Food do's and don'ts when you're feeling low

Food do's and don'ts when you're feeling low

One of the most dangerous times for anyone when it comes to maintaining their diet is when they are feeling low. Emotions can really mess with your willpower. But, there are things that you can do to avoid falling for emotional traps and ruining your diet. Thankfully, you can improve your diet and feel better.

Do: Eat Foods Rich in Tryptophan

Tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin, the feel-good hormone. Eating foods high in tryptophan can help you get better sleep at night, which can improve your mood during the day. Foods with tryptophan include seeds, nuts, legumes, soybeans, meat, fish, dairy, and eggs.

Do: Eat Food High in B12 and Folate

It can be difficult to find food high in B12 today because the traditional foods such as meat, fish, soy and so forth often are also depleted. The best course of action is to get a blood test to ensure that you have plenty of vitamin B12 in your body. As for folate, that's easier to get. Just eat a lot of leafy greens, veggies, beans, and avocado.

Do: Eat Food High in Vitamin D

A deficiency of vitamin D can contribute to depression, low feelings, and even body pain. This is another situation where you should get your levels checked and if needed supplement. The best way to get vitamin D is from the sun, but food like tuna and salmon have a lot too. Plus, fortified dairy and dairy substitutes, as well as cereal, also have plenty.

Do: Eat Lots of Antioxidants

Antioxidants enable your body to fight off free radicals and are a very important part of your diet. But, they are plentiful too, so it's not hard to get enough if you eat a wide variety of plant-based food. Wild berries, artichokes, kidney beans and even dark chocolate have antioxidants.

Do: Eat Foods Rich in Complex Carbs

Green veggies, starchy veggies, lentils, and whole grains are all high in complex carbs. Remember that your brain needs glucose to work properly. Your brain only burns glucose - not fat and not protein. Therefore, avoid eating a low-carb diet that requires that you give up healthy complex carbs.

Don't: Eat Added Sugar

When you're feeling low it's tempting to stuff yourself with sugary snacks and desserts. They do make us feel good for a short time. But, there is always a crash after. Therefore, avoid eating added sugar especially when you're feeling low. That doesn't mean you can't have something sweet like fruit. It only means not to eat processed added sugar.

Don't: Eat Artificial Sweeteners

A study at Northwestern University by Dr. Ralph Walton showed that for people who are already feeling low, ingesting aspartame caused their depression symptoms to worsen. Therefore, it makes sense to avoid all artificial sweeteners. If you need to add something sweet, try honey, maple syrup, molasses, stevia or fruit.

Don't: Drink Alcoholic Beverages

The reason you should not drink alcohol when you're feeling low is that alcohol is a depressant. You might feel temporarily better while you're intoxicated, but it will make the situation much worse. Just avoid it while you're low or at least limit it severely.

Don't: Eat Fried Foods

Fatty food will make you feel heavy and more depressed than you already feel. You may be thinking about eating comfort foods and often those are the fatty foods. French fries, country fried steak and so forth sound like a good idea at the time. But, after you always feel more low and depressed.

Don't: Eat Fast Food

Sometimes when you're low you feel too tired to cook. But, avoid the drive-through like the plague. If you must eat out, find a good place to eat that offers fresh food, salads, and fruit plates. This course of action really will make you feel better.

If you find that you're feeling low for a long period and not just a few days, make it a priority to seek some professional help. Diet alone can't cure every problem, but it can help avoid making it worse.

Next time, we'll look at what to eat and not eat when you're feeling stressed.