If you have feelings of depression, improving your nutrition can often make a big difference. Sub-optimal nutrition can effect your moods, so if you know your diet is not ideal, a multi-vitamin may be a good start.
When you’re feeling depressed it can start to compound – you’re feeling down so you skip meals or eat more junk and sugar leading to swings in moods and you don’t exercise … so you feel worse.
Mood swings
Your food intake effects brain function, mood and behaviour. Many people with depression crave carbohydrates which trigger the release of the feel good neurotransmitter serotonin. High sugar foods such as chocolate provide the immediate energy and sugar high the body is craving. However surges in blood sugar that are followed by lows can cause stress hormones such as cortisol to rise and result in mood swings, making you ultimately feel worse.
Complex carbohydrates such as fruit (in moderation), vegetables and whole grains provide the body with healthy carbohydrates without causing dramatic blood sugar highs and lows.
B Vitamins
The B Complex group of vitamins are particularly vital for mental health. The brain has a high requirement for B vitamins (especially B6) which are needed to make the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine. Often if you are deficient in B vitamins, you will notice an almost immediate change when you start taking the supplement.
Eating when you’re relaxed
It’s not just what you eat but how. Your body is designed to digest food whilst in a relaxed state. If you often eat whilst stressed, this places a lot of stress on the digestive system and can cause problems.
Chronic stress often effects digestion and absorption of protein because it disrupts the production of digestive enzymes and stomach acid. This can also impact on neurotransmitter (brain chemical) production.
Vitamins that may be helpful for depression include:
B Complex – healthy nervous system, brain function, memory, energy
C - anti-oxidant
Magnesium – muscle relaxant, calming
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) – brain function
Zinc – immune function, improved libido, energy
In a Kinesiology session, we can “test up” what nutrients you may benefit from adding to your diet. We can also look at and balance other factors – for example your intake of a certain nutrient might be adequate but you’re not absorbing enough.
Want to know more about depression? Read my previous post about depression and kinesiology, including some checklists. If you want to know more about the nutrition side, you might find this article on Depression and Nutrition by Patrick Holford helpful.
What about you, any nutrition tips to share?
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