Which came first: diet or depression?

Good food means good mood? Do you really believe that? Well, I do! And since we are getting more and more scientific proofs of food-mood connection, I wonder, how we can implement that to an actual support of our mental well-being 🤔

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It leads us to depression and some bad news: science hasn't discovered a dietary cure for depression yet. Although, recent research articles state that eating nutrient-rich foods will definitely help in improving depression symptoms.

🍎 Carbohydrates are linked to the mood-boosting neurotransmitter - serotonin. Sometimes carb cravings may be related to low serotonin levels. It doesn't mean you have to start pigging out on chocolate though. Choose complex carbohydrates, like whole grains, vegetables, fruits, rice and legumes.

🍎 Some foods like salmon, tuna, milk, oatmeal, pumpkin seeds and eggs contain tryptophan - an amino acid that is important for the production of serotonin.

🍎 Make sure you include protein source in each meal. It will surely help you to boost your energy. Good sources of protein include, among others, fish, seafood, yogurt, lentils, beans, quinoa, eggs, nut butter and tofu.

🍎 Another important aspect in treating depression is, of course, fish oil or OMEGA-3. The OMEGA-3 fatty acids found in fish maintain the brain through communication between brain cells. Studies suggest that either a deficiency of OMEGA-3 or an imbalance in the ratio of OMEGA-3 and OMEGA-6 fatty acids in the brain is linked to increased rates of depression. It makes the OMEGA-3 a quite good addition to antidepressant therapy.

🍎 After all, following Mediterranean “diet” is associated with much lower risk of depression.

Remember, everything is about balance and mindset, with food being an essential part of it. As long as it will be good food, your mental health will be improving.

Cheating on a mental health or why cheat days are a bad idea 🤨

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Food must provide nourishment and enjoyment. That's a fact. Now imagine that you’ve been eating fruits, oatmeal and tuna salad for six days in a row. Yes, you body is happy: you provided it with essential nutrients. In turn, it produced much more energy 😌 Seems perfect, right?

Now, what about the mind? 👀 You told yourself that your favourite French crepes are harmful. From now on you are going to eat them only on special occasions. Let's wait until birthday, New Year or when everything will be settled (and it is not just about crepes 🙃).

If you treat you favourite food as a bad choice, you won't feel any joy tasting it, even during those special occasions.

There is another important aspect 👇 At the end of the week, we all need to unwind, which also means (for some of us) eating whatever we want. And here comes the cheat day followed by a nasty guilt. Because you see, cheat days tend to make us believe that diet is all or nothing, and there's no middle ground. You rather succeed following the instruction … or you fail.

What we have to understand is that life happens. Sometimes circumstances require a glass of wine (or a bottle) to get rid of stress 🍷. And that's completely okay. We don't need any instructions to cultivate guilt inside.

Guilt isn't the worse what could happen though. Obsession with “healthy” eating may lead to extreme anxiety and mental health issues known as orthorexia nervosa.

So, instead of punishing yourself for eating crepes for dinner, think about it as something that makes you feel good ❤️

Food adventure or why is trying new foods makes us happier

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Trying new things could be very scary. And very rewarding. So why is trying new foods makes us happier? Lets get to it!

🧩 Better mood. Your excitement might be bigger when you try things you were afraid of 😉

🧩 Discovering favourite food. How do you know what is your favourite unless you have tried as much as possible of available options? 🥗

🧩 Using the most creative way of adding more nutrients to your diet. People who are open to eating different kinds of food, usually have diets that are richer in nutrients 😌

🧩 Experiencing richness of various cuisines all over the world 🌍 Each culture is a result of centuries of experimenting and innovations. How could you say “no” to this?!

🧩 Bringing people together. Food helps us meet new people. Imagine how cool it would be to bound over delicious food you try! 💜