Vegetarian Diet
A balanced vegetarian diet can be super healthy
The Carbohydrate Connection
The carbohydrate connection to more upbeat moods is not news. There are plenty of edibles besides sugary sweets, caffeine and alcohol that are capable of producing positive shifts in our mood, mental function and overall energy levels without compromising well-being over the long haul.
Healthy carbohydrates like fruits, vegetables and grains that provide powerful nutrients instead of empty calories can lift your sagging spirits for longer periods of time than sweet treats. Studies have shown that diet and nutrition play significant roles in the prevention of depression and its clinical treatment.
Research on the effects of serotonin levels (a chemical messenger in the brain that causes positive changes in attitude and behavior) suggests that both simple carbohydrates (candy, cookies, honey) and complex carbs (whole grains and most of the vegetables) can relieve tension, anger and fatigue.
Higher serotonin levels can increase feelings of calmness or drowsiness, improve sleep patterns, increase pain tolerance, and reduce cravings for other carbohydrate rich foods.
Serotonin is involved in regulating physical functions such as eating and energy balance, and emotional functions like mood and energy levels. These phenomena vary across the seasons and the molecular background for why this happens was previously unknown. For this study, Dr. Jeffrey Meyer and his team used a world-leading positron emission tomography (PET) technology (originally created at CAMH by Dr. Alan Wilson) to detect these seasonal variations in serotonin transporter binding (the process that removes serotonin) in the living human brain and correlations between serotonin binding and duration of daily sunshine.
As Dr. Meyer explains, this is “an important lead in understanding how season changes serotonin levels. This offers an explanation for why some healthy people experience low mood and energy in the winter, and why there is a regular reoccurrence of depressive episodes in fall and winter in some vulnerable individuals. The next steps will be to understand what causes this change and how to interfere with it.”
References:
Increased Seasonal Variation in Serotonin Transporter Binding in Seasonal Affective Disorder
Food, mood and health: a neurobiologic outlook
Linking What We Eat to Our Mood: A Review of Diet, Dietary Antioxidants, and Depression
Recommended reading:
Food and Mood: Second Edition, The Complete Guide To Eating Well and Feeling Your Best by Elizabeth Somer
Healthy Eating
Healthy eating is a lot more delicious than you may have thought...Did You Know?
Carbohydrates (literally hydrates of carbon) are chemical compounds which act as the primary biological means of storing or consuming energy; other forms being via fat and protein. Relatively complex carbohydrates are known as polysaccharides.
The simplest carbohydrates are monosaccharides, which are small straight-chain aldehydes & ketones with many hydroxyl groups added, usually one on each carbon except the functional group.
Other carbohydrates are composed of monosaccharide units, and break down under hydrolysis. These may be classified as disaccharides, oligosaccharides, or polysaccharides, depending on whether they have 2, several, or many monosaccharide units.
Balanced dietary patterns such as the Mediterranean diet and certain foods such as fish, fresh vegetables, and fruits have been associated with a lower risk of depression or depressive symptoms, while high-fat Western diets and sugar-sweetened beverages have been associated with higher risk of depression or depressive symptoms.
Dietary antioxidants such as green tea polyphenols or isoflavonoid intake have been negatively associated with depression or depressive symptoms. It is concluded that diet patterns, specific foods, and antioxidants play important roles in the prevention and clinical treatment of depression.