The Top 5 Foods For Fighting Depression

Whether a gray winter that’s kept you stuck indoors has you going a bit stir crazy, you’re bummed out about a recent breakup, or you’re just having a hard time picking yourself up day after day, depression can hit with little warning, sapping your energy, making your favorite activities seem anything but enjoyable, and making it hard, if not impossible, to get yourself out of bed in the morning. While serious depression often requires treatment by a medical professional, if you’re eager to help boost your mood and get back on track toward a happier, more productive life, putting these depression-fighting foods can make a major difference.

 

Avocado:  While some claim that avocado toast is the root of millennials’ financial woes — the reason only a select few can grab a rung on the real estate ladder at desirable luxury buildings like 815 Tennessee —having a few slices of the stuff a week may help you cure those blues. In fact, research published in the academic journal Physiology & Behavior reveals that animal tests subjects fed a high-fat diet, like one rich in avocado, had less anxiety and depressive symptoms than those on high-protein or high-carb plans.

 

Tuna: Fill up on healthy omega-3-rich fish and you’ll kiss those blues goodbye before you know it. Research suggests that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish like tuna can help reduce inflammation throughout the body and research published in the Journal of Affective Disorders reveals that adding omega-3s to depressed patients’ diets helped relieve their symptoms. Fortunately, you don’t have to spend tons of money on pricy cuts of fish to enjoy this benefit; the canned stuff is loaded with omega-3s, too.

 

Coconut Oil: The most fashionable cooking oil is also one of the best foods for your mood. Coconut oil is a great source of monounsaturated fatty acids, which researchers at Yale University have found effective at improving symptoms of depression; they may even help you fight cognitive decline as you age.

 

Grapefruit: Start your morning with some grapefruit and you’ll not only be thinner, but happier. One study reveals that adults who started their meal with 4.5 ounces of grapefruit lost more weight than those who sipped water beforehand, and research conducted at Agnihotri College of Pharmacy in India reveals that the quercetin in grapefruit yielded significant mood-boosting effects in mice.

 

Coffee: That Starbucks pit stop is doing more than just boosting your energy level — it might just be boosting your mood, too. The results of a study published in the journal BehaviouralPharmacology reveals that animals given caffeine supplementation alongside their regular food had fewer symptoms of depression than their under-caffeinated counterparts. Just make sure you’resticking to one to two cups of coffee or caffeinated tea a day; ingesting more caffeine than that could have an anxiety-provoking effect.

You don’t have to let depression get the best of you. While this condition can be a bear to battle, having plenty of healthy foods on your menu can help you battle the blues before they become a serious issue you can’t shake. Fortunately, these tasty foods are one treatment that’s anything but hard to swallow.

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