The most important part of having a healthy body is making the right choices about what you eat. Eating foods rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fiber, low-fat dairy, lean meats, chicken, and fish can greatly reduce your chances of serious health problems.
But did you know that a healthy diet can also keep your mental health good, not just your physical health?!
Even though there’s no specific nutrient or diet to cure depression, following a healthy, balanced diet is necessary for your mental health. For example, many nutrients help your brain work well like essential vitamins, minerals, complex carbs, proteins, and fatty acids.
Essential nutrients:
Your brain, like other organs, reacts to what you eat and drink because it needs many vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients to stay healthy. If you don’t give your brain the nutrients it needs, it won’t work well. This ups the risk of mental illnesses.
Vitamins and minerals:
Vitamins and minerals play a key role in keeping your brain healthy, and these are the most important vitamins for the brain:
- Vitamin C.
- Vitamin D.
- Vitamin B.
And for the brain to work well it also needs some minerals like:
- Magnesium.
- Selenium.
- Zinc.
Complex carbs:
Complex carbs play a simple role in brain nutrition since the brain needs glucose to fuel it. This simple sugar glucose comes from the carbs you eat. Carbs also help release serotonin, the hormone that makes you feel happy.
It's recommended to eat complex carbs instead of sweets and processed grains. You can find complex carbs in:
- Fruits and vegetables.
- Whole grains.
- Legumes.
The body turns these carbs into glucose slower than it does with simple carbs in sugars. So complex carbs provide a steady, lasting energy source.
Amino acids:
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. They're key for your brain to produce neurotransmitters, which are chemical messengers sending signals between nerve cells.
Serotonin, for example, is a neurotransmitter responsible for feeling satisfied and happy. Serotonin is made from an amino acid called tryptophan. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that makes you feel motivated and excited. It's made from an amino acid called phenylalanine. Your body absorbs these amino acids from the food you eat because it can't make them itself. So, it gets them from outside sources (food).
Fatty acids:
Fatty acids are also vital for your brain health. A big part of your brain is made of fats, especially the ones called omega-3 and omega-6. Since your body can’t make these fatty acids on its own, it’s important to get them from food.
Today's diet has lots of omega-6 but very little omega-3. So, it’s better to eat a diet with balanced amounts of omega-3 and omega-6.
Water:
Water makes up most of your brain's weight. That’s why it’s one of the most important things for your brain. Even slight dehydration can cause mental symptoms like imbalance and loss of focus.
What foods should you eat when you’re feeling depressed?
You should eat foods with key brain nutrients like:
- Vitamin C: Citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables, and other fruits and veggies.
- Vitamin D: Salmon, cod, shrimp, eggs, juices, and fortified milk.
- Vitamin B: Red meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, whole grains, and green leafy vegetables.
- Magnesium, selenium, zinc: Nuts, seeds, whole grains, green vegetables, and fish.
- Complex carbs: Whole grain bread, grains, brown rice, oats, quinoa, millet, legumes, and starchy veggies like potatoes, corn, peas, and winter squash.
- Tryptophan: Lean red meat, poultry, eggs, and beans.
- Phenylalanine: Lean red meat, chicken, eggs, dairy, soy, and seeds.
- Omega-3 fatty acids: Salmon, rainbow trout, tuna, beans, walnuts, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, melon, chia seeds, canola oil, and flax.
- Omega 6 fatty acids: poultry, eggs, grains, and vegetable oils.
What foods should be avoided during depression?
Try to avoid or limit eating these foods:
- Drinks with caffeine like tea, coffee, and others.
- Alcoholic drinks.
- Sugary drinks.
- Fried foods.
- Refined and processed foods.
Most of these foods have lots of calories but are low in nutrients, especially important brain nutrients. Eating too much of them can raise your risk of many physical and mental health issues. So we advise being careful, especially if you already have health or mental problems. Also, we want to let you know that by subscribing to Fitness Garage, we can provide a complete diet plan that fits your physical and mental health needs.
