Food and Depression

Foods that cause depression

Not many people know that our digestive system releases hormones that can put us in a good mood. What we eat really does influence our sense of well being. Did you know that our gut is the major producer of the happy hormone known as serotonin? What we fuel our bodies with can make our guts either healthy or unhealthy! An unhealthy gut can lead many physical and mental diseases. This week on the blog we’ll be discussing foods that have been proven to make you feel depressed.

So what foods should we avoid?

1. Sugar: Sugar is your worst enemy! And when we mean sugar we mean all kinds of sugar, read product labels because most of the foods we consume are full of sugar. Think cereals, pasta and salad sauce. Those spikes in energy from sugar lead to sharp crashes and stress hormones are released leading to feeling down.
2. Artificial sweeteners/ Diet sodas: The chemicals in artificial sweeteners can affect and stop our production of feel good hormones!
3. Deep fried food and fast food: The type of fats and of course quantities like trans fats (found in fast food restaurants and margerine) can cause depression and aggressive behavior. Remember always cook with real fats like olive and coconut oil and real butter.
4. MSG: Often found in chips, canned foods and nut snacks, this ingredient can cause headaches and fatigue.
5. Gluten: Many people don’t know they are allergic to Gluten. What is gluten? A substance present in cereal grains, especially wheat, that is responsible for the elastic texture of dough. If you are (you can get tested) it can lead to many illnesses such as chronic inflammation, hormonal imbalances and depression. The good news is many people are starting to become aware of this and so many gluten-free options in supermarkets and restaurants are now available.

Next week we’ll be discussing foods happy people eat! Stay tuned.