Foods to relieve depression and anxiety

There is no "magic food" that can directly cure depression and anxiety, but long-term adjustments to the diet, by supplementing specific nutrients and stabilizing the physiological state, can indeed be used as an effective auxiliary means in addition to psychological counseling and drug treatment, and can reduce the risk of mood disorders by up to 25%. This is the current consensus conclusion in the field of nutritional psychiatry around the world.

To be honest, the first reaction of many people when they feel emo is to order full-sugar milk tea or eat crispy fried chicken. At that time, the dopamine surges and they feel good. After two or three hours when the blood sugar drops, the feeling of emptiness and irritability will double. I have previously met a visitor from an Internet operation. During the 618 big sale, he relied on takeout of iced American style + heavy oil and salt for two consecutive weeks. After the project was over, there was no pressure at all, but he still woke up with palpitations every day and cried for no reason while sitting at the workstation. The evaluation was moderate anxiety and mild depression. Later, in addition to regular consultations, the first step was to adjust her diet. Within half a month, she told me that the feeling of "wet cotton pressing on her chest" was much lighter.

Before participating in a nutritional psychiatry salon, a nutritionist who has been a clinical nutritionist for ten years mentioned that the first step for 80% of her patients with mood disorders is to adjust the diet of deep-sea fish at least twice a week, such as frying a piece of salmon on weekends and making sardine and tofu soup on weekdays. It doesn’t need to be more, about 100 grams each time. There is sufficient evidence that Omega3 can reduce neuroinflammation and regulate the secretion of dopamine and serotonin. However, some scholars who do research on plant nutrition have expressed different opinions, saying that for vegetarians, supplementing about 1 gram of algae oil Omega3 every day, or eating 30 grams of crushed flaxseeds, is almost as effective as eating deep-sea fish. There is absolutely no need to break one's dietary principles for the so-called "anti-depressant effect", which will only increase anxiety.

"Eating blueberries every day to fight depression" was a hot topic on the Internet. There are indeed controlled experiments showing that subjects who ate 200 grams of blueberries every day for 8 weeks saw their anxiety levels drop by about 20%. However, some nutritionists poured cold water on it: If you are still drinking two or three cups of sugary milk tea and eating takeaways heavy in oil and salt every day, even eating a pound of blueberries is useless - the emotional ups and downs caused by large fluctuations in blood sugar have long since offset the effect of anthocyanins. I was rushing to report on a project a while ago, and I ate takeout every day for a week. It was really weird during that time. Even though there was nothing important, my nose would get sore every time I sat in front of the computer, and I couldn't help but want to drop the mouse. Later, I made special adjustments. In the morning, I cooked a small bowl of oats, sprinkled with a spoonful of chia seeds and a few blueberries. If I was hungry in the afternoon, I didn’t order milk tea. I grabbed a small handful of original almonds and added a small orange. In just three or four days, most of the feeling of “chest tightness and lack of energy” was gone. Don’t tell me, it was really useful.

What’s interesting is that more and more research is now focusing on the intestinal tract - after all, 90% of the serotonin in the human body is synthesized in the intestines, not the brain, so if the intestinal flora is disordered, the mood will not be much better. Therefore, many nutritionists recommend eating more fermented foods such as sugar-free yogurt, natto, and Korean kimchi. However, some people experience gas and acid reflux when eating fermented foods. There is no need to eat them forcefully. Eat more foods containing soluble dietary fiber such as okra, asparagus, and oats, which can be used as "rations" for the probiotics in the intestines. The effect is the same. There is another point that is easily overlooked: tryptophan needs a small amount of carbohydrates to cross the blood-brain barrier to synthesize serotonin, so drinking a cup of warm milk and a small piece of whole wheat cracker before going to bed is much more effective in promoting sleep and relieving anxiety than just eating a large piece of chicken breast.

Oh, by the way, there is another "emotion-regulating food" that is most easily overlooked by everyone, which is boiled water. Many people drink less than two glasses of water in a busy day. When they are chronically dehydrated, cortisol (what we often call the stress hormone) will quietly increase, making people prone to irritability and anxiety. Don’t always think about finding expensive “anti-depressant foods”. Drink enough 1.5-2 liters of warm water every day, which is more practical than anything else.

After all, there is really no need to make "emotion-relieving foods" too mysterious, and there is no need to force yourself to eat things you don't like. If you don’t like salmon, there’s no need to force yourself to eat walnuts and flaxseeds to supplement Omega3. ； If you are really stressed out and eating a piece of your favorite cream cake can help you relax, then just eat it without feeling guilty at all. After all, diet itself is the way you take care of yourself. Eating in a way that makes you feel comfortable and treated well is the best formula for relieving anxiety and depression.