Flickr Image: John Lodder
The fact is everyone feels a bit down sometimes be it due to stress, a heavy workload or even worrying about your child’s progress at school. If, over time you notice that you’re feeling flat, unhappy or suddenly uninterested in activities you previously enjoyed then it may be time to speak to your doctor. However, there are loads of things that can help with depression including your diet. Each of these mood-boosting foods has unique properties that can help fight feelings of sadness, frustration, and even anger.
Dark Chocolate
It can’t just be any chocolate, sorry, as dark chocolate is also good for your heart in small doses as it helps to relax the cardiovascular system, letting the body pump blood around the heart at a more, controlled even rate. This is why people suffering from high blood pressure are advised to eat a small piece of dark chocolate every day. Dark chocolate has also been proven to lower the stress hormone cortisol leaving you feeling calmer and more able to cope. It also contains serotonin, a natural mood booster, although don’t scoff your way through an entire packet, as small pieces will be more efficient as well as healthier for you. Remember, dark chocolate is an incredibly creamy substance with a high cocoa concentration which means a single piece has around 150 calories.
Vitamin D is known to have benefits beyond just bone health and they boast an ability to regulate mood and fight depression which helps us out with those morning blues. According to Mixhers, “low levels of vitamin D are linked to increased depression, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer.” However, how does one go about taking in sufficient amounts of vitamin D to keep themselves healthy? ”
Oily Fish
Not only are oily fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel good for your health as they contain high levels of Omega three and six they also help to boost concentration. Visit https://www.citarella.com/shop/fillets for more details as it’s recommended that you eat oily fish at least twice a week, either for your main meal, so salmon or mackerel fillets with mashed potato or as part of a snack, a light tuna salad for instance. Recent studies have also shown that countries whose natural diet is high in fish are reporting lower amounts of people suffering from depression and anxiety. By increasing the amount of fish that you eat, or even by taking an omega three capsule you could significantly reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety as well as feel more alert, focused and ready to face the day.
Flickr Image: Jeremy Keith
Green Tea
Ok, we know it’s not strictly a food, although you can eat green tea cookies, but green tea could be your secret weapon in fighting feelings of sadness and worry. Having any hot drink be it tea, coffee, or hot chocolate will warm up the bodies core temperature while the act of drinking itself gives your body five minutes to relax. However, green tea is packed with antioxidants and health boosting properties, but its real power lies in an amino acid called theanine. Theanine naturally occurs in green tea and acts as an anti-stress projector, leaving tea drinkers feeling relaxed, calm and refreshed but not drowsy or lethargic. The theanine link was discovered when studies showed coffee drinkers were prone to more stress and tension. This was down to caffeine in their system while theanine tea drinkers were tension free but still alert.
Flickr Image: Dano
