Nutrition and lifestyle support for depression

In many countries around the world, one in every four to five people will experience a mental health problem. Depression is one of the most commonly experienced mental health problems. While the causes of depression can be different for different people, there are often common contributors such as excessive stress or ongoing stress, trauma (past or recent), and emotional pain.

I’m going to share with you some tools for managing and recovering from depression that you might like to try.

Supporting your physical health
Nutrition - regular meals and keeping blood glucose levels stable
Some people lose interest in food when they are depressed and unintentionally lose weight. Unfortunately, lack of nutritious food can exacerbate depression. Other people overeat comfort foods when they are depressed, which may be a sign of hungering for comfort (e.g., talking to someone, being around supportive people and in environments that uplift you).

From a nutritional perspective, the following guidelines will help support stable mood.

• Eat three nutritious meals every day and ensuring you never go longer than four hours without eating, even if it’s just a snack.
• Eat a protein-rich breakfast before 10am, lunch no later than midday, and dinner no later than 7pm.
• Eat one piece of fruit and three different coloured vegetables every day.
• Eat at least two servings of protein-rich foods every day. Free range eggs, free range chicken, free range bacon, lamb, beef, venison, canned oily fish like wild salmon or sardines, kidney beans, black beans, lentils and chickpeas are all good protein foods.

Eating breakfast is key to setting up your mood and energy for the day. Skipping breakfast leads to plummeting blood glucose, which leaves you with a literally hungry brain (around 20% of all body glucose is used by the brain), low mood and low energy, and can increase irritability and feelings of overwhelm. Ideally, eat a protein-rich breakfast for a nice gradual rise and maintenance of your blood glucose levels. Consider enjoying:

• free range scrambled or boiled eggs
• an omelette or fried egg sandwich (free range bacon is ok too)
• muesli with lots and lots of added nuts and seeds (e.g., cashew nuts, almond slivers, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds), or
• leftovers from dinner that include meat, lentils or beans and vegetables.

Protein-rich foods promote satiety (fullness) and stable blood glucose. Stable blood glucose levels = more stable mood. If you have little appetite first thing in the morning, take some hard boiled eggs or dinner leftovers to work with you, or keep some good-quality organic muesli and nuts and seeds at your desk (avoid the commercial mueslis that are full of sugar). Aim to eat by 9:30am at the latest, even if it's just one hard boiled egg or a few mouthfuls of nutty muesli or leftover dinner.

​Reducing or taking a break from caffeine and alcohol (depleting substances)
Alcohol is a depressant and depletes B vitamins, which are vital for the structure and function of the nervous system and thus mental health. Every alcoholic drink is basically robbing your brain - which is a hungry organ  - of nourishment.

Like alcohol, caffeine also robs our brain of nutrients. It depletes B vitamins and depletes the mineral magnesium, which is needed for calm mood, relaxation, muscle relaxation and sleep. Furthermore, without adequate B vitamins (which both caffeine and alcohol deplete), the body cannot make the soothing neurotransmitter, GABA. Reduced GABA has been linked to sleep problems, anxiety, addiction and panic attacks.

Additionally, caffeine and alcohol stimulate production of the stress hormone cortisol and keep us in the stress response, know as fight-or-flight. Being repeatedly pushed into the stress response via hormonal effects triggered by alcohol and caffeine consumption can worsen depression (and especially anxiety). Prolonged, elevated cortisol levels are associated with many adverse effects on mental and physical health, such as depression, exhaustion, sleeping problems, digestive problems, weight gain and lowered immune function.

Consider taking a break from alcohol and caffeinated drinks (all types of coffee, black tea, colas and energy drinks) for four to six weeks to see how you feel.

Supporting sound sleep

• Go to bed before you get your second wind - when drowsiness first occurs, it's time to snuggle. Sleep is when your body repairs and lack of sleep is a form of stress and can exacerbate depression.
• Avoid looking at screens of any sort (phone, laptop, tablet) for at least one hour before bed time.
• A deep bath, candles, reading and listening to soothing music can also help you relax in the evenings.
• Remember that while alcohol may seem to help you relax in the evenings, long-term use of alcohol actually worsens stress by depleting nutrient stores needed to make  GABA - the soothing neurotransmitter we need in high amounts for relaxation, sleep and calm.
• If you are struggling to fall asleep or waking often at night or early in the morning, this indicates excessive stress, nutrient deficiencies, hormonal imbalances and depletion of the relaxing neurotransmitter GABA. I recommend seeing a nutritionist or naturopath if you are struggling to fall asleep or maintain sleep. Without adequate rest, it's difficult to  heal both physically and emotionally and to feel your best.

Which two tools from this article might you get started on this week, to support yourself through depression?

Are you suffering with depression and looking for help? Book your appointment today.
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