It seems like depression has just become a staple of living in the modern world. And there are a whole myriad of different issues in our modern society that are contributing to it. But one of the biggest issues with depression is the way that our healthcare system goes about treating it. If you go to a doctor or therapist looking for help with depression they are almost guaranteed to put you on a regiment of medications known as SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). And while pharmaceuticals can be a great option for many people who are struggling with depression, they aren’t the one stop fix that the healthcare industry seems to believe they are.
The biggest issue is that SSRIs don’t cure depression, they simply treat depression which means that you can end up taking the medication for a very extended period of time. And many people out there don’t like the idea of being medicated every day of their lives. So if you are looking for some other ways to help combat your depression then today’s article is going to be a really useful tool in your arsenal of tools against your depression because today I am going to look at the relationship between your gut health and your depressive symptoms, and offer you a new insight into another way to go about addressing the symptoms of yours or a loved one’s depression!
It’s Important to Pay Attention to Your Gut-Brain Connection Because It Can Contribute to Your Anxiety
Although it might sound strange at first that there is a connection between your gut health and your mental health, we are actually quite familiar with the concept already. Just think about the phrase a “gut-wrenching” experience. Or how about when you feel butterflies in your stomach when you are nervous? And do stressful or anxiety ridden situations ever make you feel sick or nauseous to your stomach? I’m sure you can see what I’m getting at with this, but we already colloquially talk about the gut-brain connection in our everyday lives all the time.
The brain has a direct effect on your stomach and intestine, and vice versa your intestines and stomach can have a direct effect on your brain. The same way that your brain can send signals to your stomach, your stomach can send signals to your brain. So when your stomach feels distressed it sends a signal to the brain that makes your brain acknowledge and feel that distress too. And this can lead to all sorts of mental health outcomes such as producing stress, anxiety, and depression too.
There have even been multiple studies that have shown that when a person is suffering from a gastrointestinal disorder that when they experience stress or anxiety the pain from the GI disorder seems even worse than normal. In fact, the patients with GI disorders that participate in therapy to reduce feelings of stress, anxiety, or depression have greater improvement in their GI symptoms than those who only undergo non-physiologically based approaches to treatment.
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Your Microbes In Your Gut Can Directly Influence Your Mental Health
The Role of Gut Microbiota in Anxiety, Depression, and Mental Disorders
Any type of mental disorder can seriously impact the life, work, and study of anybody who is suffering from them. Which has caused mental health disorders to have emerged as a significant public health concern worldwide (with nearly 1 billion people globally suffering from some sort of mental health disorder in 2019.) And as such there has been an increase in research into the causes of mental health disorders in the past half decade. One of the most interesting things that researchers have discovered is that gut microbiota can have significant correlations with a person's mental health.
Your gut microbiota is how scientists and healthcare professionals refer to the trillions of different microbes that live in your stomach and intestinal tract. The microbiota consists of a wide variety of different bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other various microorganisms that are present in the human digestive tract. Given that the gut microbiota is an incredibly vast and complex collection of thousands of microorganisms that live inside your intestinal tract, it can have quite a significant effect on your health. In particular the gut microbiota assist in important bodily function like
- Harvesting energy from the food you digest
- Protecting your body against pathogens
- Regulating your immune system
- And strengthening the barriers of your intestines
It has been shown in multiple studies that gut microbiota could influence the brain and mental health in several ways. The first and most obvious way that gut microbiota influence your mental health is that gut microbiota can produce and regulate neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, dopamine, and glutamate, which play important roles in neurological activities in the brain. But gut microbiota can also influence your mental health through the vagus nerve, the regulation of the immune system, your metabolism, and even influence your endocrine system.
How Your Diet Can Impact Your Mental Health
The Connection Between Your Gut Health and Your Mental Health Can Be Greatly Influenced By the Foods You Consume
There is a lot about your daily routine that can influence your gut microbiome and in turn have significant effects on your overall well being. It has been shown that changing your diet can directly influence your mood and your levels of happiness. If you eat more fats and carbohydrates it has been directly shown to increase feelings of anxiety and depression. And it also diminishes the diversity of your gut microbiome. When you reduce the diversity in your gut microbiome it can directly and negatively impact how well your microbiome functions. Which means that everything from your immune system to your metabolism and mental health can be adversely affected by a diet that is high in carbohydrates and fats.
However, the consumption of protein heavy foods slows your absorption of carbohydrates which in turn increases the release of dopamine and norepinephrine in your brain which can have drastic impacts on your mood and your overall feelings of happiness. But the tricky part about this is that people who are feeling sad or depressed are more likely to want to partake in what we think of as comfort foods instead of the healthy alternatives that would impact their mood in a positive way. This can create a vicious cycle where a person who is feeling depressed is more likely to consume foods that are going to increase their feelings of depression which in turn causes them to turn to fatty foods and carbohydrates that increase depressive symptoms.
Basically when you are feeling sad or depressed you turn to the foods that are going to make you feel more sad and depressed. We’re not exactly sure why the body does this, but it’s important to break this cycle of only eating comfort foods when you are feeling depressed. If you are feeling sad or depressed you are much better off consuming foods that are high in protein and Omega 3 fatty acids. If you can force yourself to turn to these types of healthy foods instead of just ordering another pizza the next time you are feeling sad you are much more likely to decrease your feelings of depression. And this in turn will help you gravitate towards healthier foods. In this way you can break the vicious cycle of depression and fatty foods and instead start a cycle of healthy foods that are going to increase your levels of happiness and diminish your feelings of depression.
The way your diet influences your mood doesn’t just end there. There have been many studies that show that eating a healthy and balanced diet of food can protect you against depression. Some studies have even outlined 12 antidepressant nutrients that are directly related to the prevention and treatment of depressive symptoms. Some of the common foods with these antidepressant nutrients are things like oysters, mussels, salmon, watercress, spinach, romaine lettuce, cauliflower, and strawberries. You can also help combat depressive symptoms by eating foods that promote a healthy gut microbiome. Fiber-rich fruits, vegetables, and whole grains help promote a healthy microbiome. And fermented foods like yogurt, kimchi, and sauerkraut contain probiotics. Probiotics are living bacteria that can positively influence the health of your gut microbiome which in turn can lead to a positive impact on your mood. There are even a wide variety of different mushrooms that can promote your gut health by providing much needed fungi to your gut microbiome!
And of course there are great supplements you can take to promote your gut health. We obviously think that Dr. Emil Total Gut Health is a great way to help get your gut microbiome back in fighting shape especially when you are battling the symptoms of depression!
Foods You Want to Avoid In Your Diet If You Want to Promote Your Mental Health
It’s Important to Avoid Ultra Processed Foods If You Want to Promote Your Gut Health and Battle Your Depression
However, there are also plenty of foods that can negatively affect your gut health and your mood. In particular, highly processed foods and sugars can have a negative impact on your gut microbiome. Sugary sodas and processed foods can completely throw your gut bacteria out of balance which leads to inflammation which has been known to contribute to mood swings and depression as well. In particular you will want to avoid ultra-processed foods or UPFs. These consist of carbonated drinks, sweet or savory processed snacks, candy, fried fast food, and processed meats. While enjoying these foods once in a while is fine, having them on a regular basis will really disrupt your microbiome and they have been directly linked to depression in various studies.
One of the big reasons for this is that UPFs are essentially industry made formulations made mostly or entirely from industrial ingredients. With little to no actual food being used in the process of making them ready for consumers. It’s these industrial chemicals that can have such a negative impact on your gut health. In particular it is worth noting that UPFs almost always contain substances that you would never use in your own kitchen when you are cooking at home. But because it makes them cheaper to produce, or more addictive for consumers, corporations don’t care and continue to pump out ultra processed foods at an astounding rate. They have permeated the American diet in a way that is staggeringly unhealthy and have been linked to numerous negative health outcomes like heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and a whole litany of mental health disorders like anxiety and depression.
So if you want to help maintain your mental health one of the best things you can do is to cut ultra processed foods out of your diet as much as you can. In this way you won’t be disrupting your gut microbiome and you will also be able to promote positive mental health outcomes because of it!
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And there you have a concise explanation of how your gut health and your mental health are intrinsically intertwined with each other. I hope today’s article offered you some real insight into how taking care of your gut health can pay serious dividends when it comes to your battle with depression. However, don’t take this article as formal medical advice. If a doctor or therapist has prescribed you depression medication, continue taking it as long as you are directed for. As much as some people don’t enjoy taking the medication everyday, stopping it cold turkey can wreak real havoc on your mental health and actually make your depression symptoms much worse. But at the same time be sure to use the information in this article and articles like it to help expand your arsenal in your fight against depression symptoms.
