Nutrient Deficiencies and Mood
Nutrient deficiencies arise when the diet is not balanced to include critical nutrients, or when there is malabsorption or gut inflammation blocking you from absorbing all of what you eat. Mood issues arise from deficiencies of amino acids, B-Vitamins (or from getting too much); and also because some people use different amounts of certain nutrients, so the standard recommendations actually leave some people depleted. Additionally, industrial agriculture leaves soils depleted of some critical nutrients, so even when you eat a balanced diet, your food may not have the nutrients they once did.
What's Causing Your Depression?
When I say lifestyle, what I mean is the basic requirements of life—food, exercise, sleep, stress, and substance use. In short, it means the way you live—too much excitement or stress, too little sleep, forcing your body to deal with constant alcohol, tobacco, drugs, or poor diet. These contributors are the foundation of the chemistry of your body and mind, and will influence how your brain chemistry operates; and they may contribute to episodes of depression along the way if they are out of balance.
Most of us thrive when we keep our pace of life in the slow to medium range. Unfortunately the modern lifestyle doesn’t make this easy for us, because we are often saturated with responsibilities, work, tasks, information, commutes, and expectations to keep up with the pace of others. Depression can develop when dealing with difficult life situations, especially when the situation is long term.
Neurotransmitters are the main chemical messengers of mood, and they include "uppers", which lift your mood and stimulate excitement and activity, and "downers" which calm and relax. Neurotransmitter imbalances are pivotal treatment areas for mood disorders, and they can be tested and treated individually. Imbalances in neurotransmitters can result from many areas, included genetics, gut health issues, and hormone imbalances in the adrenals, thyroid, and sex hormones.
Depression can be a result of several different neurotransmitter imbalances, including serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. The two main branches of depression are serotonin dependent, which presents as a weepy, sad, melancholic 'blues' type of depression; and dopamine/norepinephrine dependent depression, which presents as a tired, lethargic, brain-fogged, and unmotivated type of depression.
Mood Nutrition Mini-Course
Did You Know?
Low protein diets, and vegan/vegetarian diets are often missing critical amounts of B12 which is a strong determinant of mood
It takes 4-6 ounces of cold water fish per day to get enough Omega-3 fatty acids for good mood health. Or if vegetarian–flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, chia seeds, walnuts, soy foods, algae or algae oil.
Industrial agriculture has caused widespread Magnesium deficiency, a critical mood nutrient, and many other micronutrient deficiencies through depletion of soils
Food intolerances, microbiome imbalances, and conditions such as IBS and inflammatory bowel disease can cause malabsorption which prevents you from getting appropriate nutrition from the foods you eat
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