When you visit a psychiatrist and they prescribe antidepressants, you will probably get clear instructions on how to take these, when, how much, and what to expect in terms of the effects, as well as in terms of the side effects. And, knowing all of those things is extremely important, isn’t it? So, if you have any kinds of questions, you should feel free to ask before leaving the office.
For instance, if you’ve been prescribed SSRIs, you should get a better idea about How SSRIs Work, and you can undeniably ask your doctor about that. Most great ones will be ready to answer your questions and provide you with all the information you need, so that you can feel more confident taking these, and so that you can know what to expect when you start. So, get your questions ready and don’t hesitate to ask anything you need to know.
Yet, while a lot of patients do ask certain questions, the truth is that one topic rarely comes up in the doctor’s office, and it is a highly important one. To cut right to the chase, I am talking about the idea that you may want to change your diet when you start taking antidepressants. While not discussed too much, the topic of your diet and the medications you are taking, as well as your mental health in general, is undeniably of crucial importance.
Now, while you may not have talked about this with your doctor, chances are that you have actually heard, from one source or another, about the concept of an antidepressants diet. Perhaps your friend told you about it, or perhaps you’ve come across it when doing your own research. Or, maybe you did actually discuss this in the doctor’s office, and maybe it did come up at one point during the conversation.
Whatever the case, one thing is for sure. What you want to do now is understand whether antidepressants diet is actually a thing, and what it is that you have to know about it. And, well, there is no doubt that those are both rather important questions right there. Perhaps this could give you a better idea about all of it.
Is Antidepressants Diet a Thing?
Well, then, let us start answering those questions for you. When you first get prescribed SSRIs, or when someone you know starts taking these medications, you are sure to have certain expectations and assumptions. Among other things, you will probably think that the medications will solve all the problems, and that there is no need for you, or anyone for that matter, to do anything else.
This, however, is not the right idea, nor the right mindset, because it puts you into a passive position, and shifts all the responsibility on the medications. You just assume that things will get fixed all on their own, and that there is absolutely nothing you should do about it. Well, that’s wrong, in many ways. But, to stick to the topic, it is also wrong because it indicates that you don’t have to worry about your diet at all when taking antidepressants.
So, to cut to the chase, the antidepressant diet is a thing. In other words, you do have to think about what you are eating when you are taking these medications, as that will help you maximize their effectiveness, and thus really help them help you, so to speak. It is, therefore, time to get out of that passive position and do something good for yourself through consuming the right foods, and avoiding the wrong ones when taking, for example, SSRIs.
Read more on diet and mental health in general: https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/explore-mental-health/a-z-topics/diet-and-mental-health
What to Know About It?
So, since this is a thing, you now want to understand what it is that you should actually know about it. Well, the antidepressant diet is related to both the things you want to consume, and the things you want to avoid. For one thing, you should do your best to increase the intake of proteins, fibers, healthy fats, omega-3 amino acids, and similar nutrients that will be good both for your brain and your entire body.
This consequently means that you should also avoid ultra processed foods (UPF) as much as you can. This is because it can disrupt the gut microbiome, cause inflammation and lead to nutritional deficiencies, all of which can make your antidepressants not work that successfully. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should never have a snack or anything like that, but the thing is that UPF can negatively affect the way you respond to SSRIs, which is why minimizing its intake when on antidepressants is a good idea. It puts you in that active position, allowing you to actually do something good for yourself, and increase the effectiveness of the medications you are taking.