Diet and depression share a love-hate relationship. Eating too much or too little can both be warning signs. A healthy balanced diet will help you keep your mind and body healthy. The Bengali diet is a typical fish and rice diet. When I was young I rarely appreciated my mom’s fish-rice staple menu.

Is gut health related to your mood swings? Recent research says yes.YOu will do well to listen to your gut and keep it healthy.

Typical  food patterns before depression

You will have a poor appetite or overeat (emotional eating)You will want to skip meals. Your sweet tooth will take the upper hand. Also when you skip meals, especially carbs you are more likely to suffer from mood swings. This is because your brain exclusively uses glucose (the building block of carbs) as energy

Top tips from nutritional neuroscience:

• Have fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
• Fruits and veggies are important to give you important water-soluble vitamins like vitamins B,C, folate.
• Vitamin B complex and folate are both important to prevent relapse after therapy with antidepressants.
• Check Vitamin D status and adjust the daily dose.
• Whole grain cereals and legumes
• Nuts like walnuts,almonds which are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acid
• Don’t skip carbs.
• Go for the low GI carbs and avoid sugar spikes.
• Proteins especially animal proteins are complete proteins and have all essential amino acids for your body to function. But skip processed meat as far as possible, because that’s where the danger of colon cancer and problems of altered gut flora lies.
• Your brain chemicals or neurotransmitters are proteins. These neurotransmitters help relay info. They are also responsible for your moods. Serotonin is the mood elevating neurochemical.9-% of Serotonin is released in the digestive tract and is responsible for the communication between your gut and the brain and is a responsible member of the Enteric nervous system. Yes, your gut is your second brain, and your vagus nerve which is the tenth cranial nerve, helps your digestive system, connects it to the brain, and is possibly behind the strange feeling in the pit of your stomach when your are anxious. You need tryptophan an amino acid to make this chemical. Where will you find tryptophan? High-quality proteins contain all the essential amino acids like in eggs,chicken, meat, and dairy. But remember moderation is key. Avoid processed food.
• Probiotics
• Minerals which are important: Calcium Iodine Chromium Iron Selenium Lithium

Now, this may go against all fad diet recommendations. But you do need certain food to function.

Most research will tell you your total diet quality is important. Food not only nourishes your body, it also nourishes your soul. Mood disorders like depression, anxiety, OCDs are influenced by your diet. Your diet will help your medicines. It will also play a role in deciding how much you are helped.

Whether you can be weaned off drugs and whether relapse is possible. Don’t ignore your food cravings and your food habits. They hold the key to your moods. Interestingly your gut microbes may be playing a role in influencing your moods. Its quite common that when your bowels are not moving, your mood is off.

There’s more to gut feeling than you previously thought. The gut has its nervous system which transmits to your brain(The brain is the big boss) Your gut microbes also may be releasing special neurotransmitters which affect how you feel. More reason to keep your gut populated by healthy probiotic organisms. This research is still in its early stages. But emerging trends make this an interesting possibility. What’s your diet tip to keep your mood up? Comment below to let me know.

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