Yesterday I went to Barnes & Noble and headed to the psychology section. Since I have clinical depression and also am studying to be a psychologist, I wanted to find a few books to read for pleasure and to improve my understanding of the condition.
I was going to get a general psychology book but ended up getting two books on depression.
I bought "What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Depression," by Michael B. Schachter, M.D. and "The Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression," by Andrew Solomon. The second book is a 2001 National Book Award Winner and was also a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. It has won 13 other national awards. Besides including a comprehensive knowledge on depression, that is why I decided to buy it to add to my book collection.
Anyway, the reason I bought the first book is because it focuses on how diet can improve depression. Although it has been very difficult for me to change my diet, I'm hoping I can find motivation through this book. It's hard for me to listen to advice from people without seeing more proof in written form, so maybe this is what I need.
According to the section, "Eat Your Way Out of Depression," there are eight foods that people with depression should avoid (and probably people without depression to avoid some of the symptoms):
1) Sugar: It can leave you depressed and tired after the initial energy boost. Sugar has always been hard to cut out of my diet but I've been getting better. I need to eventually limit myself to low-sugar juice and cereal, since those have been my weak points recently.
2) White-flour products: According to the book, these products lack nutritional value. I already get whole-wheat bread but pizza is another story, I suppose. Same with crackers, rolls and bagels. I need to convince myself to eat more Wheat Thins, since there is a line of 100% whole grain Wheat Thins (and Fig Newtons).
3) Alcohol: This is known to be a depressant and can cause sleep problems, according to the book. No problem, since I'm underage. Besides, alcohol contains empty calories.
4) Caffeine: Anything with caffeine should be limited, especially coffee and soda (which is also under the sugar section). Coffee isn't a problem since I hate the taste. I usually don't drink soda with caffeine, so the only problem would be chocolate and sugar in general.
5) Hydrogenated fats: According to the book, these are found in margarine, potato chips, crackers, cookies, fast food, etc. They have "high concentrations of trans-fatty acids" and can "cause serious disease." I definitely should be more aware of this.
6) Chemical food additives: Some examples are BHA, BHT, nitrites, monosodium glutamate and nitrates. These can be found in artificial sweeteners, artificial preservatives and foods with artificial colors and artificial flavorings. This will definitely be hard to avoid completely.
7) Fluoride: This incudes water, toothpaste and vitamins. Shocking, considering this is a popular ingredient in toothpaste and probably recommended by dentists everywhere.
8) Chloride: This can be found in water and is toxic. According to the book, a carbon filter can remove chlorine from tap water.
I will be reading through the book and trying to avoid the above foods. Hopefully this will decrease some of my energy loss and depression. I will also be focusing on foods to add to my diet and healthy eating habits.
Sources:
http://www.noondaydemon.com/biography.html
http://www.amazon.com/What-Your-Doctor-About-Depression/dp/0446694940