According to the World Health Organisation over three hundred and fifty million people suffer from some form of depression. Depression disorders can range from mild to severe but regardless of what level of this illness you endure or for how long it is a debilitating disease when you are in its grasp. There are several treatments for depression including psychotherapy, Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors and even sometimes anti-psychic drugs but what if you could eat your way to happiness?
I am not purporting food can take the place of these other treatments, but I am suggesting certain foods can increase the chemicals in your brain such as serotonin and dopamine which help you feel joy. These foods do exactly what the drug treatments do which is raise the level of a deficient chemical in the body. If this is the case, is it then not possible for those suffering from depression to increase the level of these foods. Some people have reported after eating certain foods they were able to decrease the levels of their anti-depressant drugs. In the case of mild depression sometimes these foods have been the cure.
Serotonin is one chemical often found lacking in people who suffer from depression and serotonin is made from tryptophan which can be found in many foods. These food sources include turkey, pumpkin seeds, and pistachio nuts. This amino acid is also prevalent in legumes; one of the main sources being soya beans. Serotonin helps people relax and take their minds off their worries which in the case of mild depression can be one of the causes of their malady.
Dopamine is another chemical which needs to be raised if we want to feel good; this is the happiness hormone made from the amino-acid tyrosine which is found most commonly in protein. One of the highest sources of tyrosine for meat eaters is duck or if you want something a little less gamey chicken comes in a close second. Vegetarians or vegans can follow the Hannibal Lector route and have some fava beans with their meal or if legumes aren’t their cup of tea, then a nice bowl of oatmeal for breakfast would suffice. Increasing your levels of tyrosine in turn increases your levels of dopamine which in turn increases your feelings of happiness and wellbeing.
Even though food cannot cure cases of severe clinical depression it can certainly help limit the amount of drugs person may need to take. In milder cases it can be seen as an addendum to psychotherapy. If we all add a little more of these foods to our diets, what harm can it do? We might all walk away feeling a little happier, and a more joyful society is a good thing for us all.
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