Fighting Depression With Nutrition

Did you know that more than 120 million people worldwide suffer from depression? I find it very depressing statistic. Fortunately, depression can cope with appropriate dietary habits. So, what is depression? Depression is one of the most common mental disorders that are depressed mood, loss of pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-esteem, disturbed sleep or appetite, poor concentration and low energy levels. Depression can become chronic or recurrent condition or lead to significant disturbances in one's ability to care for his or her daily tasks. Unfortunately, about 850,000 people die each year because of depression related circumstances.There five main types of depression:

major depression.

Major depression is all around us. When someone is experiencing symptoms of major depression such as sadness, loss of interest or pleasure in activities that each one may once have enjoyed, weight gain / loss, under / over sleeping, low self-esteem and thoughts of death or eventual suicide.

dysthymia.

People who are slightly reduced during most days of the week tend to have dysthymia. This condition is closely associated with depression but more mild, and not as severe.

seasonal affective disorder.

Some people experience a milder type of depression during certain times of the year. Most occurrences of this type of depression occurring during the winter might do to the lack of sunlight, which causes a lack of vitamin D and other related issues.

Postpartum Depression.

Many women experience this form of depression within the first few months of birth. The symptoms are eerily similar to those of depression and often interfere with the mother wants to take care of themselves and a new baby.

bipolar disorder.

This type of depression is most often used in films depicting someone who is happy and angry with one another in addition to others. Such a bipolar view of it is taken to the furthest extremes. Having this condition can have subtle symptoms such as feeling depressed every other day.

So, what causes depression? This is usually caused by an imbalance of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters, particularly serotonin, dopamine, noradrenaline, and gamma-aminobutyric acid. These imbalances are caused by a number of factors.

Fortunately, providing your body with proper nutrition, symptoms of depression can be minimized. Any individual who wants to fight depression should include foods rich in tryptophan, zinc, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids. These nutrients can be obtained through dietary supplements from a local supplement store, pharmacy, or online. Here are the following nutrients needed to combat depression:

Vitamin D

Vitamin D can be obtained from fish oil, cow's milk, soy milk, orange juice, and mushrooms. These foods may have anti-inflammatory properties increase the flexibility of cell membranes and assists neurotransmitters in the brain to work properly.

tryptophan rich foods.

sources of tryptophan include turkey, chicken, lamb, beef, dairy products, spelled, nuts, soy, tuna, beans, and salmon. Tryptophan is an amino acid that can help produce good feelings and to promote better sleep.

Omega-3 rich foods.

Omega-3 rich foods.

folate rich foods.

Sources of folate include beans, orange juice, nuts, spinach, avocado, and wheat germ. Low levels of folate are also associated with poor performance of the brain and depression.

Foods rich in zinc.

sources of zinc are oysters, chicken, cheddar cheese, yogurt, beans, basil, beef, pumpkin seeds, and fortified cereals. The study showed depressive behavior associated with low zinc intake.

Although the above is important to include in one's diet to prevent depression must also avoid consuming trans fats, saturated fats, high glycemic foods and alcohol. Also, avoid low-carb and high protein diets and skipping meals.

Following these dietary suggestions will be several steps closer to a depression free. Remember, nutrition is not the only way to combat depression. You must use all methods available to combat this chronic condition sometimes. Always tell your doctor before significant changes in your diet.