Quick Take

Ever feel down after pigging out? Zapped of energy and cranky after that greasy burger and fries? You're not imagining the correlation. When you feel sluggish and low after eating, it's your body's inflammatory response to junk food — and it can affect your mood. Here's what you need to know about depression and diet (plus which foods to eat and which foods to avoid).

Before we begin: get healthy anti-inflammatory meals (that actually taste good)

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On this page

First, let's look at depression and inflammation

What you need to know about depression and diet

How inflammation affects our gut, AKA our “second brain

The best diet for depression: anti-inflammatory foods to add to your plate

The worst foods for depression

Key Takeaways

First let's look at depression and inflammation

Inflammation isn't necessarily a bad thing. It's designed to help us heal from injury or infection. 

When we are hurt or sick, our immune system sends armies of white blood cells to fight off the injury or illness and repair damaged tissue. As our bodies use inflammation to fight off whatever's hurting us, we tend to feel tired, dopey, and down. We tend to sleep a lot. All this inactivity allows our bodies to fight off infection without wasting energy elsewhere.

While inflammation as a defense mechanism is a healthy and necessary response, chronic inflammation is not. Chronic inflammation happens when there isn't injury or illness. The problem is your body can't tell the difference so it still sends in white blood cells to attack healthy tissue instead. And you end up feeling tired, dopey, and down...a lot.

What you need to know about depression and diet

What's all this have to do with diet? 

The bad news: Inflammation can trigger depression and disease. When we eat processed, fatty, and sugary foods we can send our bodies into a state of chronic inflammation and screw with our gut microbiome along the way. This does more than just make us feel sluggish — it can actually induce depression.

The good news: Antioxidants can help fight inflammation (and depression). 

Why antioxidants matter when it comes to depression and diet

You've probably heard about antioxidants, right? We're here to tell you they're more than just a health food buzz word. Antioxidants are the “good for you” nutrients found in dark and colorful plant foods. Their job is to stop oxidative stress from occurring by stabilizing free radicals (which are unstable atoms responsible for aging, tissue damage, and certain diseases).

Antioxidants calm inflammation, which in turn prevents disease, slows aging, and even reduces symptoms of depression.

Eating your antioxidant-rich foods are important, but knowing which foods trigger inflammation is key when it comes to depression and diet.

Fatty foods high in trans fat and omega-6s (found in meats and refined oils), refined sugars, refined grains, and dairy products all cause inflammation. All these foods have few antioxidants to counteract their oxidative effects, so when we eat them we are left feeling sluggish and we are more susceptible to disease, including depression. 

How inflammation affects our gut, AKA our “second brain" 

You know how you feel a little down after binging on junk food? This reaction isn't just psychological, it's also chemical and biological!

Your mental health is directly affected by your gut health, which can overtime be controlled by what you eat. And fiber seems to play a pivotal role on your gut health (and consequently, your mental health). 

Here's the deal:

Our guts and brains are connected by neurotransmitters that transmit chemicals between nerve cells during a process called synapses. These endogenous chemicals, like dopamine and serotonin, help control our emotions.

Our gut actually produces a ton of these neurotransmitters, specifically serotonin, or the “feel good” chemical.

And get this: high fiber plant foods increase your neuroplasticity, making that transmission during synapse more effective. That is why a healthy gut full of good bacteria can help your mood and reduce anxiety and depression. 

The best diet for depression: anti-inflammatory foods to add to your plate

So now that we know there's a connection between depression and diet...what the heck do we eat to feel better? The simplest solution to reduce inflammation naturally is to load up on more plant-based foods, like:

• Fruits, veggies, beans, and nuts which are loaded with antioxidants and fiber, for a healthy gut and healthy brain.
• Antioxidants are found in highest concentrations in dark and colorful plant-based foods! Go for berries, dark leafy greens, citrus fruits, colorful peppers, and spices.

Pro tip: If you are feeling overwhelmed, take a breath and know you can start small. Even adding some lemon juice to your water or a handful of raw spinach to your smoothie in the morning can make a difference.

The worst foods for depression 

Eliminating inflammatory foods is another crucial piece of the puzzle. Try cutting out:

• fatty meats 
• dairy
• refined sugars
• processed foods

Key Takeaways

• Depression and diet are linked. Chronic inflammation (and eating the foods that cause this) can hurt your physical and mental health.
• Good gut bacteria can help battle depression.
• The best diet for depression? A colorful plant-based diet, high in antioxidants. Enjoy a WFPB diet, AKA a whole food plant based diet. 
• The worst foods for depression? Standard American Diet fare, like fatty meats, dairy, refined sugars, and processed foods. 
• You don't have to spend all day meal prepping to boost your brain health with diet. Get antioxidant-rich plant-based meals delivered to your door with the MamaSezz Get Me Started Bundle. 

 

Order your MamaSezz Get Me Started Bundle today! 

Updated 12/13/21

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By Caroline DiNicola Fawley

Caroline is a plant-based chef, recipe designer, and whole food plant-based nutrition educator, with a Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies.