Research shows certain snacks make potent anti-depressants, if you eat them right
My grandfather was a wonderful man who loved cookies. When I visited his lovely, old house surrounded by trees, flowers, vegetable gardens, and lawns, we shared all sorts of cookies, always paired with a large glass of cold milk. Over the years, they became so closely associated with visiting Granddad that now, whenever I have one, I feel buoyed by a swell of happy memories.

As it turns out, scientists have a solid explanation for that burst of good cheer. Studies by Richard Wurtman, MD, and Judith Wurtman, PhD, at MIT have shown that snacking on readily digested carbohydrates, such as those in a cookie or bagel, can raise the brain's level of the chemical serotonin, the very same target of modern antidepressant medication.

Of course, other foods are reputed mood boosters, too — though their reputations may not always be deserved. Before I give you a specific plan that will help you benefit from the MIT findings, let's look at a few. Tea is known as "the cup that cheers," and the caffeine in it can certainly improve energy. But that's a physiological response; no studies have confirmed a direct effect on your spirits. Mood booster? The jury's out. (The same is true of coffee.)

Alcohol is commonly thought of as a good-times libation, but it has a dark side. Although a recent study found that moderate drinkers (two drinks a day for men, one for women) had fewer depressive symptoms than nondrinkers, scores of other studies have established that alcohol in large quantities can be a devastating depressant. Mood booster? Perhaps, but only in small amounts.

As for chocolate, which many of us reach for as a pick-me-up: Australian scientists concluded recently that eating the sweet to lift your spirits "is more likely to prolong than abort the dysphoric [depressed] mood. It is not, as some would claim, an antidepressant." Mood booster? Apparently not. (Stick to a 1-ounce serving if you want to benefit from chocolate's disease-fighting antioxidants.)

That brings us to Granddad's cookies, which can brighten your spirits when eaten judiciously. (Incidentally, carb snacking may be more effective for women because they produce substantially less serotonin than men do.) Now, you won't want to try this regimen if you have diabetes or are prediabetic. But if you qualify, try raising your mood-lifting serotonin levels a couple of times a day by doing the following:

Include protein in each of your three meals.

This will raise blood levels of tryptophan, a chemical that eventually turns into serotonin. The best sources of tryptophan are poultry, seafood, and lean meat.

Have a small carbohydrate snack about 3 or 4 hours after each meal and about 1 hour before your next one.

Make sure that your stomach is empty and that you eat no protein between meals. The carbohydrates should be easily digestible — such as one or two oatmeal cookies, a third of a bagel, a slice of whole wheat bread. This will cause tryptophan in your blood to enter the brain, where it is metabolized into serotonin. Elevated serotonin will improve your mood within 20 to 30 minutes.

If you follow the rules, you'll also fall asleep more quickly at night, because at the end of the day, your brain metabolizes serotonin into the natural sleep aid melatonin. From happy to sleepy, all by way of a cookie. It doesn't get much cheerier than that!

研究表明有些小点心，如果适当的吃一下的话，是能够有效的抗击抑郁的。

我祖父是个奇特有趣的人，他相当的喜欢吃曲奇饼。每次我去他那间绿树环绕，花团锦簇还有几畦菜园的可爱的老房子做客时，我们会共同分享各式各样的曲奇饼，经常还和牛奶一起混搭着吃。多年过去，这些曲奇饼一直都和到爷爷家做客这件事紧密联系着。即便是现在，当我吃曲奇时，我都会被涌起的幸福回忆的喜悦感充斥着。

科学家们已经为这一令人这振奋的消息取得实证。来自麻省理工医学博士Richard Wurtman以及哲学博士Judith Wurtman表示适当吃小点心（通常是易消化的碳水化合物形式），例如曲奇或圈饼，可以提高大脑血清素含量，这与现代医学中抗抑郁的方法不谋而合。

当然有些食物也会使人神经兴奋——尽管名不副实。在我给出明确的计划让你从麻省理工的教授们的科学发现中受益之前，让我们先来看一下以下几种“不良情绪引爆者”吧。茶被视为“兴奋剂”，当然其所含咖啡因确实能为我们提供能量。但那仅仅是身体上的反应；并没有研究实证过能对我们精神上有所影响。神经兴奋？那一定是审判官不在场。（同理咖啡也如此。）

一般都认为酒是在喜庆的时候拿出来献礼庆祝的，但是它也有其阴暗一面。尽管最近的研究表明适度饮酒者（男性每天两杯，女性每天一杯）比不饮酒者出现抑郁的症状要少。但是不少研究表明大量饮酒可造成精神崩溃。神经兴奋剂？或许是，但仅仅是少量的。

至于巧克力，随意可得也随时可吃：最近澳大利亚的科学家们研究出如果想靠吃甜食来改善自己的情绪“与其说是在消解抑郁因素不如说在延长自己的抑郁情绪。”“神经兴奋剂”？很显然不是。（如果你想利用巧克力抗病方式防止衰老那么就请吃一盎司巧克力吧。）

继续回到我祖父的曲奇饼上，适时的吃他的确可以使你精神奕奕。（顺便一提，碳水化合物甜点可能对女人更有效因为女人实际上产生的血清素比男人少。）现在，你可能不愿尝试这种养生法，因为你是糖尿病或糖尿病前期患者。但是如果你不是以上情况的话，请在一天中多次尝试以下方法来提高你的血清含量水平：

在三餐中摄取蛋白质

这可以提高血液中的色氨酸水平。色氨酸最终会转化成血清素。含色氨酸较多的食物包括：家禽肉，海产品以及精瘦肉。

在餐后3或4个小时以及餐前一小时吃些碳水化合物的点心

在吃之前要确保你是空腹并且在两餐之间你没有摄入蛋白质。碳水化合物的食物一般很容易消化——例如一到两片燕麦曲奇，三分之一个圈饼，一片全麦面包。这些都会促进色氨酸进入你的大脑，然后在大脑合成血清素。在20到30分钟内，上升的血清值会改善你的心情。

如果能按照如上规则进行，你晚上将更容易入眠。这是因为在一天快要结束的时候，大脑将会把血清素转化为能促进睡眠的褪黑激素。从快乐到安然入眠，都只是因为曲奇。没有比这更让人愉快的事情啦。