Foods That Help With Depression And Anxiety

 

Eating the right foods is one of the best strategies one can put into action to safeguard their mental health. Research shows that there are foods that promote sanity while others that send you on the roller coaster ride of emotions bringing you down.

So, it is always the right idea to skip the foods that may cause you depression and anxiety and add the ones that help to boost your mood instead. We have put together list of food that will provide all the sufficient nutrients to your body required to fight the depression and put you in a happy mood instead. So, let’s get started.

Dark Leafy Greens: A Nutrient-Enriched Anti-Inflammatory
Green vegetables are the source of protein, chlorophyll, many essential minerals like magnesium, iron, calcium and potassium, vitamins C, K, E and many of the B vitamins, and are loaded with antioxidants.

These nutrients make leafy greens incredible at detoxification, blood purification and boosting immunity. So, try to add as much green vegetables to your daily diet as possible.

RELATED: 10 Benefits Of Eating Vegetables

Some of the most benefitting green vegetables include the following:

• Watercress
• Spinach
• Kale
• Lettuce
• Radicchio
• Carrot greens
• Beet greens
• Sweet potato greens
• Rocket/arugula
• Endive
• Collards
• Chard
• Mustard greens
• Fresh herbs like parsley, mint, cilantro, basil

Adaptogenic Herbs and Herbal Teas
Another great method to help you when you’re feeling exhausted, fatigued or stressed is by the use of adaptogenic herbs. These healing plants have the ability to balance and restore the body’s natural ability to handle stress by regulating the adrenal system, which is responsible for controlling the way how the hormones respond to stress.

Adaptogens don’t just target a specific body part; but they help your entire body gently cope with stress, anxiety, and, of course, fatigue and maximize the level of your energy without having to put much effort into it. Some of the best adaptogen herbs to boost your energy levels include:

• Ashwagandha
• Rhodiola
• Holy basil
• Licorice root
• Ginseng

By incorporating these adaptogenic herbs into your daily routine you can help yourself get calmer, less exhausted, and more focused.

RELATED: Easy and Effective Ways to Cope With Depression

Coffee isn’t the only option to boost you when you need energy anymore. Herbal teas are the new natural drink that provide boost in energy levels without the risk of stimulants and processed ingredients. Two different types of herbal teas can be used for this purpose.

• Green Tea: it has many benefits such as anti-aging and fighting free radicals. It is loaded with the anti-oxidant called catechin which helps to fight the damage in the body cells.
• Rooibos Tea: it is another type of tea that helps to fight fatigue and raise the levels of energy. This refreshing red tea is loaded with antioxidants such as aspalathin which is known to regulate the adrenal hormones, helping to reduce stress while keeping energy levels high.

Adding these all-natural herbs and teas to your daily diet can help you a great deal with keeping your energy levels high while you work through your depression and anxiety.

Food as a Mood Elevator
Food is referred to as being the best mood elevator. Food is one single thing, which each and every human loves, their cravings may differ but they do love it regardless of anything. When you feel totally insane in the morning just from getting up what helps you to bring back your sanity? Yes, it’s the divine Coffee.

When you feel down after having a bad day what helps you to feel revitalized? Chocolate ice-cream will definitely do the trick. So food has the capability to uplift your mood and soul and help you fight depression and anxiety. Some of the foods that can help with boosting your mood while fighting depression and anxiety are listed below:

• If you feel extremely tired all the time despite of getting enough sleep, the reason might be the lack of iron in your diet. To get rid of this nutritional deficiency and get back to fresh and lively life, you can add animal protein such as meat, lean beef, lamb, turkey, fish, shrimps or other seafood to your diet. When you skip animal protein, add some food high in vitamin C such as tomatoes, melon, berries, and green leafy vegetables to your diet to get enough iron. As, getting enough iron will help you get back on your feet with an elevated mood.
• If you’re feeling stressed out, the one food that can help to boost your mood without you getting the extra-pounds is a healthy nutritious smoothie. So shake it up and leave the stress zone. You can add your favorite fruits, some nutritious superfoods and give it a twist with a punch of some nuts, then blend it till its smooth and drink up to let it soothe away all your stress.
• If you feel cranky or irritable because you couldn’t get enough sleep due to insomnia, caffeine might be the reason for this lack of sleep. Try to cut it out of your life by taking decaffeinated coffee and drinks. It will help you to sleep well and put you back to your refreshed normal mood.
• When you feel depressed, eating more fish might help you to get rid of it. As the fish contains omega-3 fatty acids which have been proven to alleviate the symptoms of depression through many researches. Eating fish twice a week can help to suck the depression out of your life. So load up your plate with some fish and get rid of that soul-eating depression.
• If you want to get a good night’s sleep, alcohol is a very bad idea for that. You can have a cup of chamomile tea that calms your nerves or you could add some honey to a cup of warm milk to give you a soothing effect.

These foods can help solve different issues related to your mood and boost it for you to spend a happy-go-lucky life.

Why it is important to eat foods that have serotonin?
Serotonin is a compound present in the platelets which acts as a neurotransmitter. Commonly referred to as the “happiness compound”; serotonin helps to keep you in positive mood. The outburst of depression these days is interlinked to the low levels of serotonin. Anti-depressants are prescribed by the doctors to treat its low level but these have side effects such as low libido and decreased level of energy.

So, if you are looking for an alternative to treat your depression, look no further, we will give you a list of foods that you can add to your diet in order to raise the level of your serotonin naturally to get back into your positive attitude. The nutrients found in these foods alter the chemical activity of the brain and help to maintain mental health.

RELATED: 9 Dangers Found In Sugar For Your Health

Vitamin B, complex carbohydrates, and omega-3 fats are the group of food that helps to reduce the symptoms of depression by increasing the amount of circulating neurotransmitters (Serotonin) in the brain. The list of foods containing these nutrients is as follows.

• Pineapple
• Banana
• Kiwi
• Plums
• Tomatoes
• Walnuts
• Hickory nuts
• Raw cacao
• Salmon
• Tofu
• Cheese
• Turkey
• Eggs
• Legumes
• Beans

Diets bring deprivation and sadness 
Depriving yourself of food is a very unhealthy way to lose some way and it may even trigger negative thoughts and put you through depression. Diet is a long-term lifestyle; it doesn’t mean you should deny any sort of intake of food.

RELATED: How Bad Is It To Consume Fats For Our Body?

Diet means you should be eating healthy meals that you have properly planned out; containing all the nutrients that your body needs to stay hale and hearty.

Going on crash diets is depriving body of all the basic nutrients it needs to function properly will do you more harm than good, it will take you into the vicious cycle of depression and you will feel bad about yourself. You should make a plan with the help of following steps to help you lose weight instead of not eating anything at all.

• Portion control: limit the portion of the food you intake, this will provide you with essential nutrients and will also help with weight loss.
• Substitute unhealthy eating habits with foods that are good for you.
• You can take superfoods that contain all the nutrients required by the body such as protein, complex carbs, fiber, etc. instead of starving yourself.
• Develop mindful eating habits and have small periodic meals instead of having monster meals twice a day.

Reduce Carb Consumption
While they do provide your body with energy, foods heavy in carbohydrates can leave you feeling sluggish. The main culprit? Simple carbs, like those found in sugary drinks, cookies, and processed foods (think white bread and pasta), which burn through your body quickly.

They do provide a quick boost in energy which is followed by the spike in the blood sugar levels which can’t be good for your health. So, in order to enjoy good health along with having energy is essential that is why we have put together a list of tips to help you kick the refined sugar and processed food habits.

• Get motivated: to get yourself motivated about quitting the bad habit of refined sugar and processed food, read some book or topics that might help you.
• Avoid drinking any form of soda pop and sweetened drinks: The amount of sweetener in soft drinks is very high. So, dropping the soft drinks would mean eliminating the bad habit instantly.
• Don’t eat or buy packaged foods: Even the organic packaged foods may contain significant amounts of sugar. Stay away from the organic and well as non-organic packaged food and don’t keep it at home otherwise the temptation would be too hard to resist. Try to make your own snacks at home such as home-made popcorn, home-made muffins, hot cereals, eggs and toast and other such healthy options.
• Choose wisely while eating out: sugar is hidden in many dishes at restaurants, so, try to stick to grilled meat and roasted vegetables as they don’t contain any sugars.
• Eat a balanced diet concentrated in protein and vegetables: if you add more vegetables and proteins to your diet, you will notice that you feel much better and also don’t get the craving of sugar as much. So, removing sugar and refined food from your routine is not enough, you must also include some healthy things in your diet to boost your energy levels and get healthy over time.
• Deal with cravings: you might get some serious cravings of the sugary foods once you try to leave it behind for the better. The best way to fend off such cravings is by having a fermented food or drink such as homemade sauerkraut, coconut kefir or kombucha. These foods negate the effect of sugar desire due to their sourness and provide the body with healthy probiotics to reduce cravings and boost energy levels.
• Go have fun: find other great distractions to avoid unhealthy food like taking your kids to the park, reading a good book or enjoy nature and try enjoying life without sugar.

These great tips will help you a great deal to raise your energy levels and stay healthy while fighting the depression.

By incorporating these ways and foods in your daily routine you can leave your depression behind and start your life with a new wave of optimism.

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