How Eating Chicken Keeps Depression at Bay

It seems that happiness is everyone’s ultimate purpose in life. For this reason, we are willing to do whatever it takes just to achieve the very thing that will finally make us feel contented. Some folks out there assert that a life that’s lived free from suffering is the definition of happiness. However, this doesn’t seem to be the case all the time. We always find something to complain about our lives- our bodies, career path; social status- the list is just never ending. The search for this seemingly elusive bliss in life gets to a point where we just feel like giving up. We try our best to keep ourselves contented but all to no avail until we reach a point of self-pity, isolation, and depression.

You Become What You Eat

What we don’t realize is that we can find in simple things the antidote to this abyss of dissatisfaction. Who knew we can actually find it in the food we eat? “What you eat, you become” as an old saying goes and if we’re not aware of the effect of our food choices on our wellness, we may just fall prey to the pits of depression. No wonder there’s this thing called “junk food” – the sort of meals we indulge in but gives us no nutritional value other than their ability to tickle our taste buds. So if it’s depression that we’re battling and we want contentment to triumph, perhaps the answer is to pick which food to feed our bodies.

The Feel-Good Hormone

Since we’re talking about feel-good food, did you know that according to studies, sipping some warm chicken soup leaves a positive impact on our state of mind? Chicken meat is rich in protein that’s made up of one of the most essential amino acids that we should have on our diet. These amino acids are called tryptophan. Once tryptophan is digested, broken down, and synthesized, it becomes serotonin – the hormone that’s responsible for improving many functions of the brain such as appetite, memory, and -voila- our mood! Now, we know that one of the symptoms of depression is flagging memory and concentration. In addition to this incredible information, what’s more cheering is that protein is also known to be helpful in enhancing our concentration ability. This means that if we incorporate chicken to our daily diet especially when we’re down in the dumps, this will help us have a clearer mindset and a more elevated mood.

 It’s In the Fridge!

There are many things in life that lead us to the dark alleys of depression- failed relationships, financial crisis, health issues, being in limbo, etc. However, once we realize that there is actually more to life and we decide to move on, rise up, and help ourselves, the key to beating depression is actually in our hands. Perhaps happiness is as vague as it gets, but we can take those baby steps towards our wellness. Instead of focusing on the negative side of our life, perhaps we’re better off accepting what cannot be undone and just do what we can for our betterment? For one, we can start with our diet and choose the food that leaves us feeling great. The solace we’ve always been longing for is just hiding inside that fridge!