Usually we think of diets as a way to reduce weight.
A diet for how to deal with depression is not the first idea that pops into our head when we think of diet.
The fact is though that before you run to the doctor for antidepressant medication, it might make sense for you to check out the how to deal with depression diet.
Is there such a thing?
Evidence shows that there could be.
When I first started this site, I did so because I had been experiencing some relief from depression just by changing the food that I was eating.
I had no clue that there was a growing body of studies which supported the notion of a how to deal with depression diet.
For example, I noticed that everytime after I had wild salmon, as opposed to farm raised salmon, I know that my head felt better, even physically it seemed to me like my brain had some type of relief.
I have only been learning now how salmon is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids which are one of the key ingredients for a healthy brain.
It makes sense that if you are only feeding your body processed foods which are devoid of essential nutrients, that your body will not function at optimum levels.
Why would it be so surprising then that perhaps the brain also needs the right nutrition in order to function without being in a depressed state.
Before, I only had my own anecdotal evidence, of feeling like a veil had been lifted, a fog, the more that I focused on real food.
As a result, I will continue to comb the web of information for more current studies which link relief of depression to natural treatments.
I am not opposed to antidepressants when there are no other alternatives and when the side effects are not terrible, but if there is another alternative how to deal with depression, I think it is in our best interest to try that first.
The side effects of medications were lethal for me and I hate to see anyone else go through it.
Can diet help reduce depression?
We know that exercise can help in improving depression but can diet also really improve depression?
Recently we have seen some reports claiming that a Mediterranean-style diet can help in reducing depression.
Research done by scientists from the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research in Perth has linked diets high in processed foods, soft drinks and sweets to an increased risk of behaviour and emotional.
The researchers are now trying to find out what happens when a bunch of people with depression are taken together and encouraged to eat better.
The new study is being done by researchers at Victoria's Deakin University. For the study, the people with unipolar depression are encouraged to eat a diet rich in vegetables, fruit and whole grains, oily fish, olive oil, legumes and raw unsalted nuts, with some lean red meat and reduced fat dairy.
Lead researcher Dr Felice Jacka said that the positive results of this study will help them in propagating the theory that patients with depression can be given certain diets to come out of their situation.
“There's enough evidence to say that a food supply that includes as much highly processed denatured food as ours is contributing to levels of depression as well as other chronic diseases,” Jacka said.
“With obesity, heart disease, diabetes and some cancers alone we now have a tidal wave of preventable non-communicable diseases that the World Health Organisation estimates will have a global cost of $ 30 trillion by 2020 – and that's without adding the cost of depression and dementia which is also influenced by diet,” she added.
Some earlier studies had found single nutrients as being important for mental health – fish oil is one example and so is zinc. But the fact is a little more complicated. “Not only does some research suggest that it's a pattern of healthy eating that's important, but we're starting to understand that with fish, for example, it's not just omega 3 fats that might make a difference but other components of fish too,” Jacka explains.
Original article can be found here: http://www.delhidailynews.com/news/Can-diet-help-reduce-depression-1407212959/
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