17 Foods You Are Eating That Make You More Depressed
When you are depressed you have an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness, you lack interest in your daily activities, and it impacts your sleeping habit. There is also a loss of focus as you don’t find anything enjoyable in what you do. But some people think of food when they feel troubled or when depression creeps on them, and tend to find food they enjoy before the start of depression.
However, some foods may not be helping ease their depression but instead worsens it. We will discuss some foods that may not be helpful at all for a person’s depression but aggravates it. Here are 17 foods you are eating that make you more depressed
FISH OF TOXIC VARIETY
Fish is a good choice for healthy eating, but there are choices of fish considered toxic with excessive mercury content, and some variety is linked to increased depression and other genetic disorders.
SUGAR
Intake of food with high sugar content has many effects on health. For one, too much sugar can increase blood glucose. Sugar can give you a spike in energy, but it will have a crashing result afterward, not to mention its effect on the body leading to inflammation. Taking foods rich in sugar may be a good thing at first, but it will slowly shift your emotions, and when this happens, you have a problem facing depressing moods.
FRUIT JUICE
You may think you are consuming healthy beverages, but only taking more sugar and water. It is advisable to eat whole fruit instead of selecting fruit juice.
ENERGY DRINKS
If you like taking energy drinks to increase your stamina, you can do so, but you need to remember that it has some ingredients that may affect your health. One is caffeine cause this drink is an energy booster, but when taken in a considerable amount, it will affect your mood too. It also has excessive sugar, which is a combination that may not have a positive effect not just on your physical but also on your mental health.
JUNK FOODS
It is not just teens who love to eat junk foods, adults still enjoy taking in some of these foods that may also harm mental health. It is an unhealthy way to satisfy your hunger and can induce depression. The content of junk foods has impacts such as obesity, kidney disease, an increase in cholesterol, and more but the main reason to veer from consuming it is the danger of depression.
ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS
Samples of artificial sweeteners include aspartame, sucralose, and saccharin. You may think that having it instead of taking regular sugar is better, but in truth, it has a link to increasing depression. Foods that contain artificial sweeteners include soft drinks, canned foods, candy, baked goodies, and even dairy products.
COFFEE
Too much of anything is not good, even coffee. Yes, coffee can help if you are used to taking a cup per day, but a maximum limit on your coffee intake will also have an effect on your mental health. Depression included, also feeling jittery and nervous. Take coffee in moderation, and don’t get highly dependent on it.
LIQUOR
An occasional sip of alcohol may not cause any damage to your mental health but taking more than what you should leads to depression. When you try to calm your nerves with alcohol and then drink more to numb feelings, it can wreak havoc on your nerves, and you may find yourself having difficulty concentrating and losing control over your drinking.
PROCESSED FOODS
We have heard about the effects of consuming processed foods, and some people are also removing them from their diets. The reason is the high-fat content and sodium that this food has. Such components may also increase the likelihood of depression and feelings of anxiety.
REFINED CARBOHYDRATES
Classes of foods are processed, creating food with the removal of the nutrients such as fiber and bran. Examples are pasta, white bread, breakfast cereals even pizza dough. There is an onset of depression when these types of food become a favorite.
FOODS HIGH IN SODIUM
Salt is not just dangerous to your kidney and has negative effects on blood pressure, leading to cardiovascular diseases, but it has a link to mental health as well. Some foods high in sodium that you can remove from your diet are canned, instant noodles, frozen meals, and cured meats.
DIET SODA
You may be watching out for your diet but crave some cola, hence the preference for diet soda, but remember, even though it has no natural sugar, added to it are artificial sweeteners. It also increases the risk of depression and other issues such as headaches, irritability, insomnia, and more.
TOASTED BREAD
If you favor toast during breakfast and want to spread it with some butter or take it with coffee, keep in mind that there is better bread than white bread for toasting. Since white is highly processed, get whole-grain bread for your toast so you can enjoy it and you will not worry about your mental health at the same time.
FRIED FOOD
This type of food contains high sodium but also unhealthy fats. Frequent consumption of fried food may lead to depression, irritability, or feeling of anxiousness.
REGULAR SODAS
It has too much sugar content and increases your attention, but it will also spike your blood glucose level. It is also directly linked to depression, and note that it does not offer any nutrition but enough reason for you to stay away from drinking it.
ARTIFICIAL TRANS FAT RICH FOOD
So you are a fan of fast food cause you feel that it can fill your hunger in no time. But when you crave hamburgers or pizza and other varieties, remember that these foods are linked to developing depression. You may consider other foods to take out or prepare one yourself – a healthier variety.
FOODS HIGH IN PRESERVATIVES
Choose healthy and veer away from food containing food colorants and additives, as some food chemicals are also related to depression. Some samples of additives include MSG, high fructose, sodium nitrite, nitrates, and salt.