What foods can relieve depression

No food can directly cure depression, but judging from the current academic consensus on clinical nutrition, there are indeed many foods that can help improve depression and anxiety by regulating neurotransmitter synthesis and stabilizing inflammation levels in the body. Currently, the most recognized ones are deep-sea fish, whole grains, soy products, dark green leafy vegetables, and active probiotic fermented foods.

Many people's first reaction may be that "eating sweets can make you happy." This statement has always been controversial. Refined sugar can indeed quickly promote the secretion of serotonin in a short period of time, bringing about ten or twenty minutes of pleasure. However, after the blood sugar drops quickly, it will aggravate fatigue and irritability. I feel that relying on high-sugar milk tea and cream cakes for a long time to "save your mood" will actually cause mood swings to become more and more frequent. There are friends around me who show off sweet takeaways when they are stressed. As a result, they fall into a low mood again not long after eating, and they also have the anxiety of gaining weight, which is not worth the gain.

When I helped a friend who has been suffering from workplace anxiety for a long time and shed tears for no apparent reason two or three times a week to adjust her diet, I didn't let her take any strange supplements. I just replaced her bubble milk tea every afternoon with sugar-free Greek yogurt and a small handful of original almonds, and arranged two meals a week of steamed salmon or savory. After frying saury and replacing half of the white rice at home with whole grains such as oats and quinoa, she came to me for feedback about a month and a half ago, saying that her previous situation of feeling "congested and unmotivated" for no reason was reduced by most. After improving her sleep quality, even quarreling with colleagues was not as easy as before.

In fact, the logic of the functions of these foods is not mysterious at all. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are an important component of our nerve cell membranes. Replenishing them is equivalent to building a smooth asphalt road for the transmission of emotional signals. "Happy transmitters" such as dopamine and serotonin can run smoothly, and naturally it is not easy to suffer from the low feeling of "signal jamming"； The tryptophan in whole grains and soy products is a synthetic raw material for serotonin. When taken together with the B vitamins in green leafy vegetables, it can be better utilized by the body and will not be wasted.

Of course, don’t deify these foods. If you have been diagnosed with depression, these dietary adjustments can only be used as an auxiliary to clinical treatment, and they absolutely cannot replace taking medication as prescribed by the doctor and formal psychological intervention. I have encountered people who were diagnosed with moderate depression and refused to take medication. They stocked salmon at home every day to eat. As a result, the opportunity for intervention was delayed, and the condition became more serious.

There is no need to deliberately stock up on a bunch of so-called "emotionally friendly foods". When cooking, grab a handful of dark green vegetable leaves such as spinach and rapeseed. When you are craving for something sweet, just choose a small piece of black chocolate with a concentration of over 70%. Slowly make your diet more balanced, and your mood will gradually stabilize.