Mom On The Run

Which of these foods can help your mood?

I’m going to be perfectly honest with you – I’ve been needlessly suffering from depression for four years.  Almost immediately after having my first daughter I began to feel like there were foggy grey clouds in my brain.  I couldn’t focus, I couldn’t motivate myself and I just couldn’t live in the moment with my family.  Yes people – I suffer from depression (I have good periods and bad periods).  But these days it’s not so bad because I’ve finally admitted there’s something wrong and have made some key diet changes that are making a HUGE difference in my outlook and mental health.

Did you know you can relieve depression without swallowing pills?
Many of the symptoms of depression can be directly linked to vitamin and mineral deficiencies in the average diet, which is largely comprised of empty carbs, caffeine and sugar. Depression, mood swings and fatigue often have a common cause: poor nutrition. Avoiding depression or recovering from a depressive episode is often as easy as changing your diet and boosting your consumption of key foods that deliver brain-boosting nutrients and help regulate brain chemistry.

5 foods for kicking depression’s butt:

Fish oils: Contain omega-3 fatty acids. Research has shown that depressed people often lack a fatty acid known as EPA. Participants in a 2002 study featured in the Archives of General Psychiatry took just a gram of fish oil each day and noticed a 50-percent decrease in symptoms such as anxiety, sleep disorders, unexplained feelings of sadness, suicidal thoughts, and decreased sex drive. Omega-3 fatty acids can also lower cholesterol and improve cardiovascular health. Get omega-3s through walnuts, flaxseed and oily fish like salmon or tuna.

Brown Rice: Contains vitamins B1 and B3, and folic acid. Brown rice is also a low-glycemic food, which means it releases glucose into the bloodstream gradually, preventing sugar lows and mood swings. Brown rice also provides many of the trace minerals we need to function properly, as well as being a high-fiber food that can keep the digestive system healthy and lower cholesterol. Instant varieties of rice do not offer these benefits. Any time you see “instant” on a food label, avoid it.

Brewer’s Yeast: Contains vitamins B1, B2 and B3. Brewer’s yeast should be avoided if you do not tolerate yeast well, but if you do, mix a thimbleful into any smoothie for your daily dose. This superfood packs a wide assortment of vitamins and minerals in a small package, including 16 amino acids and 14 minerals. Amino acids are vital for the nervous system, which makes brewer’s yeast a no-brainer for treating depression.

Whole-grain oats: Contain folic acid, pantothenic acid and vitamins B6 and B1. Oats help lower cholesterol, are soothing to the digestive tract and help avoid the blood sugar crash-and-burn that can lead to crabbiness and mood swings. Other whole grains such as kamut, spelt and quinoa are also excellent choices for delivering brain-boosting nutrients and avoiding the pitfalls of refined grains such as white flour.

Cabbage: Contains vitamin C and folic acid. Cabbage protects against stress, infection and heart disease, as well as many types of cancers, according to the American Association for Cancer Research. There are numerous ways to get cabbage into your diet; toss it in a salad instead of lettuce, use cabbage in place of lettuce wraps, stir fry it in your favorite Asian dish, make some classic cabbage soup or juice it. To avoid gas after eating cabbage, add a few fennel, caraway or cumin seeds before cooking. Cabbage is also a good source of blood-sugar-stabilizing fiber, and the raw juice of cabbage is a known cure for stomach ulcers.

Things to avoid:
If you’re feeling down, try avoiding caffeine, smoking and foods high in fat and sugar. Keeping your blood sugar stable and getting B vitamins is important for stabilizing your mood. Cacao can be good for mood because it releases endorphins in the brain, but watch out for milk chocolate and candy varieties high in sugar.

Other non-food things to do
* Get plenty of sunshine. Natural sunlight is a proven cure for depression.
* Engage in regular exercise at least three times per week. Exercise lifts and mood and alters brain chemistry in a positive way.
* Experience laughter. It’s good medicine.
* Take a quality superfood supplement to get even more natural medicine from the world of plants.

This post is from Lazy Mama Fitness. Please visit the original post if you would like to join the discussion.

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Post tags: Dietary fiber, Fish oil, Folic acid, health, Heart disease, Major depressive disorder, Nutrition, Omega-3 fatty acid

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