Depression has a long-term impact on a person’s life. While therapies and medications are immensely helpful in managing the conditions and its symptoms, proper lifestyle choices also play a vital role. This includes a healthy and balanced diet. There are some foods that alleviate depression symptoms and help in medications being effective. On the other hand, certain other foods can have a detrimental effect. Junk foods and sugary foods are some of the foods to avoid for depression. Here are other similar foods that must be cut back on.
Caffeinated beverages: Cutting back on caffeinated beverages is essential for managing depression. Coffee, soda, and energy drinks contain high percentages of caffeine. Drinking more than 400mg or four cups of caffeine-based drinks can be detrimental since it increases anxiety. Moreover, it disrupts a person’s sleep cycle. Both these factors can aggravate depression symptoms. This is why it is recommended to cut back on coffee and other beverages and have these in moderation or not at all.
Fries: Junk food, including fries, contains a lot of salt, carbs, and calories. These increase the body’s energy levels quite quickly, but it doesn’t carry for long, and the levels come crashing down almost instantly. This can trigger symptoms of depression. Moreover, fries, chips, pretzels, and many refined foods barely contain any nutrients. These can hardly provide the body with steady energy sources. Moreover, eating these foods in large quantities contributes to obesity, which worsens depression.
Alcoholic drinks: Drinking alcohol can throw off a person’s sleeping cycle. It may also aggravate anxiety symptoms. Additionally, it can severely affect one’s mood and cause mood swings. It may seem like that alcohol and alcohol-based drinks offer short-term relief. However, this does more harm than good. Furthermore, drinking alcohol-based drinks reacts adversely with one’s antidepressants. Aside from side effects, it can even stop the prescription medication from working effectively. Always consult a doctor to understand if complete abstinence is recommended or one can have alcohol in moderation.
Donuts: Sugary items including donuts, pastries, and candy are not recommended at all, and are must-avoid foods for depression patients. They are rich in trans fats., and can trigger anxiety, result in sleep issues, and cause irregular heart rhythms as well. Cakes, cookies, frostings, and crackers are also not advisable. Eating these in moderation once in a while is okay, but not on a regular basis.
Fruity juices: While whole fruits are rich in fibre, fruit juices are mostly just sugary water. These may contain some percentage of nutrients, but they are majorly made of sugars, including fructose and sucrose. Package fruits juices have more sugar than natural home-made ones. Drinking these can lead to oscillations in energy levels, making one unable to cope with the sudden changes. Also, constant shifts in energy levels can result in elevated hunger, anger, sadness, and moodiness. This can aggravate depression symptoms.
