Could A Higher Protein Diet Aid Depression?

In the past, nutrition and diet has been linked to several mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder, anxiety, and schizophrenia. It has been said that those suffering with these mental illnesses tend to have a poorer diet and a higher caloric intake.

Recently, researchers looked at the impact of specific macronutrients: fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. The study used 97 student-athletes who were put on a high protein diet. Symptoms of depression were recorded before beginning this diet and. 10 months later during the follow up period, the adolescents exclaimed that they had less depression symptoms.

How you can include more protein in your Diet
Protein foods include those such as meat, poultry, chicken, eggs, beans, peas, and lentils. If you are going to choose options such as meat or poultry, they should be the lean version. For example, 93% lean ground beef.

My plate.gov gives recommendations and serving sizes for how much protein you should be consuming with each choice. They are as follows.

• 1 ounce of meat, poultry or fish
• ¼ cup cooked beans
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon of peanut butter
• ½ ounce of nuts or seeds

Other benefits of Protein
Proteins are the building blocks of bones, muscles, enzymes, and hormones. The hormones explain how this macronutrient can aid various mental illnesses.

Sea Foods contain EPA and DHA which are omega-3-fatty acids. It has been shown that eating 8 ounces of seafood a week can lower your chances of heart disease.

References
“High Protein Diet Reduces Depression Symptoms.” Neuroscience News, 10 March 2023, https://neurosciencenews.com/high-protein-diet-depression-22760/. Accessed 11 March 2023.
“Protein Foods.” MyPlate, https://www.myplate.gov/eat-healthy/protein-foods. Accessed 11 March 2023.