Diet and Depression
Are diet and depression related? Almost everyone has foods they associate with comfort, and some people notice how different meals affect their levels of energy or alertness. But did you know that if you are struggling with depression, you may want to see a nutritionist and consider changing your diet?
The research data is increasing: more and more evidence is pointing to the connection between what we eat and how we feel. Researchers seem to think that the connection between depression and food might be similar to the connection between cardiac health and food. It looks like things that affect our heart physically also affect our emotional heart!
If diet and depression are linked, why aren’t more people trying diet changes to see if different eating patterns might help with depression? Probably because diet changes are hard, and most of the foods that researchers suggest we avoid are tasty. To make matters worse, when we are depressed we are usually stressed by that depression, and that limits our ability to stick to dietary limits and changes.
What might be useful?
- Consider making changes as a whole family. Eating well is not just good for someone with depression, it is probably good for the whole family.
- Consider making one small change at a time. Habits aren’t developed all at once. Is it possible to increase your intake of one healthy food, or decrease your intake of one unhealthy food?
- Consider making it a game or using a tracking program. Many of us like a good challenge, and like to see the results. Apps or other ways to record our progress can help us keep going until a new habit becomes a familiar one.
Interested in the research? Several of the studies on diet and depression are listed below:
- Harvard University article on diet and depression in women, and foods that seem to protect against depression (like green and yellow leafy veggies, wine, olive oil, and coffee)
- A study by Rinks, and Dobson, and Mishra on women who experienced less depression when on the Mediterranean Diet
- More evidence that the Mediterranean Diet may be protective against depression from the University of Navarra, Spain
- Overview by Sanchez-Villegas and Martinez-Gonzalez looking for patterns in research about diet and depression
- Society of Biological Psychiatry article on research showing that stress and depression alter our body responses and make it more likely that we will develop obesity