Best Supplements And Vitamins For Depression Support

Depression is more than just feeling sad. It affects you not only on a deep, psychological level, but on emotional and physical levels as well.

When my clients complain of feeling moody, lacking energy or just feeling ‘blah’ about everything, it’s a red flag that they aren’t getting the right nutrients.

Talking about people’s eating habits is a touchy subject. No one wants to be told they can’t have their comfort foods, and everyone seems resistant to anything that sounds healthy. My clients will defend their choices, convinced that that is the only way they can exist. That eating healthy requires too much effort from them, and they wonder how they could ever achieve a balanced diet, especially when they’re already so tired and sad.

A poor diet that contains too much junk food is a common, but little known cause of depression. The chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters regulate our mood and behavior, and they need the right nutrients to work properly. Processed foods that contain little nutrients have a slow, sluggish energy about them, and when you eat them, it makes you slow also. It makes perfect sense – low energy foods equal low energy output.

Proper nutrition allows the brain to produce more of the feel-good brain chemicals that are responsible for mood and energy levels. It is well documented that low levels of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine are a primary cause of depression, anxiety and sleep disorders. It is only logical that when you adequately nourish yourself, you start feeling less depressed. When your body and brain have the nutrients necessary to function, you actually have more energy. You start wanting to engage in life again instead of just trudging through. You want to live again instead of merely existing.

I have seen this happen with several of my clients. Once they began to make a few changes to what they were putting into their bodies, the positive effects began to snowball. It takes a little effort to properly feed yourself, but the return on your investment is huge.

* Salmon oil, flaxseed oil, or primrose oil – use as directed on label; these oils contain essential fatty acids that aid in the transmission of nerve impulses, needed for normal brain function and hormone balance

* 5-HTP (hydroxtryptophan ) – use as directed on label; this supplement increases serotonin production (do not use with other anti-depressants)

* SAMe (S-adenosylmethionine) – use as directed on label (do not use with other anti-depressants)

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