Mood
While diet cannot eliminate mood disorders in all cases, many people have successfully relieved their mental health issues by changing their diets.
Mood swings can be caused when blood sugar levels are repeatedly allowed to spike and crash. High sugar foods or refined carbohydrates can raise blood sugar too high. Eating too much fat can prevent the body from processing sugar, thereby causing the same effect.
Mood disorders also result from an imbalance of neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, serotonin, glutamine, and endorphins. These neurotransmitters cannot be manufactured by the body without the required amino acids, fatty acids, minerals, and other nutrients obtained through a healthy diet.
Feelings of depression can further lead to cravings for sugar, fat, and processed carbohydrates, which feed into the cycle of poor eating and depression.
Beneficial Foods
| Coconut Oil | Prevents stress and anxiety. |
| Durian | Contains high levels of the amino acid tryptophan, known to alleviate anxiety, depression, and insomnia, and create feelings of euphoria, by raising levels of serotonin in the brain. |
| Endive | Helps fight depression. |
| Nettles | Contain serotonin. |
| Pumpkin Seeds | High levels of tryptophan increase serotonin in the brain and help treat depression, insomnia, stress, and mental imbalances. |
Beneficial Nutrients
| Iodine | Iodine deficiency can cause feelings of frustration, anxiety, and depression. |
| Manganese | May relieve anxiety, depression, irritability, and mood swings associated with PMS. |
| Omega-3 Fatty Acids | A deficiency can cause depression, especially in pregnant women because the fetus will take all available Omega-3s for brain development. |
| Potassium | Soothes feelings of anxiety, irritability and stress. |
| Protein/Amino Acids | Deficiencies in certain amino acids can cause depression, attention deficit disorder, and other mental imbalances. |
| Tin | Has been used to treat depression, fatigue, and moodiness, particularly when many other treatments have failed. |
| Vitamin B1/Thiamin | Even a mild deficiency can lead to depression. |
| Vitamin B2/Riboflavin | Has been shown to reduce depression. |
| Vitamin B12 | A deficiency can cause depression and confusion. |