One of Louisiana's many seafood delicacies can help ward off depression and anxiety, according to a doctor at Columbia University.
Columbia psychiatry professor Dr. Drew Ramsey has been telling his patients to include oysters as part of a healthy diet. The mollusks are high in zinc and iron, and hey, who doesn't fell good when you can have a seat and slurp down a dozen raw?
"It is very true that what we eat and the foods we put into our body have a direct impact on our mood and the way that we feel," said Dr. Michelle Moore, Professor of Psychiatry at LSU Health New Orleans. She said fresh, nutrient-rich foods can not only improve mood, they can give our brains a boost.
"When we eat, as they say, kind of the variety of the rainbow -- foods with many colors, lots of fruits and vegetables and foods that are healthy, it improves our mood and actually gives us more brain power," Dr. Moore explained.
And she says the short-term enjoyment from eating a bag of chips or candy doesn't hold up to the long-term benefits from nutrient-rich foods.
"Something like oysters or even a lot of shellfish, those things that have nutrients in them that you don't find in a lot of these processed foods," she said.