by Michy Lynn

Created on: February 16, 2009   Last Updated: February 22, 2009

Time and time again, we've seen the female lead in a romantic comedy drown her sorrows in a bucket of ice cream. There's long been the running joke about women and chocolate improving PMS symptoms and improving mood. It's been said the enzymes in chocolate can mimic an 'in love' feeling.

There are foods considered aphrodisiacs that can increase sexual arousal and desire. With all this 'evidence', it seems clear people believe food can and does alter body chemistry and thus influences mood. If this is the case, it makes sense that some foods can trigger depressive moods while other foods might actually help fight depression.

Body Chemistry and Food

Human brains release hormones and neurotransmitters that control and affect the body chemistry. The brain sometimes also absorbs and reuptakes those things in order to regulate and control things in the body from hormone release, pain sensation, reflexes, and even mood to sleep cycles, menstrual cycles, and muscle repair.

Food is the fuel the body uses for energy and to sustain certain body functions. When the body receives the proper nutrition in the right combination for the individual needs of that body, the brain and the body will work most efficiently, and controlling mood is much easier to achieve.

Depression Isn't Always Bad

The first thing to consider is that depression, or being depressed, is sometimes a normal condition. Depression is one of the stages of grieving, for example, that all human beings have to work through to get to healing. It is normal to feel sad when someone dies, when a relationship ends, or when something we perceive as negative happens.

While there are things we can do to alleviate some of the depth of depression in a situation where depression is natural, it is important to note that no magic pill, no magic food, no magic anything is going to take away situational depression that has a cause.

When Depression Isn't Situational

There are people who battle feelings of depression, even when the situation doesn't warrant it. Some people simply feel a lingering sense of sadness, depression, and loneliness that cannot be associated with a situation, and may even feel this way when their mind is logically saying they should be happy. This is the type of depression changing body chemistry might help. One way to change body chemistry is through choosing the proper foods for the body type, activity, and specific mood needs.

What Foods Might Trigger Depression?

First, it must be understood that one of the

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