A variety of versions of depression detox diets exist, although none go by that specific name. Many detox diets simply claim to help depression. However, your best choice may simply be a healthy, varied, low sugar, low fat diet plan.
What Is A Detox Diet?
A detox diet is supposed to cleanse the body from the inside out. Detox proponents believe that if we remove toxins and chemicals ingested from common foods, that our bodies will be healthier, our looks improved and our moods better.
Detox diets vary wildly. Some require drinking only liquids or eating only raw foods. Others combine non-processed foods with lots of water. Dozens of detox diet plans exist though.
Will A Depression Detox Diet Work?
There's not much science backing up any specific detox diet for depression. Research surrounding toxins and other unhealthy chemicals in foods proves many are dangerous. Ridding your body of these unhealthy items can only do you good.
That said, the problem with whole heartedly believing in a depression detox diet is that depression has been studied and can be very dangerous when left untreated. Depression when left unchecked can result in violent outbursts, sleeping and eating issues, even suicide. Because there's no proven depression diet, treating depression by food alone is a big risk; a risk that you shouldn't take without careful supervision of a doctor. While a depression detox diet may work, it's not worth the risk to self-treat depression. The first thing you need to do if you're feeling depressed is to see your doctor and discuss treatment plans including a depression diet as a complimentary treatment.
Depression Based Detox Diets
Visit with your doctor and get the approval that a detox diet may be helpful before making any changes. Not all detox diets are right for everyone. If you start a detox diet and feel sick, overly tired, or your depression seems worse, you need to quit the diet plan and tell your doctor. A basic healthy diet can help with depression, because a healthy body does in fact deal with emotional issues better.
It's widely believed by the medical community that a healthy, depression-fighting, general detox-like diet can be achieved by the following:
- Drinking eight glasses of water a day.
- Eating a nice mix of whole foods, heavy on the whole grains, veggies, and fruits.
- Limiting refined sugars and extra salt.
- Eliminating saturated fats whenever possible.
- Cutting out all processed foods.
- Taking daily supplements of B vitamins (b6 is especially important).
- Evening primrose oil supplements - shown to be useful for depression in a couple of studies.
The diet above is a general detox diet. The components of this diet plan lead to a healthy body and a natural detoxification; no pills, odd drinks, or complicated plans required.
Exercise Can Help
In addition to the above, it's smart to get plenty of exercise. While food for depression is controversial, exercise is not. Exercise has been shown time and time again, in numerous studies to ward off depression and even help cure it.
