5 Eating Habits to Fight Depression
Although there is no magic food to cure depression, nutrition can impact our mood in a number of ways. Nutrition is one tool of many to help you take care of yourself when you are feeling down, depressed, or unmotivated.
In this blog post I outline 5 of my best psychologist-approved eating habits to support good mood.
How Depression Impacts Your Appetite
Appetite changes are a key symptom of depression. Many people notice a decrease or increase in appetite, fluctuation in weight, or changes in typical eating habits, such as craving “comfort foods” or foods that are higher in calories when depressed.
There is no evidence to suggest that eating a specific diet will cure depression. You do not need to go on a specific diet if you are depressed. (Unless there are other reasons, such as food allergies or high blood pressure that would support changing the foods you eat.)
There are, however, ways of eating that can positively affect mood by regulating your blood sugar, providing adequate energy, and not worsening anxiety symptoms.
Here are my top 5 eating habits to include if you are experiencing depression!
P.S. Did you know that I regularly consult for Kids Eat In Color? Here is an article I recently collaborated on with them: How To Talk To Kids About Weight And Health
1. Eat regularly. If depression is zapping your appetite, you may find yourself skipping meals. Skipping meals results in blood sugar dips that can make you feel irritable, cranky, nauseated, anxious, or fatigued. Eating regular meals and snacks will support a stable blood sugar, which is good for you mood and provides stable energy to help you engage in depression-fighting behaviors, such as going for a walk or meeting a friend for a visit.
2. Eat enough and vary your nutrients. Undereating can result in many of the same concerns as skipping meals, most notably increased fatigue. Undereating also puts you at risk for nutritional deficiencies that can worsen symptoms that overlap with depression, such as sleep problems and brain fog.
Make sure that you are eating enough. If you notice that you are losing weight without trying or eating noticeably less than you used to, that is a sign that you may need to focus more on eating more throughout the day. It is always a good idea to visit a primary care physician to discuss any and all physical symptoms you are experiencing so that they can suggest the proper tests and treatment.
3. Stay hydrated. Not drinking enough fluids can cause headaches, body aches, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, and light headedness. Again, these symptoms overlap with symptoms of depression, worsen your mood, and make it more difficult to engage in healthy behaviors to fight depression. It is common to forget to drink fluids or feel less motivated to do so when depressed. You may want to set a timer on your phone to remind you. Or you can purchase a large water bottle to fill in the morning and sip throughout the day.
4. Consider your caffeine consumption. Some people notice that caffeine worsens their anxiety symptoms. It can also affect sleep, which may already be disrupted as a result of depression.
Poor sleep can result in a vicious cycle of drinking extra caffeine throughout the day for a jolt of energy and then not being able to sleep well at night due to the extra caffeine.
A general rule to consider is to stop drinking caffeine about 10 hours before you plan to go to bed. For many that means limiting caffeine after 12pm. Keep in mind that this value varies from person to person. You can aways play around with your own caffeine timing to see what works for you. If you notice that you have increased symptoms of anxiety (shakiness, racing thoughts, stomach upset, heart racing) after drinking caffeine that can be a clue to cut down.
5. Balance your meals and snacks. If all you feel like eating is carbs, that’s okay. If you can, try to add some fat and/or protein and fiber to those carbs though, rather than eating them on their own. This is because carbohydrates tend to burn quickly and elevate our blood sugar. Protein and fat do not elevate the blood sugar as much or as quickly and fiber-rich carbohydrates help slow down this effect as well. When carbohydrates are paired with protein or fat blood sugar spikes more slowly. This means you are less likely to experience a big blood sugar elevation and dip and the resulting impact on your mood symptoms, especially when eating regularly. An example of how to do balance a snack for consistent blood sugar is to add cheese, avocado, or hummus to your crackers rather than crackers alone.
And lastly, try thinking of eating as a form of self-care. You deserve to care for yourself, even if you don’t feel like it right now. Do your best to eat regularly, eat enough, and balance your meals with foods you like and ones that will make you feel good. Caring for body by giving it adequate nutrition will help you find the energy to engage in evidence-based activities to improve depression, such as going to therapy or exercising.
Thank you for being here. If you have any questions about depression treatment, you can reach me here. I am always happy to answer your questions to the best of my ability!
-Dr. Alli
Disclosure: This article is intended for education purposes only. It is not intended as nutritional advice. This article is not a substitute for medical care. If you have any nutritional or medical concerns you should speak with your medical provider.
