6 Power Foods That Help Control Your Depression

How do you like the idea of controlling your depression by adjusting what you eat? And what if we told you there are some foods that will improve your natural defenses against depression? Hopefully this article will help you realize that changing your diet is an important part of fighting against depression!

Start eating the following foods regularly, and you'll soon gain extra momentum in your quest towards improved life quality and all around lightheartedness.

Fish Oils

Not only do the healthy Omega-3 fatty acids which are found in fish are good for your physical well-being, but these natural fish oils have also been found to help alleviate feelings of depression and anxiety. Seafood with a high content of Omega 3 includes Trout, Sardine, Tuna, Anchovy, Salmon, Herring, Sable-fish and Whitefish, just to name a few... which means you don't have to keep eating the same fish over and over again, to experience positive reactions.

Whole Grains

Unrefined oats can be very helpful in regulating your sugar levels, and by direct association - your moods and mental stability. They also contain Folic acid and vitamins B6 and B1, which are regarded as mood-enhancing substances; whole grains are much healthier than refined grains like white flour, so you should do your best to substitute one for the other.

Cabbage

A great source of fibers, Folic acid and Vitamin C - all of which are of great help against stress, as well as in helping regulate your blood levels. If you start looking for new ways to include cabbage in your diet, you'll be amazed with the possibilities: asides from just cooking soup and stews, you can stir-fry cabbage or even use it as the base ingredient in salads.

Cocoa

There's a good chance you've already noticed that chocolate sometimes works as a mild anti-depressant. The problem is usually how most type of chocolate has high content in sugar, and not so much in cocoa (which is the active ingredient than actually helps your cause). For best results, you should favor darker chocolates, or even pure cocoa to use in recipes or put in your milk. The flavor is a bit stronger than regular chocolate and may take some getting used to, but its effects will be much better for you.

Nuts

Brazil nuts, Peccan nuts, Walnuts, Almonds, Peanuts, Hazel, Cashew nuts... there are very rich in Magnesium, a mineral that is essential to keep the body and mind in balance. Low levels of Magnesium in the body are known to trigger depressive moods, and people are often prescribed Magnesium supplements to help with that. No need for such, as long as you eat some nuts on a regular basis.

Brown Rice

With high fiber contents, trace amounts of different minerals, vitamins supply and low glycemic content, brown rice is a power food that you should try to use instead of processed white rice. Like many of the other foods in this list, it will help stabilize your blood sugar levels - thereby contributing to your physical as well as mental well-being. 

Deconstructing the Taboo of Depression

Do you know what is the greatest challenge that depressive patients most endure? You may be surprised that it's not the condition in itself that poses the most grief, but rather how we relate with it. Don't take us wrong: this is not to say that dealing with depression is a walk in the park - it isn't, not by a long shot. But we do believe it wouldn't be quite as challenging if there wasn't as much prejudice and ill-conceived towards people who happen to suffer from depression.

For some reason, most people still have a completely archaic view of depression and its implications, even though we live in a supposedly modern and advanced soiety. For most, admitting they have depression related problems is akin to admitting they have mental issues... which in turn equates with being regarded as somewhat of a lesser human being. As result of this overarching issue, most people who struggle with depression will refuse to even consider seeking help (or even to admit they have troubles) until the situation has grown completely out of their control, leading to a full scale mental break down, or worse.

Depression is much more common that you imagine

Statistics in this area are rather appealing  with most specialists suggesting that as many as 20-25% of all adults standing a highly likely chance to endure a bout of mental illness every passing year! In this moment in history, as many as 75% of us know someone who suffers from depression or other mental illnesses!  The prescription of anti depressants has been rising at an alarming rate, doubling at roughly every decade. In fact, the World Health Organization has suggested that if the current pattern is maintained .. within one or two decades depression will grow to become more worrying and destructive than serious physical sicknesses such as HIV!

You can read all of these  facts, as well as the life story of a regular man whose life was nearly wrecked by depression, in this fascinating article originally published in the Guardian. Hopefully this will offer some perspective and relief, if you're an "in the closet" depression patient  who's fearful of seeking help due to the possible (and mostly imaginary) implications of doing so.

Read on, and rest assured that one of the most important attack fronts in the worldwide treatment of depression is not related to the development of new treatments and pharmaceuticals, but rather on the deconstruction of lingering social taboos that remain all too common, pertaining to anyone afflicted with depression.

Congratulations, Now You're Basically Unhappy! (Cartoon)

And that is the cold hard truth! You know... the thing about depression is that it really messes up your perspective on life. It will make you feel as though nothing is worth living for, as though even the best things in life are futile and/or completely out of your reach. While enduring a depressive state, you'll find it hard to cope with troubles, or motivate yourself to advance in your career, or to simply get out of bed in the morning... because nothing is worth it. But you want to know a secret? 

Nothing is really worth it unless you make it count... that's regardless of whether you're depressed or fully happy and adjusted. Life has many challenges and difficulties waiting around every corner, and your spirit will be twisted and trampled every step along the way. But here's the good news: when you manage to keep your depression under control, you'll be able to embrace difficulties rather than fearing them! You'll get stronger with every adversity you vanquish, and you'll learn to take the good with the bad. 

Overcoming depression has nothing with embracing a fluffy-happy version of reality. It's all about accepting the world for what it is, full of duality and contrast, sound and fury. Without depression holding you back, you'll learn to see life for what it is: a perfect roller-coaster. 

Known Risk Factors For Developing Major Depression Disorder

If you've been following this blog for some time, at this point you probably realize how depression is a complex disease that works on many levels of your being. As such, it's not possible to pin point an exact cause for major depression disorder; rather, it's more likely a confluence of risk factors that ultimately triggers this sickness. For anyone wondering exactly which risk factors are at play, this article will try to provide a general overview. You should also read this complimentary article discussing the known causes of depression in more detail.

Known risk factors leading to clinical depression

Having endured traumatic experiences of any kind during your childhood

Having blood relatives who have had problems with depression

Being female(women are twice as likely to develop depression issues)

Giving Childbirth (or in males, experiencing feelings of distress over parenthood)

Enduring through highly stressful/traumatic life events without adequate support

Living a sad, isolated life, with few close friends or confidants

Having experienced intense depression earlier in your life

Being diagnosed with a severe, terminal and/or chronic disease

Substance abuse/overuse issues (whether it's alcohol, illegal drugs, pharmaceutics or others)

Some medications may trigger depression as a secondary side effect

Negative personality traits such as low self-esteem, over-dependence or pessimism

What if you have several risk factors for depression?

Just because you have one or several of the risk factors, it doesn't necessarily mean that you will suffer from depression. However, it means that you should be more attentive to depressive moods -- and seek help if you find those moods tend to be persistently overwhelming. Also... if you already suffer from depression, just understanding these risk factors that you're subjct to will help improve your odds of recovery, even if they are factors that can't exactly be cured. Remember: asides from getting help from a professional, one of the best courses of action you can take to overcome your depression is to try and understand why you suffer from it; from the seeds of understanding, one day the flowers of healing will blossom.