Are We Depressed Because We Eat Crap, or Do We Eat Crap Because We’re Depressed?
Weight gain is a pandemic that no one is talking about.
It’s unclear whether happy people eat healthy or healthy eating makes people happy. I’d argue that both statements are correct and the same goes for junk food and depression. The question then arises: should we direct our focus to peace of mind or a diet that helps us get there?
Having a better understanding of this topic will not only help us prepare for the next widespread disease, but it will also make us stronger in-between times of unrest.
A pandemic before the pandemic
COVID is a great scapegoat, but we’ve been fat and depressed for a long time. There was a 33 percent increase in suicides from 1999 to 2017 (1). When it comes to obesity, despite the growing interest in dieting and fitness, the rates have tripled since 1975 (2).
In the US, more than 2/3 of people are considered overweight/obese (3). Hence, being fit in today’s society is an anomaly rather than the norm. A million different factors are making it so, including the rise in office work, virtual interactions, the prices of healthy food, the science behind fast food, and the list goes on.
Although we all understand happiness differently, fewer Americans consider themselves happy than ever before (4). The closest people have been to a similar worldwide disease was the Spanish Flu. While there were other contributing factors, and the absence of social media to bolster them, deaths by suicide nonetheless increased (5). A crucial difference is that there was also no processed food, or ads with it, to promote fake contentment.
As it turns out, we’ve been in this hole for a while. The psychological sequelae, unfortunately, are not going away any time soon. All we can hope for is that the science has not evolved so much and the socioeconomic limitations are not profound enough to stop us from changing our nutrition for the better.
You feel what you eat
Only a few activities are more intimately linked to pleasure than eating. This innate connection has been vital for our survival but has not had enough time to evolve. Having a sweet tooth or a craving for salt must’ve been annoying in the Stone Age, however, there were no grocery stores or ads to constantly seduce you.
In this day and age, we tend to look at nutrition like it’s a performance enhancer, a means to lose weight or have a good time. Little do we notice how much it shapes our emotional wellbeing and makes us love and hate ourselves. Rewarding yourself with food has become an incredibly common practice that’s ingrained into the social fabric. You got hired? Eat. You got fired? Eat.
Supposing that there’s no such thing as a happy diet, being conscious about what you put in your body will never be pointless. Simply knowing that you’re nourishing yourself to the best of your knowledge can be remarkably powerful. Your mental health is dependent on you appreciating but not abusing food.
Lastly, you have to stop looking at cravings as if they’re the true you. Your desires to eat right and exercise are just as real as your appetite. I’d argue that these aspirations are actually more legitimate and genuine than the short-term cravings.
A happy diet
Is there such a thing as a happy diet? If there was one, I’d have three expectations for it.
- Does it provide immediate pleasure? If yes, then proceed.
- Does it cause regret afterward? If no, then proceed.
- Does it fight chronic inflammation? If no, then it better not to create it.
The first two are quite obvious, but the last one may need a bit of explanation. We keep hearing about different anti-inflammatory foods, but more often than not, they seem to produce more inflammation than they reduce. Sugar, for instance, is remarkably proinflammatory and rarely does it come without other irritants. Wait, what does this have to do with depression?
Chronic inflammation is thought to be responsible for multiple disorders, including mental (6). It frankly makes sense, as the brain can also get inflamed due to poor dietary decisions. This can result in a serious condition known as encephalitis or an overstimulation of microglia, the brain’s immune cells. Therefore, adding anti-inflammatory foods or avoiding inflammation in the first place can be tremendous for your mental wellbeing.
While I’m not going to proclaim that one single diet is the best in terms of inflammation, I will tell you the losers. A diet that’s high in sugar, fructose, and/or refined carbohydrates is probably a recipe for disaster, especially if it lacks fiber. Processed foods are not the devil as long as they aren’t hyper-palatable, don’t have trans fats, and are generally low in Omega-6.
An awesome tool that people tend to overlook is common sense. Whatever you’re going to eat is hopefully going to satisfy the first criterion. Things like pizza, beer, etc. are probably going to meet the second expectation if it’s somebody’s birthday, but not if you’re bored. The last one is a bit tricky, but you should do just fine by relying on your gut feeling most of the time.
Takeaway
Live food, eat life!
Most of us seem to be happiest when we’re eating. We often get through the days solely by thinking about the upcoming meal. Our society needs to change and start valuing life as if it was a slice of cake.
The obesity and despair epidemic that we’re currently in has not yet hit the brakes. If we want these horrifying numbers to start decreasing, a fundamental shift between nutrition and the mind needs to happen now.
