Did you ever wonder why you are in a bad mood after munching some food? Perhaps, the food you just had is enough to put you in a bad mood.
According to registered dietician and sports nutritionist Emily Edison based in Seattle, there's plenty of research proving the food-mood connection.
Now, Meet Your Food Depressants.
Finer grains, higher risk of getting depressed according to a data from the Women's Health Initiative-which is tracking more than 70,000 women-the researchers found that the higher a woman's blood sugar rose after eating sugar and refined grains, the higher her risk of depression. In the study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the researchers also found the reverse to be true: A diet high in whole grains and produce actually lowers a woman's risk of depression.
Verdict: Start eating whole grains.
2. Sugar
A JAMA Psychiatry study found that brain inflammation was 30% higher in clinically depressed patients; another study published in the same journal found that patients with mild inflammation who took medication used to treat autoimmune or inflammatory diseases saw decreases in their depression symptoms.
Money they say is the root of all evil. But how about sugar?
It is sugar which is the root of a chronic inflammation.Choosing anti-inflammatory foods will lower your levels of chronic inflammation, which in turn can improve your mood.
Verdict: Stop the soda and so much of sugar intake.
3. Artificial sweeteners or Sugar Substitutes
A University of Northwestern Ohio study looked at the effect of aspartame (an artificial sweetener) on people with a history of depression and found that it significantly worsened symptoms. In fact, those symptoms got so bad that the study had to be stopped-some study participants actually developed suicidal thoughts. While aspartame did not cause depression in non-depressed study participants, there is some evidence that the artificial sweetener significantly reduces serotonin levels-the "happy" hormone-in the brain.
Verdict: Forget about artificial sweeteners.
4. Trans fats
Trans fat is considered by many doctors to be the worst type of fat you can eat. Unlike other dietary fats, trans fat - also called trans-fatty acids - both raises your LDL ("bad") cholesterol and lowers your HDL ("good") cholesterol.
Verdict: Avoid Transfat food like baked goods, snacks, fried food, fridge dough, nondairy creamer and margarine.
The British Journal of Psychiatry research surveyed at more than 3,000 people and found that those who ate the most processed food faced increased risk of depression, while those who ate the most whole foods had much lower odds.
Verdict: Say goodbye to your favorite breakfast cereals, cheese, tinned vegetables, bread, savoury snacks, such as crisps (Pringles!), fastfood, meat products, such as bacon."convenience foods", such as microwave meals or ready meals and soda.
Now that you know what depresses you, you can now decide to avoid eating them.
