5 Common Foods That Cause Or Increase Depressive Feelings (2024)

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Most people don’t realize that your emotions can influence what you eat. For example, when you’re under extra stress (emotional or physical), your body and brain will crave more sugar and carbohydrates. One reason is that it wants to help increase serotonin and dopamine levels.

Women see this happen more often during their menstrual cycles due to their hormonal changes and thus, various cravings occur.

However, what you eat can also influence your mood. So the reverse can happen.

These 5 Foods = Depressive Feelings

And today I’m going to reveal 5 common foods that can decrease your mood, deplete your body, increase negative feelings, and thus, even cause or increase depressive feelings.

Simple food changes, such as avoiding or limiting today’s 5 foods, can be the difference between feeling much worse or actually feeling more stable, better, and happier.

I’ll also give you alternative solutions.

And this is very important, especially considering that over 7% of the American population over the age of 18 is diagnosed with clinical depressive feelings.

This does not take into account teenagers, who also deal with a lot of depressive feelings.

This also does NOT take into account all the people who haven’t been tested, who haven’t sought out help, or simply, just feel really down or depressive … without the “official diagnoses”.

So, if you’re feeling down or depressed, you’re not alone. And, it may not be your fault. It could be related to the foods you’re eating.

There’s hope and at the end of today’s article, I’ll also give you a really effective solution that you can use to help rebalance and optimize brain chemicals, so you can feel happier and reduce feelings of sadness worry, and anxious feelings.

SUGAR

Sugar and salt are found in almost all foods, especially those that taste good. However, in a 2015 study¹, it revealed that the increase in added sugars in one’s diet was associated with an increased likelihood of depressive feelings.

In fact, there’s a correlation between feelings of sadness, blood sugar problems, and memory loss. And the researchers have discovered that when blood glucose levels are elevated, levels of the protein that encourages the growth of neurons and synapses, drop.

Translation: The simple act of eating sugar makes your brain work at a suboptimal level — and the more you do it, the greater your risk of sadness and the greater your risk of blood sugar problems and memory loss, too.

SOLUTION: Just read the labels and limit “sugars” whenever possible, especially when you’re not feeling 100%.

Artificial Sweeteners

This includes artificial sweeteners, especially Aspartame (NutraSweet or Equal), which is found in diet sodas and “no sugar” food because it blocks the production of the neurotransmitter serotonin. This can cause various neuro and head problems such as headaches, insomnia, changes in mood—and yes, depressive feelings.

SOLUTION: Avoid all artificial sweeteners. Instead, use natural ones such as Stevia, which is an herbal extract.

Hydrogenated Oils

Hydrogenated oils can be found in most fried foods, as well as packaged “junk” foods — such as cookies, cakes, candies, chips, crackers, margarine, and spreads.

Hydrogenation happens when you take vegetable oils and heat them or make them into solids. This also causes trans fats, which is the worst type of fat to consume.

Now, I’ve simplified this process, leaving out the boring chemical stuff because the point is, you want to avoid these fats.

Not only do they cause weight gain, inflammation, and other physical problems – but they’re also linked to mood changes.

SOLUTION: Read labels, and avoid hydrogenated and trans fats. At home, it’s best to NOT heat or cook with vegetable or seed oils. Have those cold, like on a salad. If cooking, choose a saturated fat such as butter or better yet, coconut oil — which happens to have health benefits for your body and mind.

Alcohol

Most people aren’t going to like hearing this, especially since Alcohol is the drug of choice when people are feeling “down” and hopeless.

However, alcohol is a depressant, and more specifically, depresses your central nervous system (CNS) which controls how you feel, physically, and emotionally. It controls so many of your neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine, etc).

SOLUTION: Limit or avoid alcohol, especially when you’re feeling down, hopeless, or depressed. It’s just going to make it worse!

Caffeine

Personally, I love caffeine because it gives me energy, and focus, and actually makes me happier. However, that’s only because I RARELY have any. I may have about 50 mg, 3x weekly before I go to the gym.

That’s less than half a cup of regular coffee, not even strong coffee.

Now, the reason caffeine can cause depressive feelings is 3 primary reasons:

1. Chronic and daily caffeine use (multiple cups of coffee, energy drinks, etc.) stresses your Central Nervous System (CNS) and increases your stress hormone, cortisol – which can lead to mood changes.
2. The stress on your CNS also depletes important neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, and serotonin, which affect your mood and happiness.
3. Caffeine, especially when consumed later in the day, disrupts sleep, which decreases healing, and proper hormonal production at night and thus, causes fatigue – both physically and emotionally, which can lead to mood changes.

SOLUTION: Limit your caffeine usage to the morning, maybe just once daily. And try to avoid energy drinks, which tend to have 3-10X the amount of caffeine compared to a cup of coffee. Plus, energy drinks have either sugar or artificial sweeteners – both of which you discovered today, is BAD for your health and mood.

Summary

What you’ll notice is that sugar, artificial sweeteners, hydrogenated oils, alcohol, and caffeine all contribute to negative feelings, and emotions, because they negatively alter important brain chemicals and neurotransmitters, which are responsible for your mood.

These include serotonin, dopamine, oxytocin, and cortisol – just to name a few.

So, do your best to limit and avoid these foods, especially when you’re feeling down.

Additionally, utilize natural solutions, vitamins, herbs, and minerals that are clinically proven to help improve, rebalance, and optimize these key chemicals and neurotransmitters.

And for more details about this, copy the proven formula!