Particular food choices can contribute to depression, anxiety and headaches. If left unchecked, depression can take the fun and joy out of living life and rob you of the things you love. To maintain a happy and healthy version of yourself, avoid consuming the following foods that may cause depression or worsen its symptoms.
Fast Foods
Statistics show that consuming fast foods, such as pizza and hamburgers, on a regular basis will increase a person’s chance of depression. In a published study, The Public Health Nutrition Journal showed that fast foods could increase depression by as much as 51%.
Eating these foods occasionally will not make you prone to depression. However, if they are part of your daily diet, then your chances of depression may increase. It is vital that you take the initiative to make the necessary dietary changes to protect yourself from these risks.
Do not make the assumption that all foods are equally important for your mental health and wellbeing, or that fast food manufacturers are designing their products with your health in mind. The bottom line is- fast food aims to make people eat more of it, more often.
Pasta
Pasta is quick and easy to prepare, which makes it a favorite in many homes. Relying on pasta every evening may leave you feeling full, but if eaten too often, it will make you feel less healthy.
White rice, white bread, pasta and bagels are examples of inflammatory foods. Studies show that if consumed on a regular basis, inflammatory foods can cause greater instances of depression symptoms as compared to eating less refined grains.
Sugary Fizzy Drinks
Do you find it more convenient to reach for a fizzy drink than carry your water with you? It often seems easier to buy a fizzy drink when out and about and feeling thirsty. Sweet fizzy drinks can wreak havoc on blood sugar levels, causing sugar spikes followed by energy slumps.
One liter of a non-diet fizzy drink is equivalent to more than 100 grammes of sugar, which can lead to carbohydrate malabsorption. Carbohydrate malabsorption occurs when the small intestines are no longer capable of taking up fructose in an efficient way. Your body is negatively affected by the sugar in fizzy drinks, and as a result, depression may occur.
Evaluating your current diet should be the first step to managing your symptoms of depression. Your diet is one area of your life over which you have the biggest control. It is also the one aspect that could bring the most positive results.
Are you eating a healthy diet or is it filled with quick, easy pasta meals, fizzy drinks and sugary treats? If your diet isn’t healthy, be proactive and make the necessary dietary changes today. Visiting a doctor and being prescribed anti-depression pills is not necessarily the best solution. Often, with some simple dietary changes, depression symptoms can be alleviated.
Eating wholesome foods in preference to fast food treats will keep your sugar levels in balance. Your physical and mental health will, therefore, improve while your mood swings reduce.
There may be foods that can cause depression, but there are also ways to remove them from your life or reduce their life-crushing effects.
