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10 brain foods to help fight depression and insomnia, boost libido and mood

Byindianadmin

Aug 5, 2020
10 brain foods to help fight depression and insomnia, boost libido and mood

You are what you eat so it’s not surprising a doctor will advise a proper diet to address everything from heart disease to obesity.

The same concept applies to mental health, with nutritional psychiatry — still a somewhat niche area in medicine — focusing on certain foods to boost mood and prevent or reduce problems like anxiety and depression.

That’s because the gut and the brain are uniquely connected, said Dr. Uma Naidoo, director of nutritional and lifestyle psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

People don’t think about it because the brain and the gut are housed in different parts of the body, but the two are joined by the vagus nerve, which carries signals between them, leading to a lifelong “gut-brain romance,” she writes in her new book, “This Is Your Brain on Food: An Indispensable Guide to the Surprising Foods that Fight Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, OCD, ADHD, and More.”

Medications used for depression and anxiety, for example, often work through serotonin receptors, most of which are found in the gut. That’s why Naidoo — who is a prescribing psychiatrist, a nutritionist and a trained chef — also gives her patients mental health advice from a food perspective.

“I’m not opposed to medications, I just think that nutrition is like having an additional piece of armor that you can fend off depression, anxiety and other symptoms,” she told TODAY.

“We all have to eat. Why not eat in a way that’s going to help our brain?”

Here is a sample of food-as-mental-health-medicine that may surprise you:

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To fight depression:

Yogurt: It contains active cultures that provide a probiotic benefit — they promote the good bacteria in your gut, some of which can boost levels of certain brain chemicals that may help relieve depression, Naidoo noted. Be sure to avoid yogurt with added sugar — go for the plain kind and add berries or a sprinkle of cinnamon. Fermented foods like miso, kimchi, sauerkraut, pickles and kefir provide a similar benefit.

When the good bugs in your gut thrive, they will help you feel emotionally better, Naidoo said.

Turmeric: the spice and its active ingredient, curcumin, make an appearance in Naidoo’s book over and over again. “Simply put, it adjusts brain chemistry and protects brain cells against toxic damage that leads to depression,” she writes. Add it to a smoothie or soup, or sprinkle it in a salad dressing as an easy way to incorporate it in your diet.

A caveat: Naido cautioned people can’t eat their way out of feeling depressed, so food may only be one part of treatment that could also include active therapy and medication.

To promote good mood:

SMASH: That’s an acronym for salmon, mackerel, anchovies, sardines and herring — all foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are “crucial to mental health,” Naidoo noted: “They are powerful mediators of brain health just by their action.”

Mediterranean diet: With its focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, beans and olive oil, it naturally includes a plethora of “depression-busting” foods, she writes.

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