There is far more to our diet than just calories and carbohydrate counting. In fact, there are many people who would say diet can help solve a lot of personal problems we struggle with. Depression is one of the main medical problems that our diet can help with.

What is depression? Some medical professionals say it is caused by an imbalance of a neurotransmitter inside the brain called serotonin. The idea behind this theory is that if you have enough serotonin to flood your brain all will be well.

The main problem with this is that there is not enough science to back it up. Doctors may push drug therapy, but essentially they are pushing a theory only. There have been studies which have shown dramatically increasing the serotonin levels in the brain actually failed to relieve depression! The very opposite of what the professionals claim. There is certainly a discrepancy between the science and the prescription of choice. Perhaps the money behind the drugs is a powerful motivator.

Taking more of a radical (or perhaps traditional) approach to our health, specifically depression, often works better than modern medicine. If we were to pay attention to the vitamin and mineral deficiencies that plague most North American diets and then remedy them with the appropriate food, the rampant symptoms of depression would likely decline. How many of us are guilty of consuming empty carbs, excessive caffeine and far too much sugar?

What kinds of food actually help beat down depression? For starters, most whole grains – such as brown rice, pasta and breads. The white variety just doesn’t cut it. The reason is that there are B6 & B1 vitamins and folic acid in whole grains and oats. Quinoa and spelt are two other grain varieties that offer brain-boosting nutrients. Cabbage is an excellent choice to help fight stress and infection – and even heart disease. There are lots of ways to get cabbage into your diet if you get creative. Other foods that boost serotonin and help fight depression are sweet potatoes, dark chocolate, flax seeds and turkey.

It is not a matter of giving up the foods we love that are not good for us. That likely is not a real possibility. It’s all about making small changes, adding bits here and there and ultimately being intentional about our health.