Fix your diet to fight depression

Embrace these healthy food habits and say cheers to life

At 16, Janet wanted to end her life. She refused to step out of her room, talk to her friends and family. Scoring low marks in her Class XII exam put her under intense trauma. For Janet, the world had come to an end, after she got to know that her poor scores won’t fetch her seat in the college of her dreams.

This felt like the end for Janet and there was no coming back from the dark place she found herself in. Janet was emotionally down and depressed. In this situation, she only found comfort in binge eating; hogging on a lot of chocolates, ice-creams, wafers, etc.

Depression puts you in a state of sadness for a long period of time and slowly begins to interfere with your day-to-day functioning. One of the most common signs of depression is the change in your food habits. When affected with depression, some people tend to overeat to uplift their mood and in the process gain weight, while some lose appetite and stop eating.

How depression affects appetite
There are two ways depression can impact the appetite. Some people resort to emotional eating when under depression. Here, people tend to act in response to their emotions. They tend to crave for sweets and carbohydrate-rich foods in response to their emotional hunger. One of the main reasons is that foods high in carbs and sugar increase levels of serotonin, a brain chemical that elevates mood.

They believe food soothes them, as it changes the chemical balance in the brain, makes them feel full, improves mood and also helps them cope with difficult feelings through positive association with happier times. However, the comfort that junk or unhealthy and carb-laden food can provide is merely temporary. In the long run, continuous consumption of foods can lead to weight gain and increase the risk of heart diseases, diabetes, and lead to other serious health problems.

They can also cause ups and downs in mood, further intensifying the effects of depression. Loss of appetite is the other common symptom of depression. People tend to lose interest in food and avoid eating, again a very harmful behaviour.

Dealing depression with balanced diet
Once you realise that depression is the reason for your weight gain/loss, start to act upon it. Fixing your diet should be the first step towards fighting depression. Given below are a few dietary habits to follow if you’re reeling under depression and want to overcome it naturally.

Try to eat protein-rich food several times a day, especially when you have set your mind to come out of depression. Proteins help to fight depression, enhance your mood and increase energy levels of your body. Some of the healthy sources of protein can be obtained from lean beef, low-fat cheese, fish, milk, poultry, soy products, beans and peas and yoghurt.

Cut down on sugary food items and opt for complex carbs such as whole grains. Complex carbs that are high on fibre prevent sudden sugar spikes and reduce sharp, negative effects on mood.

Vitamin A, arachidonic acid, Omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin D and Vitamin K are fat soluble vitamins that help to beat depression. These vitamins can be found in carrots, eggs, chicken, sardines, salmons, cabbage, broccoli and prunes. They help improve focus, mood and concentration and mitigate depression.

Vitamin B12 and the family of B Vitamin play an important role in producing brain chemicals that affect mood and other functions. Low levels of B12 and other B vitamins such as vitamin B6 and folate may be linked to depression. You can adopt a Mediterranean diet that includes legumes, nuts, many fruits and dark green vegetables that are rich in folate. Meanwhile, Vitamin B12 can be found in all lean and low-fat animal products, such as fish and low-fat dairy products.

Nutritional deficiencies can feed depression. Therefore, the first step is to tackle depression at an early stage by addressing the problems immediately in order to prevent the symptoms from getting worse. Eating a balanced diet instead of a bag of chips or cookies (however tempting they may seem at that moment) is an ideal habit to start from. Supplement this with energy and mood boosting activities like going out for a walk, listening to music, practising yoga and meditation and in no time, you’ll feel more equipped to deal with stress, anxiety and depression.

By: Mahesh Jayaraman
The writer is Co-founder of Sepalika.