Depression is today a wide spread problem and it is hardly visible to the outside world while the sufferer has to bear with it for days, months or years together. This takes a toll on the quality of life and holds back the depressed person from doing his bit in this life. There has been so much of research into the cause and treatment for depression and may have come to the conclusion that the answer may lie in therapy and food. Yes food, people would have suggested socialising, developing hobbies, getting drunk etc. Jokes apart they never told you that happiness lies not in money and merrymaking but in good depression-fighting food.
Certain foods have specific properties that spark and stimulate the particular glands and hormones that ignite happiness. Here are a list of few foods that can the trick for you.
Turkey
The Thanksgiving delicacy or turkey has the protein building block tryptophan, which our body uses to produce serotonin. This is a brain chemical that plays a vital role in alleviating depression. Some anti-depressant drugs work by controlling the way the brain uses serotonin. That is why you get similar mood boosting effect from chicken and soybeans.
Seafood
Seafood is rich in selenium, which helps in protecting your body from damage causing free radicals. Those who did not have enough of selenium in their body especially youngsters are prone to depression. Some nuts which we snack on also have selenium and other foods are brown rice, lean beef, sunflower seeds and Brazil nuts etc.
Carrots
Carrots are full of beta-carotene, which is available also from pumpkin, spinach, sweet potatoes and cantaloupe. These are nutrient rich vegetables that are said to lower depression. There is no solid evidence that they can reduce depression but eating them will give a healthy body that leads to a healthy mind.
Coffee
The caffeine in coffee is one ingredient that helps you feel better and motivated when you drink a cup or two. But sometimes if you have postpartum depression or panic disorder the cup of coffee can make you more upset and feel worse. But through our daily life we all know what wonders a cup of coffee can do to perk us up.
Green Vegetables
The green vegetables are packed with folate, this is essential for brain cells to work efficiently and for you to feel good. In countries like USA food manufacturers add this to their preparations like pasta, and rice. Folate can also be obtained from foods like lentils, beans and asparagus.
Milk
When you have very low amounts of certain nutrients in the body like Vitamin D then then there is possibility of getting afflicted by depression. Studies have found that people who took vitamin D health supplements were less depressed than those who never had them. If you are not a great fan of Milk then you can enrich you r diet with cereals and juices or canned fish.
According to several studies, People who are depressed are more likely to become obese. Researches believe that may be the result of changes in your immune system and hormones that come with depression. Fortunately a nutritious diet including the foods above will help you get to and stay at a healthy.