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Depression - healing foods
Having suffered from depression for many years, I am gradually finding ways of keeping it at bay. Recently, I read how certain foods can boost the production of serotonin in the body to life the mood. Is this right and if so, which foods would help?
The brain makes serotonin, which controls sleep patterns as well as boosting mood, from an amino acid called tryptophan - so to boost your own levels of this brain chemical, you need to step up your dietary intake of tryptophan-rich foods. These include broccoli, chicken, fish, eggs, spinach, sweet potato, milk, nuts, soybeans, cauliflower, cottage cheese, and carrots.
Since tryptophan has to compete with several other amino acids for entry into the brain, you can tip the balance in its favour by eating more carbohydrates too. These trigger the pancreas to produce more insulin, which in turn depletes the bloodstream of precisely those amino acids that would otherwise compete with the tryptophan.
The synthesis of serotonin also requires large amounts of one of the anti-stress B vitamins. Vitamin B6, or pyridoxine, is water-soluble and excreted after eight hours and so must be replaced each day. Good food sources include brewer’s yeast (from healthstores), liver, kidney, and cabbage - but if you plan to take a supplement, take it as part of a B complex tablet.
Since you are no stranger to depression, you may also like to investigate a substance called Stabilium, an extract from Garum Armoricum, a giant blue fish found off the coast of Brittany. It is rich in protein, minerals, vitamins, and the Omega-3 essential fatty acids - and when tested against a placebo in clinical trials, it was shown to improve mood, motivation, and performance.
*Stabilium is now on sale as a supplement made by the Allergy Research Group. It costs £19.95 for 30 capsules. If not on sale at your own local healthstore, you can mail order supplies from The Nutricentre (0800-587 2290).