Decrease anxiety and depression with food

[FitChick]

There are plenty of people who try to cure their anxiety and depression with food by overeating the wrong foods and getting fat, which only increases anxiety and depression.

 

You need to add SPECIFIC foods containing GABA to your diet. This article tells you which ones and why they work. I am posting the list on my refrigerator as a reminder.

[Forever Learning]

I will read this later when I get a chance to do so without interruption. Being that you have posted it, I'm sure it's a good one, so thank you in advance. I'm serious! I'll check it out a bit later and report back.

[Forever Learning]

I wrote a long response earlier but it was lost. In a nutshell, that article is awesome. I have green tea supplements, and am going to drink more almond milk in the future, to get plenty of L-Theamine. Same deal for my kids. This is really great information, thank you so much!

[JohnM]

Keep meaning to pick up more almonds, but nuts as so bloody expensive. Just bananas for me for now!

[tbf]

Be careful of increasing GABA rich food intake when under 25. It acts like an excitatory within a developing brain.

[quankanne]

interesting topic ~ I was listening to John Tesh the other day on the way to work, and he said raw spinach and kale (I think sunflower seeds, too?) are wonderful for putting specific nutrients back into your blood chemistry and help lifting a bluesy mood. I'll buy that ~ I felt perkier eating spinach salads over the course of a week, not sure why, but I did. So, off to get more and to boil up some eggs for a 1-2 good eatin' salad for dinner.

[whichwayisup]

One thing I would leave out of that is the whole wheat. Many people, including those who suffer from anxiety, have wheat allergies. I don't eat half as much wheat as I used to and I can feel the difference. Try whole grain and other breads or foods that contain no wheat. It's amazing how what we put into our bodies can affect us so much! Both in a positive and negative way.

 

http://www.sheknows.com/health-and-wellness/articles/811121/healthy-foods-that-boost-happiness

[SmithWood]

Thanks a lot pertaining to these kinds of wonderful posting & article, Very beneficial with regard to lifestyle.

[TaraMaiden]

What really peees me off, is that all the so-called comfort foods are supposedly bad for you. Cakes, chocolate, pizza, burgers, crisps....

It's really infuriating!

 

I mean, how many times have you ever heard anyone say - "Mmmm, feeling like a good snack right now - gee, i could murder a carrot!"....?

[FitChick]

Dark chocolate is good for you so feel free.

[Airborne]

Do you feel anxious and depressed?

[TaraMaiden]

Dark chocolate is good for you so feel free.

 

Dark chocolate gives me migraines.

[Els]

Interesting, thanks. I'm already a huge green tea drinker - the bf and I go through one pack of 20 sachets in like a week. The only issue I have with most of the foods on the list is that they're pretty high calorie, so people should be careful with adding those into their diet. Walnuts, almonds, etc are great, but they have the highest caloric indices ever, higher even than traditionally 'bad' foods like cake, ice cream, and hamburger.

[TaraMaiden]

You don't 'add' necessarily. You replace. And moderate the volume eaten.

[neveragain34]

Interesting, thanks. I'm already a huge green tea drinker - the bf and I go through one pack of 20 sachets in like a week. The only issue I have with most of the foods on the list is that they're pretty high calorie, so people should be careful with adding those into their diet. Walnuts, almonds, etc are great, but they have the highest caloric indices ever, higher even than traditionally 'bad' foods like cake, ice cream, and hamburger.

 

The high calorie foods you mentioned are low on the glycemic index. I follow the paleo diet for the most part and calories aren't really a factor; sugar is the culprit of weight gain. (BTW, I have seen great results in combining paleo with my crossfit workouts. You should consider it if you are trying to lose weight. I am doing it for the health benefits at this point and also to maintain my healthy weight.)

 

Many of the foods mentioned in the article are paleo-friendly. Thanks for sharing.

[Els]

calories aren't really a factor; sugar is the culprit of weight gain.

 

Want to quote scientific sources for this? Pretty sure calories in vs calories out is a pretty big factor in weight gain/loss.

 

I'm not saying paleo can't work, but the reason it works might be different from what you're thinking. Not all calories are equal, yes, and some are 'better' than others health-wise. But calories still do matter, and plenty of people make the mistake of going crazy on nuts, grains, muesli, etc, while not realizing that their calories out is not making up for it.

Edited March 24, 2013 by Elswyth

[neveragain34]

Want to quote scientific sources for this? Pretty sure calories in vs calories out is a pretty big factor in weight gain/loss.

 

I'm not saying paleo can't work, but the reason it works might be different from what you're thinking. Not all calories are equal, yes, and some are 'better' than others health-wise. But calories still do matter, and plenty of people make the mistake of going crazy on nuts, grains, muesli, etc, while not realizing that their calories out is not making up for it.

 

Yes, calories matter, but if you eat sugar rich foods such as cookies because they contain less calories than a healthier option that has higher calories, your body will still crave the nutrients found in the healthier option and you will not be satisfied; therefore you will eat more, more than you would have eaten if you just opted for the healthier option from the beginning.

[neveragain34]

This explains what I was trying to convey:

 

Lose Weight by Cutting Out Simple Sugar, from Dr. Oz

[Els]

Yes, calories matter, but if you eat sugar rich foods such as cookies because they contain less calories than a healthier option that has higher calories, your body will still crave the nutrients found in the healthier option and you will not be satisfied; therefore you will eat more, more than you would have eaten if you just opted for the healthier option from the beginning.

 

Oh, yes, I agree with this.

 

What I was trying to say was that calories still do matter, so people wanting to lose weight will want to bear that in mind when considering a diet rich in nuts.