Do you ever wonder why you can’t resist the urge to eat too much unhealthy food when you’re feeling down? It turns out there’s a physiological reason why we eat too much bread, ice cream, and other “comfort foods” when we’re depressed: the sugars and carbohydrates they typically contain give us a mental and physical boost. But that feeling of contentment often disappears in an emotional and nutritional crash that can deepen your blues. Healthier foods, on the other hand, can actually improve your mood, and you should find comfort in them instead.
Feel good with healthier options
“B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients have powerful effects on brain chemistry and can often correct imbalances that cause mood disorders such as depression,” says William Walsh, PhD, founder and president of the Walsh Research Institute, an organization that studies the biochemistry of the brain. “In fact, ‘nutrition therapy’ may be the best treatment for depression.”
Nutrients, like antidepressants, work by affecting neurotransmitters in the brain – chemicals such as serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine and endorphins that send messages between nerve cells called neurons. In order to form neurotransmitters, the brain needs nutrients such as amino acids, vitamins and minerals. When the brain is deficient in these nutrients, abnormal levels of neurotransmitters can develop. Vitamin B for example6 plays an important role in the production of serotonin, which regulates anger, aggression, mood and metabolism. As vitamin B6 is lacking in your diet, chances are you are also deficient in serotonin.
But before you think a good multivitamin is all you need, Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, professor of neurosurgery and physiological sciences at UCLA, says food is often more effective than supplements when it comes to brain health. “In most cases, a balanced and varied diet is the best way to influence brain chemistry,” says Gomez-Pinilla. When brain-beneficial nutrients are consumed in the form of whole foods, they work optimally because they are accompanied by other nutrients and compounds that help the body absorb them better, enhancing their effects. Even better? Getting these brain-healthy nutrients from food makes you less likely to exceed safe limits, which isn’t always the case when taking supplements. For example, excessive doses of folic acid in supplement form can have secondary effects, such as causing cardiovascular problems and increasing the risk of colon and breast cancer, says Gomez-Pinilla.
Mood-boosting nutrients
If you suffer from depression, make sure you get enough sleep and exercise regularly, which further stimulates the brain to produce mood-enhancing neurotransmitters. It’s also important to eat a balanced and varied diet, including foods packed with these mood-boosting nutrients.
Amino acids
Amino acids help the body produce neurotransmitters that affect your mood. “For example, the body uses the amino acid L-tryptophan to make serotonin, and the amino acid L-tyrosine to make norepinephrine,” says Joel C. Robertson, author of Natural Prozac. “Both are neurotransmitters that positively influence your mood.”
Find amino acids in: turkey, cheese, chicken, fish, beans, almonds, avocados, bananas and pumpkin seeds.
Vitamin B6
The body needs B6 to convert the aforementioned amino acids into neurotransmitters, says Robertson. If this vitamin is missing, this conversion process will falter and mood-boosting serotonin levels are likely to drop.
Look for vitamin B6 in: beef, tuna, chickpeas, bananas, turkey and plums.
Vitamin B12
Another essential vitamin, B12also plays a role in converting amino acids into the all-important neurotransmitters in the brain, serotonin and norepinephrine. Vitamin B12 also helps the body make SAM-e, a substance involved in the optimal production and function of neurotransmitters. Some research suggests that low levels of SAM-e can lead to symptoms of depression.
Look for vitamin B12 in: mussels, oysters, chicken, crab, salmon, turkey, tuna, milk and eggs.
Folic acid
Folic acid, an important nutrient especially for women of childbearing age due to its role in the development of the neural tube in the fetus, may be an important factor in the formation of SAM-e as well as the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine. Research shows that people suffering from depression almost always have low folate levels, causing symptoms of anxiety and, in severe cases, schizophrenic behavior.
Find folic acid in: turkey, lentils, pinto beans, chickpeas, spinach, black beans, asparagus, kale and turnip greens.
Magnesium
Crucial for the synthesis of serotonin and other neurotransmitters, magnesium is usually lacking in people with depression. One study even reported “rapid recovery from major depression” after treatment with magnesium, and found that magnesium helped relieve the anxiety and insomnia that often accompanies depression.
Find magnesium in: oat bran, halibut, spinach, barley, pumpkin seeds, beans and artichokes.
Zinc
The brain needs zinc to produce GABA, a chemical that relieves anxiety and irritability — which often increase with depression, Walsh says. High levels of anxiety can worsen depression, manifesting in a condition known as “anxious depression,” says Robertson.
Find zinc in: oysters, crab, turkey, lentils, barley, yogurt and pumpkin seeds.
Vitamin E
This powerful antioxidant keeps nerve cell membranes flexible, says Gomez-Pinella, allowing neurotransmitters to travel seamlessly between cells. When the membrane becomes stiff, the signals “bounce” off the outside of the cell, disrupting the transmission of information.
Find vitamin E in: sunflower seeds, almonds, spinach, tomato sauce, turnip greens, hazelnuts and sweet potatoes.
Omega-3 fats
Like vitamin E, these heart-healthy fats keep nerve cell membranes flexible, says Gomez-Pinilla. Omega-3 fatty acids also increase oxygen levels in the blood, says Robertson. The extra oxygen increases the body’s ability to convert amino acids into neurotransmitters. Studies show that a deficiency in DHA, a form of omega-3 fat, hinders the transmission of the feel-good brain chemicals serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine.
Find omega-3 fats in: salmon, sardines, tuna, walnuts and flax seeds.