Food and depression

Well, cutting out grains didn't do a dang thing for my depression and anxiety over the years. I did have to do an elimination diet and saw no difference.

I DO find that eating well in general helps. I can tell that my mood can be connected to what and when I eat. I also find that I feel better eating the "real" version of foods instead of the more "processed" versions (quotations due to not knowing better words to use atm). As in, butter instead of margarine, 2% milk instead of skim or almond milks, real maple syrup over whatever you would call the other stuff... things like that. Also, making my own food instead of eating out has me feeling better most likely because I know the quality of the food I am getting and exactly what is in it. I also feel better with a high fat, moderate/high protein, restricted carb/sugar (but NOT "low" carb) type of diet.

However, that is my body. What has worked for me may not help you.

And, to be totally honest, this last bout of depression and anxiety did not get better until I started meds. I had handled it find with diet and getting enough sleep, but my life went into a tailspin over the last year and I needed additional help in the form of counseling and medications.

Symptoms of mild or situational depression can be improved through lifestyle changes, such as better nutrition and increase in exercise. However, any book that states carbs are destroying your brain and whole grains are the cause of dementia, ADHD, and depression is a load of crap.

Exercise releases chemicals in the brain like seratonin (most antidepressants are selective seratonin reuptake inhibitors) and endorphins which can improve mood. If you have a serious chemical imbalance in your brain though, I doubt cutting gluten will make a single bit of difference.

I do disagree with the last poster though in a way. Carbs don't destroy the brain or cause dementia, but cognitive disorders have been found to result for insulin resistance in the brain cells. This causes the cells to starve, atrophy, and die because they cannot access glucose in the bloodstream anymore. This has been documented by researchers at Johns Hopkins and they've coined the term "Type 3 Diabetes" for these issues. Eating a low carb diet and switching your metabolism into a ketogenic state will cause the cells to derive fuel from ketone bodies instead of glucose and can ease the symptoms of these disorders. So, no, carbs don't kill your brain, but cutting carbs can help nourish it for people with Alzheimer's or dementia.

Also if you have chronic major depression with a chemical imbalance, diet and exercise alone will not make it go away. It can help, yes, but diet and exercise won't make all the symptoms go away. This is especially true during bad bouts of depression when you don't even have the physical energy to get out of bed and change your clothes or brush your hair, never mind cook a healthy meal and work out!

That said, mild and situational depression as someone else said can be helped through diet and exercise changes. But if you're going through something more serious and frequent than the average Joe, you will need to seek improvement through other means. (that's not saying don't make healthy lifestyle changes though!)

Also if you have chronic major depression with a chemical imbalance, diet and exercise alone will not make it go away. It can help, yes, but diet and exercise won't make all the symptoms go away. This is especially true during bad bouts of depression when you don't even have the physical energy to get out of bed and change your clothes or brush your hair, never mind cook a healthy meal and work out!

That said, mild and situational depression as someone else said can be helped through diet and exercise changes. But if you're going through something more serious and frequent than the average Joe, you will need to seek improvement through other means. (that's not saying don't make healthy lifestyle changes though!)

Yes, all of that too.

Haha don't listen to those anti-grain people. I mean, I'm obviously biased (a baker who happens to have severe clinical depression), but there is simply not enough evidence to support such drastic claims as made by Grain Brain and similar books. There is anecdotal evidence and then there is rigorous scientific evidence. Don't eliminate food groups because of a book or a group of fringe pseudoscientists. It will not cure depression (much as I wish it would).

ANY amount of gluten triggers depression and anxiety for me, usually showing up 2 days after I consume gluten by accident. Lowering my "carbs" would have no affect on either, it has to be completely out of my diet. Wheat & Gluten have a serious neurological effect on my system that includes focus, cognitive ability, vision, balance and more. I also had stomach issues that caused me to discover my gluten intolerance in the first place. It was only after trying some bread after a few weeks of being gluten free that I even noticed the correlation with mood. Cutting grains is only going to cure depression or anxiety if they are in fact the problem for you. Best I can say is try it for a few weeks and see if it makes a difference.

EDIT: I think Gluten Ataxia might be the term you are looking for, its one way that wheat affects the brain but not the rest of the body.

Snake oil also cures depression. Don't believe everything you hear or read. All the preservatives, chemicals, and GMOs contained in mass produced food are doing more damage than grains or gluten. Depression is an illness to be treated by professionals. Don't rely on snake oil salesman to cure what ails you.

Symptoms of mild or situational depression can be improved through lifestyle changes, such as better nutrition and increase in exercise. However, any book that states carbs are destroying your brain and whole grains are the cause of dementia, ADHD, and depression is a load of crap.

This. Carbs, including grains, are actually a vital component in the creation and regulation of serotonin, which regulates positive moods. This is why low carb diets are linked to depression.

Who linked them to depression? Is there really evidence for this? I used to suffer from depression, but I have been off medications for a year now and once I started exercising and eating a ketogenic (low carb) diet, I have felt happier than I have in a long time. I've never heard of low carbs making someone depressed.

http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1108558

Low carb was linked with higher depression, anger, hostility, confusion, and lethargy.