15 Foods To Avoid In Depression

Did you know that the food you eat might play a crucial role in triggering depression?

Let's start with what exactly is depression. It's very common to feel unhappy, sad, and despair while facing difficult and tough situations in life. When sadness interferes with your day-to-day activities and lifestyle and doesn’t allow you to live your life to the fullest, this is what we call depression. According to WHO, approximately 280 million people in the world have depression.

There are three components to a healthy life. These are diet, sleep, and exercise. In this article, we will focus on diet. If you feel down or have a low mood, this can be the reason you have to change your food habits and avoid food which can trigger depression. Let's now get into the 15 foods to avoid depression:

Caffeine

Not getting enough sleep can have a negative impact on your entire day. Drinking a cup of coffee at dinner might make it difficult for you to fall asleep, therefore, making your depression worse. Thus, an adult shouldn’t consume more than 400mg of caffeine in a day. How does caffeine affect depression? Caffeine only provides a temporary boost to the nervous system. As a result, people with depression may experience a more severe drop in their mood once the effects of the stimulant wear off. Therefore, people with depression should only consume caffeine in moderation.

Alcoholic drinks

Alcohol can worsen the symptoms of depression by influencing your drinking habits. Drinking alcohol more than water can have a negative impact on your health. Not to mention, how occasional consumption of alcohol can lead to binge drinking which can worsen depression. Regular, heavy drinking interferes with chemicals in the brain that are vital for good mental health. So while we might feel relaxed after a drink, in the long run, alcohol has an impact on mental health and can contribute to feelings of depression and anxiety, and make stress harder to deal with.

Heavily processed foods

Processed foods contain substances which are harmful to your body if you have too much. You might feel like you are eating yourself out of depression but you are actually making it worse. Examples of processed foods include packaged food and canned food. Results of the study, published in the journal Public Health Nutrition, showed that individuals who consumed the most ultra-processed foods as compared with those who consumed the least amount had statistically significant increases in the adverse mental health symptoms of mild depression.

Fried food

Eating fried food not only influences your mood but your overall health. A study found that eating fried food may increase the risk of depression. Another study found that the frequency of fried food consumption was associated with lower resilience to depression. This means that by consuming fried foods often, you're putting yourself at a higher risk of developing depression.

White bread

Another food found to increase the risk of depression is white bread. White bread is a processed food that can increase the risk of depression as well as obesity. White flour is highly processed and quickly turns into blood sugar after you eat it. This can cause energy spikes and crashes that can be bad for anxiety and depression.

Sugar and artificial sweeteners

Adding sugar to your diet to enhance flavor is unhealthy. A study found that men who consume a high sugar diet are more prone to depression. Surprisingly, artificial sweeteners—including aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal), saccharin (Sweet'N Low), and sucralose (Splenda)—can lead to chronically elevated insulin levels, according to studies, which raises your risk for depression, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, diabetes, and other health problems.

High sodium food

The WHO mentions that a high sodium diet can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke as well as cognitive decline. Canned meat and sausages are a few examples of foods that are high in sodium. The results suggest that consumption of foods high in sodium and low in potassium contributes to the development of depressive symptoms in early adolescence, and that diet is a modifiable risk factor for adolescent depression. Interventions focusing on diet may improve mental health in urban adolescents. Sodium consumption has also been linked to depression in some animals.

Hydrogenated oil or vegetable oil

These oils contain trans fat which has been shown to replace healthy oils in our body, thus worsening depression. Research has shown that hydrogenated oils/trans fats have been causally linked to increased depression and anxiety. Trans fats became common in the 1950s and are found in margarine, snack food, chips, packaged baked goods like muffins and crackers, and oils used to fry fast food.

Soda

A study in Australia found those who consumed soda every day were 60% more likely to suffer from depression, stress-related problems, and even suicidal thoughts. Another point to note is that consuming one to two cans of soda a day can increase your risk of diabetes by 26%. Like regular sodas, diet sodas have been linked to a higher risk of depression.

High fat dairy products

Adding heavy cream, butter, and full-fat cheese can enhance the taste of food but in the long term, it can affect your health negatively. Casein, a protein found in dairy products, can trigger the symptoms of depression. Researchers have also discovered that high levels of lactose in the intestines can interfere with tryptophan metabolism and serotonin levels. They concluded that lactose malabsorption may play a role in the development of depression. All this being said, it seems that dairy affects everyone differently.

Gluten

Gluten affects mental health in two ways: Gluten can affect the brain directly leading to cognitive issues. It can also affect physical health which can lead to stress. One theory suggests that an immune response to gluten may lead to depressive symptoms. Gluten can cause depression in people with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. Gluten intolerance may lead some people to experience a higher chance of developing symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Avoid genetically modified crops

Toxins in the soil can weaken the immune system, thus, should be avoided in depression. According to Dr. Samsel, yes. He explains: “Glyphosate disrupts tryptophan, an amino acid necessary for the production of serotonin."

Flesh food to be avoided

Everything should be consumed in moderation. Highly processed or red meat might be associated with the risk of depression. The results from our meta-analysis showed a significant association between red and processed meat intake and risk of depression.

Refined flour and refined grains

Intake of refined flour can trigger depression. We found a significant positive association between refined grains consumption, depression, and anxiety in women.

Energy drinks

Consuming energy drinks can lead to sleep problems which may trigger the symptoms of depression. A study on soldiers showed that soldiers who consumed energy drinks suffered from mental health problems more so than soldiers who didn’t consume energy drinks.