Many people suffer from depression, mood swings, low-energy and unexplained sadness because of how their poor diet affects their body chemistry. And let's not pull any punches here -- many Americans eat a horrible diet full of sugar and saturated fat.

Now while people who suffer from depression often say that they crave certain foods due to their depression such as chocolate, sugary drinks, caffine, and carbs like bagels or macaroni and cheese. I'm guilty of this too. Unfortunately - these types of "comfort foods" tend to exacerbate their depression, and they are thrown in to a never-ending cycle of eating to feel better and feeling bad so they eat.

For many people - a change in diet could go a long way to alleviate their symptoms of depression...and these are the 5 super foods that could probably make a difference in beating depression.

1. Omega-3 Fatty Acids a.k.a Fish Oils
Our body produces this type of fatty acid but the American diet is deficient in this fatty acid. You can find this in fatty fish such as salmon and tuna or in
walnuts and flaxseed. Try a few walnuts in your salad or flaxseed in your yogurt. Try to include fish in your diet at least once or twice week. Of course if you don't like any of these foods - you can always try a fish-oil supplement. There are a lot of good ones on the market you can try and they even have omega-3 gummies for kids! I give them to my daughter who is on the autism spectrum. The statistical research on the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids is pretty extensive, and results show that it can affect mood and is essential for the brain.

2. Brown Rice
This is a no-brainer for me. I love brown rice. But it's great for beating depression because it is full of vitamins B1 and B3 and folic acid, as well as being a great food for the digestive system because of its low-glycemic index. Not to mention that it's just yummy under stir-fry!

3. Water
Drinking plenty of water everyday is essential in improving mood, hair and skin, motor functions, organ functions and much more. If your diet is full of sugary drinks, make sure to include more water in your diet to offset the sugar. Of course it would be best to start eliminating one of your sugar drinks for a glass of water, and continue until you have completely switched out. Many people see a difference in their symptoms when they make this simple change in their diet.

4. Cabbage
I put cabbage on my shopping list today because it is super easy to put into salads and stir-frys and really easy to fix for the kids. It doesn't need much to be a tasty choice. Cabbage contains vitamin c and folic acid and is a great stress-buster food.

5. Oatmeal
Considered to be the breakfast of pregnant women everywhere! Oatmeal (and other whole grains) is a great depression fighting food because it contains vitamins B6 and B1, folic acid, and pantothenic acid. Oatmeal is another low-glycemic food which digests slowly in the body and helps eliminate the mood-swings that other high-carb (muffins) and sugary (frosted cereals) breakfast meals brings.

source: Natural News

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Lisa Angelettie MSW, "GirlShrink" is a psychotherapist, author, and online advice authority. Her site GirlShrink.com is the #1 "Advice & Counseling" site on the web. Please visit us for more discussion on this topic in the depression forum to talk about it further. Don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter for topics in the news, new articles, website & book reviews, and other useful depression resources. Subscribe below.