If you are a woman and depression is something you frequently experience, you are not alone. Many women are sabotaged in their weight loss battle because of the effects of depression. Being a woman and depression prone can trigger emotional eating problems. Sometimes hormone imbalances during your period, menopause and the time right after you have your baby can cause depression.
Often, women experience cravings for chocolate, sugar and carbohydrates because these foods will give you an emotional lift.
The reason is that these kinds of foods contain a chemical that will cause your serotonin level to increase. Having a low level of serotonin causes depression along with sugar,chocolate and simple carbohydrate cravings. No, you are not weak or crazy; your body really is calling out to you, “Hey, eat chocolate! You’ll feel better!”
And guess what? You will! But wouldn’t you rather take something to make you feel better that won’t make you gain weight?
Most anti-depressants prescribed by a doctor contain SSRI’s, which cause neurotransmitters to go through the process that releases serotonin, the feel-good chemical, in your brain.
Wouldn’t it be healthier to find a way to increase your serotonin level without eating foods that will make you gain weight or without having to take a pharmaceutical drug?
What happens when you’re depressed
Your body has chemicals called neurotransmitters that act as messengers between cells in your body and brain. Simply put, neurotransmitters travel between receptors in the nerve cells or muscle cells and affect all kinds of bodily functions, including your mood.
Two neurotransmitters, serotonin and dopamine, are the main stimulators of the brain’s pleasure centers. When the brain has the right amount of serotonin at the right time of day, you feel emotionally stable, relaxed, calm, tranquil, confident, safe and secure. A woman and depression and a low level of serotonin results in anxiety, irritability, insomnia, obsessive-compulsive behavior and cravings for sweets and carbohydrates.
When your brain’s biochemistry is working right, just the right amount of the neurotransmitter serotonin is being released and used to sustain your emotional mood. Then the serotonin is taken back up by the neuron that released the serotonin. Depression can result when there’s not enough serotonin activity in the brain or when it’s not in the gap between nerve cells or “synapse” long enough.
Rx to the rescue for woman and depression?
Doctors, pharmacists and drug companies have figured out this serotonin-depression equation between a woman and depression. Prescription drugs have been developed that can help.
One of the most popular prescription anti-depressants is called an SSRI. It stands for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. The theory behind the science of SSRI’s is that it stops the serotonin that’s been released into your brain from being re-absorbed as quickly. So it stays in the synapse, or gap between neurons, longer.
Prozac was one of the first of these SSRI’s to be developed and has become very popular with people who have problems with mild depression. But did you know there is a natural substance that you can take that will cause your body to make it’s own serotonin? It’s called tryptophan and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). These substances give nerve cells more of the raw material cells need to manufacture serotonin and keep it in your brain longer.
Other Neurotransmitters
There are other neurotransmitters that affect mood and can encourage eating the wrong foods for a woman with depression symptoms.
Dopamine plays a crucial role in elevating mood. Pleasureable experiences trigger a release of dopamine in your brain and the more pleasant experiences you have, the more dopamine is released. The act of eating a particular kind of food and experiencing the good taste and warm, comforting experience just trains your body to keep eating more of the same bad food.
Noradrenaline is adrenaline’s “cousin” and your body releases it when it perceives a threat. It is the key factor in your body’s stress response (“fight or flight”). Depression results when you do not have enough noradrenaline activity. Then the cycle of cravings and eating to satisfy cravings can sometimes result.
Glutamine is an amino acid found in human’s muscle tissue, blood and spinal fluid. It’s crucial for optimal brain function and is known as “brain fuel”. It’s known to boost mood and increase alertness. A deficiency in glutamine also results in a craving for sweets.
Gamma Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) is a nonessential amino acid that occurs in the brain and slows the activity of nerve cells from firing too fast. It acts as a “brake on the brain” and if you are deficient, you might experience panic attacks, excessive stress reactions, anxiety depression and exhaustion from stress.
Other chemicals and depression
Stress can make a woman depressed and fat if it’s not handled properly.
Sometimes taking a calcium supplement without magnesium will have problems with depression.
While eating the right foods and getting enough amino acids and the right supplements can help fight depression, it is not wise to believe that a woman and depression cure is possible just by taking a supplement or eating the right kinds of amino-acid containing foods.
It takes a balanced approach towards proper nutrition, supplements, exercise and healthy lifestyle to minimize depression and enhance your quality of life.
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