What You're Eating May Be Causing You to Be Depressed

Transform Your Mood with Better Eating Habits

A wise person understands, like the shades of gray that exist between black and white, there lies many possibilities on the spectrum of two extremes. This goes into stating that a feeling of depression can be experienced at many levels. But, the bubbling questions are, how are you responding to those sensations emoted from your body? Are you taking note of the potential causes or are you just riding the wave of your hormonal rollercoaster? Everything that is felt we can thank our nervous system for. It is responsible for every sensory our body encounters, as well as how we respond (voluntarily and involuntarily). Our neuro-emotional responses react to everything encountered by our senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch). These are the 5 ways our body consumes and through those senses is the brain collects data from the world that surrounds us to create perception.

In current times, the mass population of all ages are suffering from overconsumption of unhealthy substances which are disrupting and overloading the body’s systems- causing us to feel sluggish, brain fog (unclear thoughts), overwhelmed, stressed and unfocused. Our neuro-emotional responses to diet involve the what's known as the gut-brain axis ‘the body’s command center’. This is how substance intake directly impacts neuro(nerve)-transmitters that affect our hormone levels and brain reward pathways, consequently effecting our mood. Let's discuss three main food groups acting as silent agents to a depressed state:

1. Consumption of processed foods. Processed foods are foods that we consume which are not in its natural state. It undergoes a process that is often accompanied by chemicals to preserve or to improve taste and/or texture. This type of food is generally prepackaged ranging from minimal to heavily (ultra)-processed with selections from sweet to savory, refrigerated to shelved. The issue with this type of food is, they possess little to no nutrients with hormonal disrupting ingredients and have high calories causing irritability, anxiety, mood swings.

2. Consumption of simple sugars. Simple sugars are considered fast acting sugars that typically cause blood sugar spikes due to the form in which it is consumed. It’s your candy, your pastries, your juices and smoothies, the carbs with no fiber. The danger with sugar is that it mimics the same neuropathways as addictive drugs which is why the body responds similarly with crashes, cravings, and withdrawal symptoms. Don't be decieved, high sugary foods along with high-cholesterol diets can temporarily boost mood but often lead to emotional lows.

3. Consumption of a high-fatty foods. Last but not least are the burgers, the pizza, and the fried foods (chicken, fries, etc.) that we all love. These are high in saturated fat and accompanied with a high triglyceride count (fats from carbs). The body experiences it like that fun night that involved lots of drinking and ending with a nasty hangover. Yeah it brought the relief and dopamine highs in the moment but it also came with a low that seems difficult to shake, so that you can move on with your day. Individuals who have been diagnosed with mood swings that involve depression, anxiety, and fatigue have bee commonly associated with a high fat-food diet.

These (3) food groups lead to unstable blood sugar, insulin, cortisol, and dopamine levels which not only dysregulate your body’s symptoms but consequently wreaks havoc on your neuro-emotional responses. The body does not run well this type of low-grade (cheap) fuel. Bring order back to your body by choosing premium-grade ‘fuel’. It will be a bumpy ride in the beginning, but the consistent investment will pay off in the long run.

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