Can eating junk food make you depressed?
We all love munching on chips and chocolate after school,
but is all that sugary goodness leading us to being depressed? A study
published last year by the British Journal of Psychiatry has solid evidence
that regular consumption of junk food can in fact lead to depression. Yikes!
But, on the other hand, eating whole and unprocessed foods helps to prevent
depression.
The British Journal of Psychiatry surveyed over 3,000 men
and women, asking them how often they ate certain foods over the past year.
Answers were studied, and two distinct food patterns were found: the “whole
food pattern” and the “processed food pattern.” The whole food pattern
consisted of high intake of fruits, veggies and unprocessed foods, while the
processed food pattern consisted of a high intake of fried foods, sweetened
desserts, processed meat and overall highly processed foods.
Five years later, the same men and women were asked to
complete a questionnaire designed to measure the symptoms of depression in the
general population. And—you guessed it—those chicas who consumed more processed
foods were at a higher risk for depression, while those who ate more whole
foods were least likely to have depression.
Does this mean you should toss the cookies forever and trade
them for carrots? Not exactly. While we can still enjoy chocolate during that
time of the month, or a slice of cake at a party, choosing nuts over Nutter
Butters and cantaloupe over candy will definitely be the best choice
if you want to be a happier and healthier you.
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BY KELLY MYSLINSKI ON 8/22/2011 12:00:00 AM
POSTED IN eating, healthy eating 101, how to cut out junk food, dealing with depression