Thread: 5 Foods That Will Make You Happy

Natural substances found in certain foods work as well as prescription antidepressants at preventing depression and making you feel happy, according to researchers from Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass. Those natural substances are omega-3 fatty acids and uridine, and in experiments with rats, they were just as effective as three different prescription antidepressants in preventing signs of depression, reports HealthDayNews. In other words, eat these foods and you'll be happier.

The top five foods rich in these substances are:

1. Salmon
2. Herring
3. Walnuts
4. Sugar beets
5. Beet molasses

The study used a well-established animal model of depression. The rats were placed in a tank of water where they were forced to swim. They soon realized that swimming was futile, so they just gave up and floated, a sign that they were surrendering to depression. When the rats were given an injection of an antidepressant drug or combined doses of omega-3 fatty acids and uridine, they started swimming again. Interestingly, the latter was just as effective as three different prescription antidepressants--Norpramin, Prozac, and Celexa--in prompting the rats to begin swimming again.

Prescription medication for depression and foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids and uridine probably work the same way to ease depression, according to study leader William Carlezon, director of McLean's Behavioral Genetics Laboratory. "Mitochondria produce energy for brain cells," he explained to HealthDayNews. "Imagine what happens if your brain does not have enough energy. Basically, we were giving the brain more fuel on which to run." Omega-3 fatty acids are found in abundance in certain types of fish, including salmon, herring, and tuna, as well as walnuts and flaxseed. Uridine is found in sugar beets and molasses made from those beets; it's also an important element in mother's milk. The study findings were published in the journal Biological Psychiatry.

10 Dirtiest Foods That Can Make You Sick

Open your refrigerator. Take a good look inside. Chances are you have some of the dirtiest--and most dangerous--foods in there. Eat them and you could get very sick.

Men's Health magazine has identified the 10 dirtiest foods--from bad burgers and dangerous deli meats to hazardous health foods.

The Dirty 10:

1. Chicken
In one study cited by Men's Health, more than 40 percent of chicken samples contained bacteria that can sicken, including E. coli.

2. Ground Beef
Simply because of the way ground beef is made through heavy processing, it has the potential to be loaded with deadly E. coli bacteria and more.

3. Ground Turkey
One in four packages of ground turkey tested by Men's Health contained bacteria. This becomes a greater concern as more people substitute ground turkey for ground beef thinking it's a healthier alternative.

4. Oysters
Beware of raw oysters! Many are tainted not only with bacteria, but also the Norovirus.

5. Eggs
The incredible edible egg is also associated with more than 600,000 cases of food poisoning each year and more than 300 deaths. Cook eggs completely and never eat them raw.

6. Cantaloupe
Cantaloupe rinds often contain dangerous bacteria that are hard to wash away. Cut through that rind with a knife and the bacteria can be transferred to the fruit.

7. Peaches
This favorite juicy summer fruit is dangerous because the peach fuzz makes it difficult to clean off all the pesticides.

8. Pre-Packaged Tossed Salads
These bagged salads are one of the greatest conveniences of the past decade, but they can also be one of the biggest sources of food poisoning since the contents are often contaminated with E. Coli, according to Men's Health.

9. Cold Cuts
It looks like delicious shaved ham or turkey to you. But it could contain the dangerous bacteria Listeria, which is especially risky for infants and the elderly. Listeria can be spread by the deli slicer, and it can even grow in a cold refrigerator. What can you do? Experts advise you to transfer the deli meat to a fresh package when you get home and only buy enough for one week at a time.

10. Scallions
If these green onions are left uncooked, they have the potential to become bacterial breeding grounds. They've also been linked to fatal outbreaks of Hepatitis-A.

Having read this, I urge anyone who is on anti-depressants not to keep taking them and start eating these foods. They may work for people who have the blues but not for major depression. Omega 3 fatty acids do help the synapse of your brain to communicate better but it doesn't replace the lost seratonin.

Chocolate makes me happy!!!

I was looking at a site that had a depression diet. It said that tomatoes are also good for depression. I ran out and bought some, first time in a long time, because fresh tomatoes are a little expensive and I am the only one that eats them.

I felt better right away, but don't know if it's because there's something in tomatoes or because I bought myself a treat.

Anyway, that depression diet I saw was the same as most old fashioned diets.

Fatty fish (salmon, mackeral, herring)
whole grains
fruits and vegetables (mainly bananas and tomatoes)
excercise
Daily vitamin

I can not believe chocolate didn't make that list !