According to Depression Alliance 1 in 5 people suffer from depression in the UK and over 450million people worldwide suffer with a mental health problem, proving depression is such a common issue in today’s society.  The majority of people know of someone who is suffering with the illness, personally I can think of at least ten people I know who have suffered with depression  and they are just the ones who have received medical help! Even the successful, rich and powerful have failed to escape depression as the likes of Drew Barrymore, Russell Brand, George Michael and Winston Churchill are rumoured to of suffered with it at some point in their lives.

Many factors can cause an individual to develop depression including their environment, genetics, medical conditions and their psychological view of themselves. Although this is not widely discussed we at slimming247 have read many medical articles and publications which recognise a link between poor nutrition and depression which can contribute to its start, severity and duration. Research by the University College London found strong links between what we eat and the state of our mental health as those who ate lots of fruit, vegetables and fish have a lower risk of developing depression than those consuming processed foods. Those who ate whole foods had a 26% lower risk of future depression compare to those on a diet of high processed foods who had a 58% higher risk of developing future depression.  As a result it should be no surprise that depression can also be linked to poor vitamin intake.  During the onset of developing depression many individuals often have a poor appetite, skip meals and have an increased desire for sweets. However if this is reversed it can help to preventing bouts of depression and contribute to a faster recovery.

To prevent depression or contribute to a faster recovered it is important to minimise your intake of processed foods especially refined sugar and caffeine. You should replace sweets and junk food snacks with fruit as they contain natural sugar (the good kind!), nuts, oat cakes or rice cakes. It is extremely important to have a well balanced diet so focus on eating salads, vegetables, avocados, pulses, chicken and wholegrains to help improve your vitamin intake.  Remember to eat three meals a day and drink plenty of water. Try to avoid fried foods, processed meats e.g. cured meats and high fat dairy products e.g. full fat milk. Always read food labels to check for ‘hidden’ sugar content, you might be surprised at how much rubbish is actually in the food we eat!

It is also very important to consume essential vitamins as nutrient inbalances can lead to depression. So it would be worthwhile to have a vitamin supplement such as  a<life Moringa which has similar benefits to acai and is bursting with more nutritional value than most common foods as is the world’s richest source of vitamins and minerals. It contains all the essential amino acids, vitamins and nutrients to help you achieve a healthy lifestyle.

Not only will these changes reduce the chance of developing depression it will help increase your alertness, energy, concentration levels and improve your general wellbeing and trust me you will feel a lot better for it!

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