Body & Mind

Science says: depression and nutrition, there is a connection

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You know how it is: your heart has just been broken and it feels like your life will never, ever be okay again. Then you reach for some comfort: chocolate. Yes, that brown gold should be the medicine for sadness. But is that really the case? Research shows that too much chocolate, chips, and ready-made meals can make you depressed. How does that work exactly?

That depression starts in your gut

The bacteria in your stomach – the gut flora – consist of good and bad bacteria. If you eat a lot of unhealthy food, the balance changes. Think of it as sitting on a wobbly scale that keeps tipping further down. This happens because both types of bacteria produce a substance: a happiness substance (serotonin) and a pre-happiness substance. Through the bloodstream, these substances reach your brain. The happiness substance is converted into serotonin here. The pre-happiness substance mimics that and also produces serotonin. Without that substance, you don't feel happy.

That depression starts in your gut

Are you going to eat (even more) unhealthy? Then the good bacteria that produce serotonin themselves will disappear. This applies not only to chocolate but also to chips and other fatty or salty foods. The bad bacteria can no longer mimic serotonin, which causes them to produce a toxic substance instead. These can damage your brain and even kill some brain cells. Due to the increasingly lower amount of serotonin, you run a greater risk of depression.

Why do you get depressed faster if you eat unhealthy?

Why do you get depressed faster if you eat unhealthy?

In a study, depressed and non-depressed people were compared. It was clear that depressed people had a different gut flora than the other group. They had much fewer good bacteria that produce serotonin. But, I can hear you saying: don't you just eat unhealthy because you are already depressed? It works both ways. From a study from the University of California it was found that depressed people eat more chocolate than non-depressed people.

But wasn't chocolate good for depression?

The Open University even tested this on rats. The animals were injected with the gut flora of depressed people. It turned out that the healthy rats became depressed. Now, rats can't laugh or talk to really show that they are depressed, so that had to be investigated. The researchers made them walk over beams. It was observed that the depressed rats were much more anxious than the rats that were not injected. Those dared to walk over the open beams and sought out danger, while the depressed ones stayed at a safe distance.

But wasn't chocolate good for depression?

That's right, from other research it was found that chocolate could actually reduce feelings of depression. That sounds quite… contradictory. And it is, but: this was about pure chocolate. So not that delicious Milka milk bar or (still nostalgic) chocolate milk from Chocomel, but the 70% cocoa variant or more. It is packed with tryptophan, the raw material for serotonin. It also contains phenylethylamine, which sends signals of love to your brain. So you don't need a new crush to feel those butterflies. So: throw that pure cocoa in your shopping cart, because that's what you really need.

Do you have to completely stop eating unhealthy to avoid becoming depressed?

Do you have to completely stop eating unhealthy to avoid becoming depressed?

Nutrition scientist Inge van der Wurff, explains that it is not necessary to completely stop eating unhealthy. “You really won't become depressed from having a piece of chocolate now and then, even if you occasionally eat a whole bar. If you generally eat a lot of unhealthy and processed products like chips, ready-made meals, then the risk is indeed higher.”

Which chocolate bars are good to avoid becoming depressed?

It's all about balance. Adjusting and measuring. Think of the 80/20 rule for example: generally eat healthy, and alternate that with unhealthy moments. So you can still go out for a glass of wine and a nice snack platter, or have ice cream at that one ice cream parlor in that beautiful forest. Everything has its moment. Just pay a little attention, and then everything will be fine. Even with your broken heart.

Which chocolate bars are good to avoid becoming depressed? Dua Lipa girl dinner trend

Which chocolate bars are good to avoid becoming depressed?

Just because it can, we have some inspiration for you here. Saves you some research.

Our favorites

Special bars that we want to try so much that we are drooling

And of course, you can make something yourself. Do you have a chocolate mold? Melt some pure 70% chocolate, sprinkle in some fruit and nuts, and before you know it, you're Jamie Oliver, with that beautiful bar of yours. We know what we're going to do this week: make chocolate. The kind that's good for you.