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| 11 Foods That Can Help With Anxiety and Depression |
Depression is a natural mood disorder that many Americans experience throughout their lives. Depression ranks from mild to severe and can be triggered by genetics, hormones, illnesses, stress, and even your diet. Depression influences your mood, ability to handle daily activities, and ability to think clearly.
It can even lead to suicide. Can food cure depression? Researchers have produced an “Antidepressant Food Score” ranking 34 different nutrients as to their effectiveness in treating and preventing depression. Twelve of these are known to have positive effects on depressive disorders.
A word of advice. Don’t replace depression medications without consulting your doctor first! You may feel more useful, but you must wean off depression meds carefully. Read on to identify foods that may help you fight depression. Here are 11 foods that can help with anxiety and depression.
1. Vitamin D and Resulting Hormones
Lowering levels of Vitamin D have been linked to depression. Scientists think that Vitamin D helps converts the amino acid tryptophan into serotonin. Try to eat Vitamin D instead of using supplements but limit supplemental intake to 600IUs for adults under 70.
Tryptophan: nuts, seeds, tofu, cheese, red meat, chicken, turkey, fish, oats, beans, lentils, and eggs.
Seratonin: eggs, cheese, pineapples, tofu, salmon, nuts, seeds, turkey.Vitamin D: fatty fish, beef liver, cheese, egg yolks, and Vitamin D fortified foods.
2. Zinc, Magnesium, and Selenium
Zinc is significant for proper immune system function and cellular metabolism. Researchers don’t know if low zinc levels cause depression or if depression causes insufficiency. Magnesium regulates muscle and nerve function. Selenium is needed for thyroid function.
Zinc: oysters, red meat, crab and lobster, baked beans, pork, poultry, nuts, oatmeal, beans.
Magnesium: nuts, seeds, beans, avocados, brown rice, oatmeal, spinach, whole grain bread, and yogurt.
Selenium: brazil nuts (8 per week), fatty fish, ham, red meat, poultry, brown rice, eggs, beans, and spinach.
3. B Vitamins – folate, B12, B6
The array of vitamin Bs is very important. They can prevent any birth defects, help you to convert food into energy, and help with brain functions, among many other uses. Dark leafy green vegetables are particularly rich in folate. People with low folate levels often have depression or poor anti-depressant acknowledgment.
Folate: watercress, spinach, broccoli, mustard greens, kale, lettuce (not iceberg!), swiss chard.
B-12: fish, meat, poultry, eggs, milk products.B-6: seafood, lean meats, poultry, eggs, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
4. Beta-Carotenes and Vitamin A
Beta-carotenes give brilliant color to fruits and vegetables like pumpkins, apricots, cantaloupes, and carrots. They are anti-oxidants and support removing free radicals from your body. Your body further converts beta-carotene into Vitamin A. Increasing intake of beta-carotene has been shown to improve depression and lower anxiety.
Beta-carotene: carrots, apricots, broccoli, cantaloupe, collards, peaches, pumpkin, and other squashes, dark leafy greens, and sweet potato.
Vitamin A: beef and lamb liver, cod liver oil, fatty fish, goat cheese, and eggs.
5. Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Omega-3 fatty acids are the most important facts you can eat. You require them for brain and heart health, to fight chronic inflammation and a host of other benefits. Every time we relate to fatty fish, we are talking about oily fish like salmon and you can’t find a better omega-3 source than fatty fish.
Omega-3: fatty fish, cod liver oil, oysters, flaxseeds, chia seeds, nuts, pastured or omega-3-enriched eggs, grass-fed meats and dairy products, hemp seeds, spinach, avocados, and Brussels sprouts.
6. Fermented Foods and Probiotics
While anyone who has had an upset stomach knows, your gut has a direct line to your brain (and Visa Versa). Serotonin, a mood-boosting hormone discussed above, is produced in the gut. A happy gut creates lots of serotonin. The probiotics – live beneficial bacteria and yeasts – in fermented foods may fight depression and anxiety.
Fermented foods: kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, pickles, miso, tempeh, natto, kimchi, soft goat milk, sheep milk cheeses, Greek yogurt, and pickled vegetables.
7. Tyrosine, Phenylalanine, and Dopamine
Tyrosine is an amino acid that your body utilizes to create dopamine. This hormone controls your brain's pleasure center. There may be a link between low levels of tyrosine and depression. You can also create tyrosine from phenylalanine. You can increase the production of dopamine (and serotonin) by exercising, so help your diet create more dopamine by working out.
Tyrosine and Phenylalanine: parmesan cheese, soy foods, lean beef, pork, lamb, fatty fish, poultry, seeds, nuts, eggs, beans, whole grains, bananas, and avocados.
8. Flavonoids
Flavonoids provide plants brilliant colors, like carotenoids, and there are more than 6,000. They are antioxidants that fight chronic inflammation and boost your immune system. Researchers think that deleting free radicals helps fight depression. If you like chocolate, dark chocolate (75% or higher cocoa) is high in flavonoids and may lower the risk of depression, particularly in older women.
Flavonoids: dark chocolate, berries, dark beans (black or kidney beans, etc.), red wine (in moderation), and black, green, and red teas.
9. Potassium and Iron
Low potassium levels are associated with depression and are linked with serotonin pathways. Improving your potassium levels may immediately result in depressed feelings. Iron is important in healthy blood and red blood cell levels. Women tend to have more iron deficiency than men. Men should talk to their physician before supplementing iron.
Potassium: beans, dark leafy greens, sweet potatoes, apricots, winter squash, yogurt, salmon, nuts, bananas, carrots, and avocados.
Iron: shellfish, liver and organ meat, legumes, seeds, lean red meat, spinach.10. Vitamin E
Vitamin E is an antioxidant that lowers levels of chronic inflammation that are linked to depression. Researchers found that even a tiny improvement in Vitamin E levels can reduce depression and anxiety. If you are stressed and depressed, Vitamin E may be the most important stress buster you can find.
Vitamin E: wheat germ oil, seeds, nuts, hazelnut oil, fatty fish, avocado, sweet red peppers, lobster, mango, berries, apricots
11. Vitamin C
Everyone knows that Vitamin C is important in fighting off colds, preventing the age-old scourge of scurvy, and preventing strokes. Turns out a deficiency can cause neurological damage. Adding Vitamin C improves symptoms of anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. In fact, in mice, Vitamin C acted as healthy as Prozac for stress-related depression. Who knows, maybe it works as well in humans!
Vitamin C: oranges, grapefruit, guava, sweet yellow peppers, kale, kiwis, broccoli, persimmons, strawberries, and chili peppers.
Conclusion
You’ll notice that a lot of these foods show up on several lists. Eating them as minimally processed as possible for the best results.
Researches show that eliminating sweets, refined and fried food, processed meats, and sugary drinks while upping the intake of fresh fruit and veggies, whole grains, legumes, fish, lean red meats, olive oil, and nuts have decreased depression symptoms in subjects by 33%.
People in the study got only social relief only 8% reported improvements. If you need more guidance on what to eat, check out the Mediterranean diet plans accessible online. And remember, these food lists are not exhaustive, just representative.
