Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Foods That Combat Depression

Depression is a rather common emotion for people to feel. At one point in your life or another, you've felt sad or depressed from being let down by people in certain situations. And what do people usually do when to relieve themselves of their depression? Pigging out.

Most people use food to get themselves out of the emotional pit that they are stuck on. Some of the common foods people use to comfort themselves when their depressed are chocolates, chips, popcorn, ice cream, and cake. Most of which they binge on until they feel better.

If you're going to use food to push your depression away, why not choose the healthy, but nonetheless good variety of food. Here are some examples of delicious foods that can help you combat depression:

Take pasta or bread for dessert.
Pasta dishes and bread are packed with carbohydrates. Studies have linked carbohydrates to the brain's serotonin (a brain chemical responsible for mood regulation) production, showing that a lack of carbohydrates in one's diet can cause mood changes.

Eat omega-3 rich fish for lunch or dinner.
Tuna, salmon, and mackerel are great examples of great fish choices that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are important in maintaining good communications between nerve cells. With neurons communicating perfectly, risks of depression are minimized.

Try different poultry dishes.

Poultry meat, specifically chicken or turkey meat, are rich in vitamin B6 and contain selenium. Vitamin B6 and selenium are both noted to play a part on the body's serotonin production.
You'll never go wrong with vegetables.
Dark green vegetables, in particular, are rich in folate. Folate is yet another key component in the serotonin production of the brain. Spinach is a good and tasty example of a dark green vegetable that can help you fight depression.

If you're going to stuff yourself with food to get over the blues, know that there are tastier, more healthier options you can go with to combat your depression.

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