you know that eating too few carbs may lower your mood? Although the cause of depression is largely unknown, serotonin in the central nervous system plays an important role. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter said to have a calming effect on the body and to play a role in sleep. Carbohydrates raise serotonin levels naturally, acting as a natural tranquillizer and antidepressant. Combining carbohydrates and proteins ups the availability of serotonin in your brain and if you eat a low-carb diet you are at risk of lowering the amount of serotonin you can receive. According to authors Johnston, Tjonn, Swan, White, Hutchins and Sears from Arizona State University, a very low carbohydrate (ketogenic) diet increased fatigue, lowered mood and reduced the desire to exercise in overweight adults after just two weeks. A study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology of 100 men and women found that dieters on a low-carb, protein-rich diet were at increased risk of mood swings and depression than those on high carbohydrate, low protein diets. It’s important to choose the right carbohydrates, however, as simple carbs (processed foods, white bread and white grains) don’t give the same benefits as whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Don’t be tempted to go to the other extreme, as we all need adequate levels of protein in order to maintain good mental and physical health. 7. Alcohol Lowers Your Mood Alcohol lowers your mood and drinking too much can increase the risk of developing depression. A study conducted by the University of Otago, New Zealand, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry found excessive alcohol drinking may increase the risk of depression. The study looked at 1,055 children who were monitored over 25 years. "At all ages, there were clear and statistically significant trends for alcohol abuse or dependency to be associated with increased risk of major depression," wrote David Fergusson at the University's department of psychological medicine. According to Dr Achal Misra, specialist, and Dr Hamish McAllister-Williams, MRC clinical scientist, senior lecturer and honorary consultant, up to 40 per cent of people who drink heavily have symptoms that resemble a depressive illness. About 5 to 10 percent of people with a depressive illness also have symptoms of an alcohol problem, leading to suggestions that the correlation between the two is complicated. However, it’s clear that sticking to alcohol in moderation is a good strategy to avoid depression and mood swings. 8. Diets Low in Tryptophan Increase Your Risk for Depression Just as trytophan is necessary to maintain a good mood, too little tryptophan can lower your mood. When tryptophan, a nonessential amino acid, enters the brain, more serotonin is released and your mood generally improves. Serotonin is made naturally in the brain from tryptophan, assisted by B Vitamins, and carbohydrates. If you’re not getting enough tryptophan, your serotonin levels will decrease and this can cause depressive symptoms. Research from McGill University, Montreal, Canada, found tryptophan depletion causes a rapid lowering of mood in normal males. The study gave men amino acid mixtures which were tryptophan-free, balanced or contained excess tryptophan. The tryptophan-free mixture caused significantly elevated scores on the depression scale, indicating a rapid mood-lowering effect. Tryptophan is found in protein food sources like lean meat, fish and especially turkey. 9. Lack of Selenium-Rich Foods Can Lower Your Mood Research has indicated a link between low levels of selenium and low mood. According to a study from the Texas Tech University, 200mg of selenium a day for seven weeks improved mild to moderate depression in the study’s 16 elderly patients. Foods rich in selenium include seafood, nuts and seeds (particularly Brazil nuts), lean meat and whole grains. 10. Fast Food Can Lower Your Mood Apart from being highly processed and high in fat, sugar and salt; fast food and eating food on-the-go encourages erratic eating patterns, causing dangerous spikes and dips in blood sugar levels. If you’re not sticking to regular meals you’re also more likely to reach for unhealthy snacks and caffeinated drinks to make you feel better, which end up making you depressed. Lack of energy makes it less likely you’ll go to the gym to improve your mood. You also need to drink enough water, regularly, as dehydration can cause stress, headaches and irritability. Sit down and enjoy your healthy food, serve it carefully and take time over eating it. You owe that to your body and to your mind. You're just getting started. Find out more foods that keep you healthy, your skin young, and that speed up your metabolism: How to Feel Better - 10 Tips That Work / 10 Foods to Boost Your Mood /Foods That Speed Up Your Metabolism / Foods That Fight Wrinkles/ Does Vitamin D Boost Your Mood -A Comprehensive Review / What to Eat for Flawless Skin /Natural Body Cleanses |
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