30 Food to Fight Depression and Anxiety and Boost Your Mood

Ghee

Before we go any further, it’s important to talk about the health of your digestion as it relates to overcoming depression and anxiety. Here’s why: Most people are not aware that a major portion of our nervous system is located in our intestines, also know as the “enteric nervous system” by doctors, or more commonly as our “second brain.” In fact, more than 90% of the body’s serotonin is produced in the gut, as well as about 50% of the body’s dopamine, which are essential antidepressant neurotransmitters. Furthermore, your intestines produce and co-regulate 30 other neurotransmitters identical to those found in your brain that are used by your central nervous system to regulate mood, stress levels, sleep patterns, mental functioning and any number of other essential body processes. As you can imagine, an imbalanced, damaged or poorly functioning digestive system—whether that is due to antibiotic use, diet and lifestyle, or simply overconsumption of irritating foods—interferes with the functioning of this second brain and has been implicated in depression and other mood disorders, immune system disruption and many other common diseases.