The first thing I need to say is that your depression is not your fault. Loss, spiritual attack, and stressful situations aren’t under our control, but if you’re reading this then you’re obviously curious about what’s worsening your depression. There’s two main things; processed foods and sedentary lifestyles. In this post you'll read how mood is directly linked to gut and brain health, and what basic things we can do to rebalance what’s throwing it off.
Depression is medically defined as a chemical imbalance in the brain that throws off the production of mood regulating hormones.
What causes this?
Lack of sunshine: The easiest way for us to balance mood is the intake of natural UV rays through our retinas, stimulating the pineal gland and producing serotonin (the happy, awake, and mood balancing hormone.) Not being outside enough can cause depression!
Forced ‘highs’ from processed foods: Refined sugar used in store bought baked goods and packaged candies, caffeine, MSG (an excitotoxin), any of those processed food products that make your brain really happy for a few minutes have their own ‘lows’ that come afterwards and cause different levels of depression.
Commercial white flour: As soon as milled white flour became the norm, American health started plummeting. In order to get the fluffy, pure white flour used in every bread product, wheat grains had to be milled and filtered to remove the bran and germ (essential parts of the grain that hold natural fats, minerals and vitamins.) We’re left with the empty starch and protein to bake with. And when this new wheat is grown with pesticides and processed to make it last longer- it becomes almost impossible for our bodies to really digest. Gluten intolerance, heart disease, and mental illnesses all resulted from the new standard of flour. When our bodies can’t digest this and aren’t getting the minerals and fats needed for healthy brain function, depression is a result.
Sedentary lifestyle: When our bodies aren’t moving enough to get oxygen pumped around thoroughly, our cognitive function and mental energy drop a lot. We don’t require physical rest that’s needed to reset that chemical imbalance. Even low levels of movement that get your heart pumping bring enough oxygen to the brain to improve serotonin production!
What lifestyle choices can we make to change this?
Hopefully the sunshine and movement options to lessen depression were obvious, now let’s see how a change in diet guards against depression! Clearly when we’re feeling depressed we’re not going to make big decisions on what to eat, but slowly changing our diets does change how often we get depressed.
The gut can directly speak to the brain though the vagus nerve (part of the nervous system) it directly influences mood and mental ability. When what we’re eating isn’t actually replenishing our bodies and is killing off good gut bacteria with small, constant amounts of toxins, we offset the balance of minerals in our system that makes us more susceptible to depression and our brains are getting the signal that everything is not alright. It only makes sense that when we put bad fuel in a machine, it doesn’t run correctly or happily.
Choose whole foods as often as possible. Healthy gut bacteria thrives in the soluble fiber from whole wheat flour and mineral rich vegetables. When we’re eating things as close to nature as possible and resetting the chemical balance in our body’s by doing so, our mental health improves with our gut.
Limit sugar intake and use natural sweeteners like honey and maple syrup so that your brain function doesn’t crash afterward.
In the Shade of the Silver Poplars provides content of general nature that is designed for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Do your own research, consult your own sources, make healthy choices.
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