This annoying thing called melancholy, in its milder form, can make one feel like a deflated balloon, listless all day; in its severe form, it can make one feel utterly hopeless, even leading one down the path of self-destruction.
Living in a fast-paced society, if one doesn't know how to dispel worries and sorrows, it's easy to be plagued by melancholy, and to be depressed for a lifetime.
There are many ways to drive away depression. Here, we focus on starting with diet, to see how we can "eat" our melancholy away.
Diet is one of the most powerful ways to improve and influence a person's mood. With a wide variety of foods, such as sweets, alcohol, sugar, and more, they have a considerable impact on our lives.
Everyone has had similar experiences: when you are anxious, agitated, and feeling down and weak, sweeter foods or alcohol can quickly boost serotonin levels in the brain, temporarily soothing the nervous system. However, the situation afterward is even worse, becoming more melancholic and unhappy, and the person as a whole appears more fatigued.
Therefore, understanding how to eat healthily is the most convenient and effective shortcut to deal with stress and melancholy. What foods can alleviate melancholy? I. Polysaccharide Foods:
Carbohydrates can relieve stress and improve mood by increasing serotonin levels. However, monosaccharides are absorbed too quickly and are also metabolized just as fast. It is better to consume more polysaccharides in your carbohydrate intake because they are digested more slowly, leading to a smoother increase in serotonin, making them a more ideal food source.
Many modern refined foods are mostly lacking in polysaccharides and are primarily composed of monosaccharides, which is quite unsuitable in a high-pressure environment.
Polysaccharide foods include whole grains, barley, wheat, oats, gourds, and high-fiber polysaccharide vegetables and fruits, etc. II. Protein Foods:
Many amino acids, which are proteins directly related to emotional stability, are the raw materials for making mood hormones. For example, tryptophan can form serotonin and melatonin, leucine can produce growth hormone and thyroid hormones, etc., all of which are indispensable components of the human body. Foods containing tryptophan, such as bananas, dairy products, and turkey, can be fully consumed by people with depression. III. Fat Foods:
Excess cholesterol is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke, but excessively low cholesterol levels are also one of the causes of depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, and even mental abnormalities. Therefore, it is necessary to maintain a normal cholesterol intake.
In addition, fish oil is a good source of unsaturated fatty acids, and it has been medically proven to have health benefits for heart disease, high blood pressure, gastrointestinal cancer, psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Recent prospective studies have also shown that increased intake of fish oil can improve depression and anxiety. Furthermore, vegetable oils are effective in treating depression because they contain high levels of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). IV. Vitamin and Mineral Foods:
Vitamins are essential for all biochemical processes in the human body, including vitamins A, C, D, E, K, B1, B2, B3, B6, B12, carotene, folic acid, etc., each one is equally important. In addition, calcium, magnesium, selenium, zinc, etc., should not be ignored. Women need to consume more calcium, phosphorus, iron, etc., to prevent future osteoporosis after menopause and post-menopausal depression. V. Water:
Over 80% of the human body is water, and water is the basic environment for all bodily functions. To be healthy and free from worries, one must drink plenty of water to increase waste excretion and cleanse the body and mind.
How to eliminate melancholy and eat your way to health depends entirely on your own effort.