According to the WHO, depression is one of the most common widespread diseases worldwide. If you suffer from depression, it is important to get professional help or see a therapist. You can also try to do something good for your body yourself – for example by eating the right diet. Depression can be caused by a lack of messenger substances in the brain, for example, there is often a lack of serotonin, the so-called happiness hormone. We have therefore put together a list of 7 foods that can have a positive effect on your mental health.
Heart Health
Bananas
Bananas have a lot of vitamins, a lot of magnesium, and they promote the production of the happiness hormone serotonin. So they are real all-rounders for your mental and physical health. If you don’t feel like mumbling bananas straight every day, you can drink them in smoothies, put them on bread, use them frozen to make ice cream or bake banana bread – the banana is as versatile as it is healthy.
Salmon
Omega-3 fatty acids bring our hormone levels into balance, are good for the heart, can reduce inflammation and have been said to have a positive effect on people with depression for years. The healthy fatty acids can be found in high-fat fish such as salmon or mackerel.
Linseed Oil Or Flaxseed
In the vegetarian and vegan diet, high-fat fish is not an option, but omega-3 fatty acids are still important. Linseed oil, for example, is a good companion here. Caution: linseed oil should not be heated, so it is more likely to be used for salads or dips than to sear vegetables in them.
Whole Wheat Bread
Magnesium is said to work well against stress, and you can find a lot of it in whole grain rice. Compared to white bread and wheat products, whole grain products generally have the advantage that they are healthier for your intestinal flora and therefore also good for the rest of the body.
Spinach
Spinach is rich in magnesium and is therefore said to have a relaxing and anxiolytic effect. Spinach also provides you with important B vitamins and a lot of iron and offers many consumption options: for example as leaf spinach in a salad, in a green smoothie, as warm vegetables or as creamed spinach.
Berries
Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries- they all have lots of vitamins and are therefore good for our immune system, which can easily be attacked by psychological stress and negative feelings. The berries are also said to be good for the brain. And they are delicious.
Beetroot
Folic acid deficiency can lead to tiredness and insomnia and is therefore also an important substance for our well-being – a lot of it can be found in beetroot. The beets are best eaten raw, because they lose a lot of the important folic acid when they are cooked.