The Essential Nutrition & Dietary Changes to Beat Depression & Inflammation

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression is the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide. The number of people affected continues to rise, with an increase of more than 18% between 2005 and 2015. That means over 300 million people are living with depression around the world!
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Nutrition plays an important role in our mental health, and is considered to be a significant factor in the prevalence of depression in Canada. We have an increasing reliance on processed and packaged food that certainly help with convenience, but are not full of the vitamins and minerals we need to functional optimally. Plus our fresh fruits, vegetables, pulses, beans, and animal proteins are not as nutrient dense as they used to be, due to our industrialized farming practices.

Today we’re going to discuss nutritional changes that will be supportive to those with depression, and will be preventative for everyone else.

Start right now!

There are some things that are very easy to get started with. They include:

• Staying hydrated: most people need at least 2 litres of water a day. Carrying a water bottle with you throughout the day makes it a lot easier. Sorry, coffee doesn’t count!
• Reduce or ideally eliminate alcohol consumption.

Fats
One of the biggest things to consider is the quality of fats you consume. Every single cell in your body requires fats to function properly, and the brain is 60% fat. Consuming the right kinds of fats makes a big difference to your mental health.

In Canada we consume too much of the inflammatory omega 6 fatty acids, and not enough of the anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids that our brains love. Not only is omega 6 inflammatory, but it blocks the absorption of omega 3s into our cells. As a result, it’s important to not only increase our consumption of omega 3s, but decrease our omega 6s as well. Here are some tips on how to do that:

• Reduce your consumption of processed foods, and make as many meals from scratch as you can.
• Eliminate “bad” fats which include trans fats and most vegetable and seed oils. Examples are corn, canola, cottonseed, soybean, sunflower, peanut, sesame, and rice bran oil which have high concentrations of inflammatory omega 6 fats. Oils high in omega 6 (and even omega 3s which we normally consider to be healthy) should never be used for cooking as they are easily damaged, or “oxidized”, and will cause inflammation in the body.
• Introduce heat-stable cooking fats like coconut oil, ghee, clarified butter, and animal fats like lard from pasture raised animals. Fats that are rich in saturated and monounsaturated fats are preferred for cooking.
• For cold use (like on salads), we recommend extra virgin olive oil, flaxseed and hemp seed oil.
• Eat oily fish like wild Pacific salmon, sardines or mackerel at least twice a week to get whole food sources of omega 3 fats.
• Eat a small handful of walnuts twice a week, a great vegetarian whole food source of omega 3 fats.

Managing blood sugar
We all love candy, baked goods, and snacks like chips. Unfortunately, processed carbohydrates like these can cause a roller coaster of blood sugar levels. This leads to fluctuating energy levels, and can affect hormone and neurotransmitter production. It comes as no surprise that a high sugar diet is connected to a higher risk of depression. Here are some simple ways you can cut back on processed carbohydrates:

• Cut out soft drinks and juices.
• Cut back on candy and baked goods.
• Make grain-based foods like pasta and rice a side rather than the star of the show. Where you can, swap them out for more complex carbohydrates such as squash or root vegetables like sweet potatoes or beets.
• Eat protein with every meal, which will not only help stabilize your blood sugar but provide amino acids for hormone, and neurotransmitter production.
• At mealtimes fill half your plate with vegetables.

Food quality
Cutting back on the processed foods you eat can make a big difference, and by learning about food quality you can do even more. We recommend buying the best quality food you can afford:

• Organic fruits and vegetables have been shown to contain more vitamins and minerals. Follow the Environmental Working Group’s Clean 15 and Dirty Dozen lists to prioritize the fruits and vegetables you should buy organic, and those that don’t need to be.
• Opt for free run or pastured eggs which have eaten their natural diet, producing healthier eggs for you.
• Choose pasture raised meat and poultry as these animals can forage for the food they are designed to eat. This drastically reduces the omega 6 content, and increases the omega 3s.
• If pasture raised isn’t in your budget, choose cuts with a lower fat content, or skinless in the case of  poultry. This will help reduce your exposure to inflammatory omega 6 fats.

Fermented foods
Our digestive tracts need to be full of beneficial bacteria for us to be healthy. This bacteria is called the “microbiome”, and it is essential to our mental health. While there are many facets to supporting your beneficial bacteria, here are some food-based suggestions:

• Eating unpasteurized fermented vegetables like sauerkraut and kimchi daily.
• Eating fermented dairy (and alternatives) like kefir and yoghurt.  
• Drinking fermented drinks like kombucha, water kefir.
• Avoiding processed sugars.
• Eating a wide range of vegetables and their fibres.​

For more information, Click on the bottle!

Truehope EMP
A broad spectrum micronutrient supplement, Truehope EMP is a great addition to both prevent and treat depression. It’s a powerful supplement that will ensure you’re getting everything you need, and is even more effective when combined with nutrition changes that support mental health.

​We’re proud that Truehope EMP is supported by 35 independent, peer reviewed, medical journal articles written by universities and researchers around the world. 

There’s no better time to get started
Our tips today have covered the first nutritional steps you can take to lower inflammation and improve your mental health. There will be more refinement that can be done that’s unique to you, your digestion, allergies, food intolerances, and lifestyle. We recommend working with a Nutritionist or Naturopath to help you do that.