When you’re experiencing full blown depression, you probably need therapy or prescription medication. However, there are things you can do to help curb your depression so that you never reach this stage. You’ve probably heard that old cliché of wanting chocolate after a bad day. But have you ever had a piece of chocolate when you feel slightly depressed? If so, you may be surprised to note that you actually do feel a little better after eating it. Here are four different foods that can help perk you up from a mild depression.

Dark Chocolate is the first food. Note that milk chocolate, while very tasty, doesn’t contain anything that will help your mood. Dark chocolate contains several different ingredients that can help you feel better. The main one is called phenylethylamine. This ingredient can greatly alter our mood by increasing the amount of serotonin in our bodies. Serotonin helps regulate mood and stop depression. Dark chocolate also contains antioxidants, which can increase your health.

Tea is a great drink that can help make you feel better. Some of the ingredients in tea help reduce the amount of cortisol in your blood. This hormone is one of the things that makes us feel stress. Some types of teas, like green tea, also feature the same antioxidants as dark chocolate. In addition to the ingredients in tea that make you feel better, just the simple act of drinking tea can be relaxing. Taking the time to boil the water, make the tea, and then sit down to relax and enjoy your comforting, hot drink can help make you feel better.

Nuts of almost all kinds are also a great snack, especially if you don’t get enough fiber in your life. Nuts provide protein and other healthy supplements, but the main thing we’re interested in is the high amount of Omega-3 fatty acids that nuts include. These are the same acids that are found in most fish, and studies show that ingesting Omega-3 acids can help make us feel better. Ingesting a good amount of Omega-3 acids also helps us feel better overall.

Finally, salmon is another great food that has a ton of health benefits. As stated above, fish, especially salmon, is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. Salmon is also high in Vitamin D, another nutrient that can boost our mood. It, like dark chocolate, stimulates the body to produce more serotonin. Because salmon, and fish in general, are so good for us, nutritionists recommend we eat fish for two meals a week.

While eating these foods may not always keep you from feeling depressed, especially if you’ve lost a loved one or some other major event has occurred, they can help relieve mild depression and make you feel a little better about life.

Labels: anxiety, depression, health