Hi there,

Anyone know of any good foods for depression, if there is such a thing???

Cheers

Suzyblue

Hey Suzyblue,

I haven't heard of a diet that can help with depression but I remember seeing a scientific article referencing that some people feel happy during and after eating ice cream. Maybe you can give this a try?

One thing that does come to mind is St. John's wort. Any health / vitamin store should carry this so check with the experts there.

Hope you find something that helps!

Ha ha yes I think that could possible help Ian!

St Johns Wort is something I have heard a lot about too so maybe i'll look into it.

Thanks for your reply.

Suzy

Hey Suzyblue,

I have been trying to locate the scientific article but had no luck. I can only come up with a news release. Participants were given ice cream and MRI was used to determine brain activity.

Results was that "ice-cream makes you happy".

Check it out: http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/news/ng.a...kcfbyfxtmtyicbt

Bryer's double churned Natural Vanilla is probably my favourite! Give it a try!

Inappropriate post removed by Ian.

Eternityofnight. This is a forum where members help others. If you do not have any productive comments to share, don't share it. Consider this to be your one and only warning.

hahaha i like that!!! a little ice cream once in a while won't make u fat. there are lots of low-fat or even fat-free ice-cream out there!!!! i tried the low-fat ones and they are not bad at all - but never tried the fat-free ones. wonder if they taste artificial

There is some info that helped me get off Prozac that I found on this website a few years ago. http://prozactruth.org

Randy

Can ice-cream at Mc Donalds considered as fat-free ice cream? hehehe..I love Mc Flurry and choc sundae so much!! ice cream does make u feel happy!

hahah dafnia i don't think so. i think i read gloria's article a few weeks ago about mcdonald's and at the end of the article there is a link to the nutritional info of all mcdonald's items in the states. i don't know if they use the same recipe in ukraine but i thought u can check there

Gee..thanks a lot ahyan! i've missed that part! by the way, just a question. why do i feel like taking "cold stuff" during winter? i mean, i feel like drinking cold water (with ice cubes) and ice creams when i walk on streets during winter. is there something or it's just me acting abnormally

Thanks Ian and Randy for your replies, I will check out the prozac site. Never realised the side effects of coming OFF the things! it has been hell but fianlly through the worst.

Cheers

Suzy

I read an article recently listing some "anti-depressant" foods. It featured asparagus in particular, though I don't remember why (anyone want to venture a guess?), and I'm not sure what the article was called. I'll have another look for it and let you know!
Simba

Thanks for your reply Simba

hi suzyblue - we just added a new article today about foods that can lift mood and ease sluggishness - it's fun to read. enjoy!

http://www.healthcastle.com/hg_blues.shtml

gloria! the article..it's great!! i love it! it helps me a lot too. i'm sure suzyblue would be happy to read this

Hi, Suzyblue

I found this article which I think may be of help

Cheers

Achi

Hi,

A good healthy diet will help with depression.

Be sure to include good sources of protein, b-vitamins, nuts, especially Brazil nuts, soft-boiled eggs and whole grain bread.

Cheers,

Hi Suzy

That article that as posted was really great - contains lots of info about your question.

The other things that will help with depression are:

1. Exercise - study after study has shown that moderate and regular exercise will help with mild to moderate depression to the same level as medication, the only hard thing to do is to actually get up and do the exercise, which is hard if you feel even a little depressed. Just try to do it.

2. Balance of sugar levels - if your sugar levels are erratic from high intakes of high sugar foods, this will wreak havoc on your emotional stability. It is well known that not having stable and consistent sugar levels is not beneficial in many ways and can make a person feel anxious and nervous (low sugar levels), while high sugar levels can create artifical euphoria and feeling like one is "drunk". Keeping your sugar levels consistent, by eating wholesome, healthy foods, will really go a long way to ensuring your depression is not exacerbated.

Always eat breakfast - have some cereal, milk and fruit, or eggs and fruit - there are plenty of web sites which have useful ideas for breakfast lunch and dinner. Try to make sure you eat some healthy snacks in between your main meals (good snacks are some ryvita with some hommous or some low fat cheese and tomato or some nuts and fresh fruit).

3. Avoid refined sugar and foods that contain refined sugar - this is related to point 2 above - these foods contain high levels of sugar, which will make your sugar levels go too high very quickly and then drop again very quickly. This is not good for healthy individuals, but worse if you have any mental or physical afflication as it can make it worse, due to the effects of the sugar fluctuations.

4. There are some foods which actually help the body make "happy hormones" - these foods are: low fat meat (chicken / turkey especially), milk and other low fat dairy, eggs. This site from Nutrition Data, gives the foods highest in Tryptophan
Nutritional Data

5. Get a regular routine going - try to do the same things at the same time - this will help you by ensuring your life is stable and consistent.

If you like, you can also check out Vital Health Zone - it has a lot of useful information about nutrition and health. I'll write some information about depression in the health part this week.

Good luck with your depression - hope this information helps

more....

I forgot to add the following for you too

Other nutrients to help depression:

1. Vitamin B6 is another useful nutrient and is the precursor to tryptophan - this means your body needs to have enough Vitamin B6 in order to make tryptophan (which is an essential amino acids - meaning the body cannot manufacture it and it is necessary to be taken in from foods ingested).

2. Tryptophan helps to regulate levels of serotonin - which is the brain chemical that can go awry when someone has depression. Anti-depressants actually work on regulating levels of serotonin, so this should give a really clear idea on how important trytophan is!

Link to tryptophan - Tryptophan


3. There are several health conditions that can have depression as a symptom - so you should ensure that you have had a full medical check up to rule out any of those conditions.

4. I would really really emphasise again the importance of ensuring your blood sugar levels are consistent throughout the day as this can cause major depression and anxiety symptoms in some individuals.

5. Some other supplements that may be of use - fish oil, flax seed (shown in studies to help depression).

Hope that helps - let me know if you need any further info.

Regards