Nutritional Therapies

Avoid Junk Food & Pastries

Eating fast food and pastries can increase your chances of having depression by 51%, which is a good indication that eating poor quality food, and failing to eat good food, can help to cause or cure the symptoms of depression. See Fast Foods & Pastries Linked To Depression.

Control Your Blood Sugar

Too much sugar is toxic to the body and the brain, and if a significant part of your diet consists of sugary drinks and sweet snacks your blood sugar balance may be out of control, which can lead to metabolic syndrome, diabetes and unstable mood and energy problems. Controlling your blood sugar levels is important in recovering from depression and may be a contributing factor adding to the cause of depression. Carbohydrates, such as sugars and starches are responsible for much of the poor health conditions afflicting Western society and understanding carbohydrates is important for the healthy of your body and mind. See Carbohydrates Information.

Balance Your Fats

Certain fats are essential for the correct functioning of the body and brain, and the typical Western diet is lacking in the essential fats and misguided health campaigns have promoted low fat diets and the wrong balance of fats for body and brain health. It is important to eat more Omega-3 fats and less Omega-6 fats to bring the balance of these two essential fats into balance. Fish oil supplements can help.

Proteins Boost Brain Neurotransmitters

Proteins are essential for body and brain health, and out of all the essential amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein, there are certain ones which are needed for the production of neurotransmitters in the brain. These neurotransmitters are the chemicals which pass nerve impulses from one nerve to another and a lack of certain neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, noradrenaline (norepinephrine) and dopamine are associated with depression, low mood and lack of motivation.

Serotonin, 'the happiness chemical' is made from tryptophan. Tryptophan is an amino acid, and rich sources of it are fish, turkey, chicken, cheese, beans, raw nuts and seeds, tofu, oats and eggs, so make sure you are eating enough of these. Tryptophan is the most heat sensitive amino acid, and cooking reduces its availability. Tryptophan is also unusual in that it needs insulin to transport it effectively into the brain. Insulin is released by eating carbohydrate, so eating some carbohydrate at the same time as the protein containing tryptophan is important, so something like a baked potato with cottage cheese and a tuna salad is ideal. Tryptophan supplements of 1-3 grams were successfully used as a treatment for depression until a disaster in 1989 when a genetically modified yeast was used in it's manufacture, which contained a toxic by-product and lead to it being banned as a product. This has now been relaxed and low dose supplements up to 220mg can now be sold, but you need to take a lot of these to get up to the therapeutic dose. However, the body produces an intermediate chemical between tryptophan and serotonin, called 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan), which is much more convenient to take as a supplement.

Dopamine a 'motivation chemical'  is made from tyrosine. Tyrosine is an amino acid produced in the body from the essential amino acid phenylalanine in food proteins. Tyrosine is found in fish, soy products, poultry, meat, eggs, dairy products, beans, whole oats, and many nuts and seeds. Supplementing with tyrosine can be useful in some forms of depression. Tyrosine is also essential for the production of thyroid hormones, and low levels of thytoid hormones produce a lack of energy.

Noradrenaline (Norepinephrine) is another 'motivation chemical' is made from dopamine, which is made from tyrosone. Supplementing with tyrosine can be useful where you have a lot of stress in your life, and are producing a lot of noradrenaline and adrenaline. Also when you are using a lot of stimulants, such as drinking a lot of caffeine, smoking; or when eating a lot of sugary things, or drinking a lot of alcohol.

Methylation, B Vitamins & SAMe

Methylation is a very important biochemical process which is important for brain and body health. This process is involved in the production of the neurotransmitters serotonin, noradrenaline (norepinephrine) and melatonin, a hormone which regulated sleep patterns. Folic acid, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, vitamin B2, (See B VItamins), magnesium and zinc are all essential for methylation to work properly, and a deficiency of any one of these reduces the efficiency of methylation which is associated with depression. 

SAMe (S-adenosyl-methionine) is the main chemical involved in the process of methylation, and SAMe supplements are effective in relieving some forms of depression associated with poor methylation. SAMe has been classed as a medicine in Europe and so is not available for sale, and must be prescribed by a doctor. However, as it is a natural product which cannot be patented, nobody will pay the very high fee to license it as a medicine, so it just isn't available. The only way around this is to but it from outside Europe through the internet, as it is legal to but it in this way for your own personal use. It is readily available in the US.

Your homocysteine level is a measure of the efficiency of your methylation process, and a high homocysteine level is associated with an increased risk of death from all causes, including heart attacks, stroke and cancer. Your homocysteine level is one of the most useful indicators of your overall health, but is not routinely measured in the UK. You can measure this yourself with a home test kit. Homocysteine is methylated to SAMe, so supplementing with SAMe does not reduce your homocysteine level, even though it improves methylation overall, so it can only be regarded as a temporary solution to poor methylation.

Mineral Deficiencies

Deficiencies of magnesium, zinc and chromium have been associated with poor brain function and depression. Magnesium and zinc are involved in methylation.

Chromium has been shown to be useful in atypical depression, and is also useful in controlling your blood sugar levels.

Vitamin D Deficiency

Low levels of vitamin D have been associated with depression and low mood. Vitamin D is produced by the action of sunlight on vitamin A in the skin. In the UK we are generally deficient in vitamin D because of low sunlight exposure and a fear of getting skin cancer by exposure to the sun. Such low levels of vitamin D also increase our risk of many other health problems. Increasing our safe exposure to the sun or taking vitamin D supplements improves our mental and physical health. See Vitamin D & Sunlight Exposure for more information.

Food Allergies

Food allergy and food intolerance can be associated with depression, low mood, poor concentration, insomnia, nervousness and feelings of anxiety or anger. Food allergies alone have been able to produce severe depression in susceptible individuals, which is relieved by removing the problem foods from the diet.

Food allergies product IgE antibodies and produce an immediate reaction, which can be severe. Milk, nuts such as peanuts, fish and shellfish, eggs, wheat and soy can all produce true food allergies. These true allergies producing IgE antibodies are accepted by doctors, and are treated seriously.

Food intolerances produce IgG antibodies and produce a delayed reaction which can be mild. Many common foods can produce this reaction. Unfortunately, such food intolerances are not readily accepted by doctors as either existing, or being relevant to mind and body health. Nutritionists, on the other hand, take such reactions seriously. Food intolerances can be tested for at home using a YorkTest, which measures IgG levels in a pinprick of blood.

Probiotics

Having the right balance of good bacteria in the gut is important for mind and body health. These good bacteria are responsible for maintaining the immune response in the gut, which is a vital for the correct functioning of the immune system of the whole body. Poor Western diets can tip the balance in favour of bad bacteria, and a healthy, balanced diet encourages good bacteria. The immune system in the gut sends signals to many organs in the body, including the brain, and such signals are important for mind and body health.

Probiotics are supplements of good bacteria which help to increase the population of good bacteria in the gut, and in some cases have been shown to improve depression.

References

1. The Feel Good Factor: 10 Proven Ways To Boost Your Mood And Motivate Yourself by Patrick Holford
2. The H Factor: Homocysteine - The Biggest Health Breakthrough Of The Centuary by Patrick Holford & James Braly
3. The Optimum Nutrition Bible by Patrick Holford