What is Depression

Depression is a mental illness that many people are ashamed to talk about. Depression affects people mentally and physically. This disease can stop people from being able to live a fulfilling life, and it can cause people to do harm to themselves or to others. Depression is a real problem that must be addressed. You cannot ignore depression and make it go away. You cannot make yourself feel better, or get over your problem when you are depressed. If you are suffering from depression, or know someone suffering from depression then you need to seek the counsel of a medical professional to begin the journey to healing.

Lowering the risk of depression through food

A diet that will lower your risk of depression has to include lots of vegetables, nuts, and fish. You may eat any other foods that you like, as long as you eat fatty foods in moderation, and you resist the urge to eat highly processed meats like prepared luncheon meat.

The study that supports these findings

A large study was conducted with fifteen thousand participants. The participants were Spanish college students who had never suffered from depression. They were asked what things they ate on a regular basis. After ten years, the participants were questioned again about what foods they ate on a regular basis.

In the ten-year period between the questionnaires fifteen hundred of the participants were diagnosed with depression, or were taking antidepressant medication.

Depression risks according to the study

The participants in the study who adhered as closely as possible to a Mediterranean diet that was high in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and fish, were the least likely to suffer any type of depression.

The participants who moderately followed a Mediterranean style diet were between twenty-five and thirty percent less likely to suffer from depression.

What this means

Medical professionals who deal with the clinically depressed can begin to suggest to their patients that they follow a Mediterranean style diet. These dietary changes might be able to reduce the amount of medications that people with depression take, and it could mean a healthier life for the patients.

Medications for depression often come with high risk of side effects. Some depression medications can even cause the individuals taking them to start to contemplate suicide, they often cause weight gain, lack of sexual interest, and lack of interest in life. Many people on these medications say that they feel as if they are drugged all of the time, like they cannot clear their minds or focus properly.

Some medicines for depression can also stop a person from being able to do things like join the military. If dietary changes can reduce the number of people on these medications, then more people can live happy active lives without fear of side effects, or restrictions due to their medications.