Depression is a hard enough mental condition to deal with, so the last thing you want to do when going through depression is to eat foods that will worsen what you’re going through.
So in today’s article, we’ll be sharing with you the top 10 foods to avoid when going through a depressive episode. Welcome back to this YouTube channel. If you’re new to this channel, welcome and be sure to subscribe and check out our previous articles for more amazing content.
Foods influence our moods a lot. They can make us happy, sad, and even sexually aroused. So it’s no big surprise to discover that there are some foods that can worsen a depressive episode.
Here are 10 of those foods that you need to immediately cut from your diet:
1. Processed Oils
Asides it’s uncanny ability to increase your calorie count faster than you can say “Jack Robinson,” processed oils are an ingredient that you absolutely need to avoid. Not just for the sake of your physical health, but for the sake of your mental health as well.
Refined and saturated fats not only leave you feeling greasy after each bite, but can also trigger inflammation which worsens depression symptoms and impairs brain function.
Processed oils and saturated fats can be avoided by avoiding processed foods which carry trans-fat and corn oil, and safflower oil which carry a lot of omega-6 fatty acids, which are bad for you.
2. Soy sauce
Although an extremely tasty and flavourful sauce used to vamp up proteins and rice dishes, soy sauce isn’t particularly helpful in fighting or building resistance against depression.
One thing worthy of note though is the fact that soy sauce is advised against consuming during a depressive episode only if you are sensitive to gluten. If you are sensitive to gluten, consuming soy sauce can worsen the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Gluten is also known to promote sluggishness which is a symptom of depression, and adding gluten to your diet might greatly aggravate it.
So if you’re gluten sensitive and dealing with depression all at once, you may need to take soy sauce out of your pantry ingredients. You can replace it with other sauces such as oyster sauce or any other sauce, the world’s your oyster. Pun intended.
3. Dressing
Used mostly for an extra pump of flavour and to bring coleslaws together, light dressing can cause and trigger depressive bouts and increase the risk of them happening.
Prepackaged dressings sold in stores are the biggest culprits here. These prepackaged dressings usually contain an ingredient known as aspartame. Aspartame is an artificial sweetener linked to causing depression and anxiety.
Most light and sugar free dressings are sweetened by this artificial sweetener and you probably never knew! So to avoid an increase in depressive bouts and episodes and as well as embrace a healthier lifestyle, stop using dressing.
And if you must use dressing, then you might want to pull out those recipe books and whip up something of your own.
4. Ketchup
Seemingly one of the innocents on the list today, ketchup is actually a food to avoid when dealing with depression. We know you may be thinking, they’re just tomatoes, but what if we told you they aren’t as innocent as they appear?
Ketchups contain tomatoes and an awful amount of sugar which is detrimental to the brain and mental health. In each tablespoon of ketchup, there sits at least 4 grams of sugar!
This sugar is worse than regular sugar because it is laced with artificial sweeteners too which have been linked by many researchers to be a cause of depression.
5. Toast
An easy breakfast favorite adored by many around the world, toast is unfortunately regressive and a pretty bad breakfast choice for people dealing with depression.
If your toast is made with white bread, the white flour component in the bread quickly turns to sugar. This sugar gives you a momentary high in energy, which is great, but is immediately followed by a devastating crash that does lead to depression and anxiety.
6. Fruit juice
From its name you might think that fruit juice is just fruit that’s been juiced. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. The fruit juice sold today is just sugar-infused artificial flavoring.
To make them fit for commercial production, fruit juices are fitted with additives and minerals, some of which aren’t great if you have depression. Fiber is one of such additives.
An excess of fiber in the human body fills you up and slows down the body’s ability to take in energy or expend energy. One depression symptom is the lack of energy to do almost anything. So consistently introducing a mineral to the body that is known to slow down the body’s energetic performance, is not a great idea.
Besides, fruit juice can never provide the same level of nutrients real fruits and meals provide. So even after having a glass, you’ll still be hungry. And you know what they say, a hungry man is an angry man.
7. Caffeine
With the way people are quick to brew a pot of coffee to get a caffeine kick in the movies, you’d think that caffeine was capable of solving almost anything.
What you’d never expect to actually hear is that caffeine actually increases depression and the risk of depression. Caffeine, even though it provides a momentary high, can also trigger an anxiety episode, disturb sleep patterns, and worsen depressive bouts.
So decide now to avoid foods like coffee, tea and energy drinks, that are high in caffeine.
8. Fast food
Asides generally known for being unhealthy and an unsustainable diet pattern, fast food actually contributes immensely to increasing depression in a person already dealing with the condition.
One reason why this is so is because western dairy products, which contain tons of Omega-6 fatty acids and processed oils are found an awful lot in fast food. This increases your risk of depression compared to healthier dietary options.
To avoid further increasing your depressive bouts, stay away from fast foods, processed and canned foods, and packaged snacks.
9. Sodas
Sodas, either diet or not, are to be avoided while dealing with depression. Packed with tons of sugar and next to no nutrition to offer, sodas do nothing to help deal with depression. They only make it worse.
Sugar sweetened drinks and sodas in general cause body wide inflammation which affects the brain’s capacity to function optimally, including its ability to cope with depressive symptoms and stress.
So as much as you can, avoid sodas if you’re dealing with depression.
10. Alcohol
And at the top on the list of foods to avoid if you’re dealing with depression is alcohol. Alcohol is capable of creating the illusion of an escape from your troubles. Which is why most people pick up the bottle once they hit a rough patch to just forget about their problems.
But just before you take a shot, think of how horrible it is to sleep when you’ve had a lot of alcohol to drink. Now think about how much worse it’ll be when you’re depressed. Alcohol serves as a temporary high and release from the issues that come with dealing with depression. But in reality, it’s just a temporary fix that further worsens the real issue.
Alcohol is known to aggravate and trigger depressive episodes and bouts of anxiety. Alcohol can also lead to poor health and health complications. So it’s not just bad for your mental health, it’s bad for your physical health too.
Now that you know exactly what not to eat, be intentional about keeping a diet of happy foods.
