Is Your Diet Bringing You Down?

Everyone knows that what you eat affects the way you look and feel physically but what you might not realize is the effect your diet can have on how you feel mentally and emotionally. A study presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s Annual Conference in April showed just how closely diet is linked to depression.
Part of the study showed that people whose diets consisted mostly of vegetables, fruit and whole grains and were low in saturated fats and sugar had lower rates of depression. People who followed a more traditional Western diet which is higher in saturated fats and red meats and lacking in vegetables and fruits were more likely to develop depression over time.

A different study published in Nutritional Neuroscience examined the effects eating a Mediterranean-style diet could have on people who are already suffering from depression. Amazingly as these people followed a diet based on vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, fish and olive oil, their symptoms of depression were drastically reduced. Yet another showed that as patients with moderate to severe depression replaced processed, refined foods, sweets and fried food with whole, natural, nutrient-rich foods over a 12 week period they experienced significantly fewer symptoms of depression.

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