Good news, people! You can start fighting symptoms of depression and anxiety shortly after you roll out of bed each morning. And it’s easy enough to do. You just need to eat a healthy breakfast. That’s it. You really can eat to beat depression and anxiety, beginning with your first meal of the day.
You don’t even need to make anything fancy or follow a mood lifting recipe. An easy-to-throw together breakfast is all it takes. Really! It’s as simple as that. Because the old standard breakfast foods provide many of the vitamins and minerals you need to revamp your mental health and say goodbye to symptoms of depression and anxiety.
So, what breakfast foods help alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety and what nutrients do they provide?
Get ready for it…
The Best Breakfast Foods for Decreasing Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety
There are so many breakfast options that alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety! But right now, I’m just gonna list the ones that I think of as the top five.
Drumroll please..
The best breakfast foods for decreasing symptoms of depression and anxiety include:
1) Tomato Eggs. You can cook up the “incredible edible” egg in so many ways. And regardless of whether they’re over easy, scrambled, or hard boiled, these little guys really pack a punch of nutrients for better mental health.
Backing that statement, Dr. Drew Ramsey – a renown psychiatrist who emphasizes the importance of good nutrition for good mental health – says eggs have every nutrient a person needs to make a brain cell, including iron, zinc, folate, omega 3 fatty acids, and protein. Additionally, eggs contain Vitamin B12, another nutrient geared up for fighting off symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Now, I want to talk a little bit about how some of these individual nutrients play a role in mental health.
I’ll start with Vitamin B9 or folate, which regulates levels of the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine. You need folate to produce enough serotonin and dopamine. A lack of these neurotransmitters plays a starring role in the development of depression and anxiety. So then, low folate levels increase your risk of developing depression. They also diminish the potentially positive effects of antidepressant medication.
Next, Vitamin B12 also plays a role in serotonin production. And without enough B12, you won’t have enough serotonin. So, needless to say, you need this vitamin as well for defending yourself from symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Additionally, egg yolks are full of iron, another nutrient also plays a significant role in the production of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Not too surprisingly, research repeatedly connects iron deficiency with symptoms of depression and anxiety.
But enough about the egg! Tomatoes also contains nutrients that help fight off symptoms of depression and anxiety. The most notable one is Vitamin C. Our brains have higher concentrations of Vitamin C than any other part of our bodies. And according to the Mayo Clinic, people deficient in Vitamin C often experience depression. Research also links Vitamin C supplementation with improved mood and lower levels of self-reported anxiety in people with depression.
So, with all that said, as long as you like these unsung heroes of better mental health, please dig in!
Again, you can eat eggs cooked in many ways. But for something a little different, try slicing a tomato in half and scooping out the fleshy center. Then cut a hard-boiled egg in half and then place each half within one of the tomato halves. Sprinkle some Trader Joe’s Everything but the Bagel spice. And voila! You have a healthy and tasty breakfast that can help heal your symptoms of depression and anxiety. You can also slice a tomato in half and scoop out the middle then fill those halves with uncooked eggs and bake them in the oven. My favorite mood lifting recipe for baked tomato eggs is right here. It’s the perfect breakfast you can eat to beat depression and anxiety.
2) Oatmeal. Ahh, I love oatmeal – comfort food extraordinaire! It’s warm and nourishing. And better yet, oatmeal helps fight symptoms of depression and anxiety.
How so?
Well, for one thing, oats contain fiber, and fiber stabilizes your blood sugar. Additionally, oats contain Vitamin B1, which converts glucose or blood sugar into energy. And this conversion also helps balance your blood sugar. Countless research studies have linked unbalanced blood sugar to depression and anxiety. B1 also strengthens the nervous system, increasing its ability to combat stress. And again, stress both triggers and aggravates symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Oats also provide Vitamin B9 or folate. Again, your body needs folate to regulate serotonin and dopamine levels. These neurotransmitters are vital for good mental health.
Oats also contain iron, which, as you now know, plays a starring role in the production of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.
Additionally, oats contain magnesium. Research suggests that magnesium may improve symptoms of depression. And like fiber and Vitamin B1, magnesium regulates blood sugar. It also improves sleep quality. You need balanced blood sugar and quality sleep to both prevent and alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Lastly, oats are a source of zinc, another nutrient linked to the main neurotransmitters associated with depression and anxiety. Zinc also fights inflammation, which is – you guessed it! – another factor linked to symptoms of depression and anxiety.
You can eat oatmeal hot or cold.
Try drizzling a little honey over warm oatmeal before topping it with berries and almonds for a bowl full of nutrients for better mental health.
You can also make overnight oats by adding your choice of milk and other ingredients like berries and maple syrup. This really helps if you have trouble getting out the door in the morning. A breakfast for better mental health is ready and waiting in your fridge. You can then eat it cold or heat it up in the microwave.
My favorite tips for making this breakfast you can eat to beat depression and anxiety and some mood lifting recipes for these overnight oats are right here.
3) Low-fat Yogurt Parfait. Creamy, dreamy yogurt layered with fruit and granola anyone? Me, me! I’d love one even if it wasn’t a mood lifting breakfast that helps alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety.
But let’s talk a little about why yogurt is a perfect breakfast for better mental health.
First, dairy products contain calcium, magnesium, vitamin B12, and vitamin D. We’ve already covered the benefits of Vitamin B12 and magnesium for fighting off or preventing symptoms of depression and anxiety. So, let’s talk a little about calcium and Vitamin D.
Calcium regulates the central nervous system and controls excitatory brain activity. Without enough calcium, your central nervous system can go haywire and fail to produce neurotransmitters that play a role in the development of depression and anxiety. In addition to calcium, yogurt contains tryptophan, and tryptophan makes serotonin.
Then there’s Vitamin D. Research has linked Vitamin D deficiency to depression, but it has failed to clarify if Vitamin D supplementation helps alleviate symptoms of depression. But you do need Vitamin D to improve calcium absorption. And again, calcium plays a role in fighting off symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Additionally, the granola you mixed into your yogurt parfait contains the same oats found in oatmeal with all the same nutritional value. And fruits like strawberries, blueberries, and bananas contain Vitamin C, another nutrient that packs a punch for fighting off symptoms of depression and anxiety. We talked about this a little earlier in this blog. Finally, those nuts and seeds sprinkled on the top of that parfait may contain B vitamins, folate, magnesium, zinc, calcium, and iron, which, again, all play a role in alleviating symptoms of depression and anxiety.
You can make a mood-lifting breakfast yogurt parfait with low-fat yogurt, granola, slivered almonds, and your choice of fruit for a power punch of nutrients that fight off symptoms of depression and anxiety. Just a quick note.. you’ll get the most bang for your nutritional buck by using unsweetened yogurt. Just drizzle a little honey or maple syrup on top for a touch of sweet. Then dig in and eat to beat depression and anxiety!
4) Bagels and Lox. Brined salmon (aka lox) is another breakfast food that provides powerful nutrients perfect for easing symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Lox gives you the perfect dose of B12, Vitamin D, and Omega 3 fatty acids. I’ve already talked about how Vitmin B12 and Vitamin D help improve symptoms of depression and anxiety.
So here I’ll give you a little more information on the role Omega 3 fatty acids play in better mental health. In a few words: “We need them!” They help our brains send and receive messages via neurotransmitters – specifically serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. And as you know, these are star players in the game we play for good mental health.
Research has shown that people with depression have low levels of EPA and DHA, which are two of the three most essential omega-3s. So, more research studies have been conducted to determine if EPA and DHA supplementation can help treat symptoms of depression and anxiety. And most of these studies have concluded that these omega-3s can help alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Then the cream cheese used for bagels and lox also provides depression- and anxiety-fighting nutrients like calcium, magnesium, and Vitamin D.
To make bagels and lox, just take a toasted and sliced whole grain bagel, slather it with cream cheese, then top it off with lox and a few capers. Voila! You’ve built a powerhouse mood lifting breakfast perfect for fighting off symptoms of depression and anxiety.
5) Avocado Toast. I’m rounding out this list with one of my all-time favorites, avocado toast! It can help fight symptoms of depression and anxiety, rendering it yet another perfect breakfast for good mental health.
As for the details on this breakfast’s beneficial nutrients, avocado contains folate, Vitamin C, magnesium, fiber, and omega 3s. We’ve talked about how all these nutrients help prevent or alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety. So, no more explanation needed here 😊
To make this delicioso breakfast, you simply mash up some avocado and spread it over whole grain toast. You can then sprinkle Everything but the Bagel seasoning and some red pepper flakes on top. Then add a splash of olive oil, if you’d like. And there you have it – a breakfast you can eat to beat depression and anxiety.
That’s a Wrap
So, there you have it! A short-list of simple and easy-to-make breakfasts that can help alleviate your symptoms of depression and anxiety. They are the perfect way to start your day so you can eat to beat depression and anxiety.
Have I missed any of your favorite breakfasts? If so, please share in the comments.
And learn more about nutritional therapy for better mental health at annedeleeuw.com. I’ll see you there 😊
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