Day Light Lamp, Dietary Suggestions
★★★★★
Dhea
★★★★★
(South Bend, IN)
05/22/2008
Brian,
Please don't discount D3 so quickly. If you are deficient it can take months to rebuild your levels.The RDA that the gov. has been recommending is way below what we need. Please, everyone, have your vitamin D levels checked. It's not a vitamin, it's an essential hormone and every single cell in your body has a receptor for it.
Please visit http://www.vitamindcouncil.org for current and improtant information on vitamin d.
Debbie
South Bend, IN
(Solana Beach, Ca)
08/18/2011
★★★★★
I like 5-HTP very much. I take one of the smallest dosages, 50 mg., but it has been very helpful.
Dietary Change
★★★★★
Please comment on whether this helps you. It is saving me from unbearable misery. I did a great deal of research on this.
(Vermont)
09/20/2018
I have enormous help with depression by avoiding all animal protein and limiting plant protein. (Plant protein is nuts, beans, and seeds.). Also avoid GMO foods because the high pesticides on them contributes to depression. Also avoid wheat, oats, and barely unless they are organic because in a process called "desiccation, " they are sprayed with pesticides a few days before harvest. Also experiment with avoiding nightshade foods. Supplements that help are zembrin, inositol, and P5P ( active vitamin B6). But most crucial for overcoming depression is to minimize eating protein. It would be too lengthy here to explain how this strategy increases serotonin. Especially avoid animal protein. (don't eat anything with a face and avoid eggs and all dairy). You already know to choose whole grains over refined grains, and avoid sugar. (Most sugar is GMO beets, anyway.)
Next day:
This is a follow up to my post yesterday about depression. I want to explain the science behind my suggestions.
1. Avoiding protein for depression. Two reasons: a. Protein, especially animal protein, has high Branch- Chain amino acids. They compete with Tryptophan to enter the brain, and Tryptophan is needed to make Serotonin. More Serotonin = less depresstion. b.Protein is high in Choline. Choline is used by the brain to make Acetylcholine. As Acetylcholine goes up, Serotonin goes down. The ancient Greeks knew that Choline is associated with depression, hence the word "MelanCHOLIa."
2. Avoiding pesticides for depression: Pesticides including Roundup are Cholinesterace Inhibitors. That means they inhibit Cholinesterace. Your brain uses Cholinesterace to limit Acetylcholine. Too much Acetylcholine means less Serotonin. They are in inverse proportion of each other: as Acetylcholine goes up, Serotonin goes down.
So buy organic when you can, and when you cannot, especially avoid GMO foods (get lists online) since they are the most heavily sprayed. Also avoid wheat, oats, and barley unless organic, because although they are not GMO foods, in a process called "desiccation, " they are sprayed a few days before harvest, and then not washed, so the pesticides go directly into the grain.
Note also that in whole wheat, the wheat germ is high in Choline. See above on choline.
You can wash pesticide off produce by soaking for 30 SECONDS in boiling water. But for grains the pesticide goes inside, and you can't soak bread, flour, etc.
A final note on pesticides: Animals are given GMO grains to eat. That means their foods are doused with pesticides, usually Roundup (glyphosate), known to cause Lymphoma and Multiple Myeloma. The pesticides reside mostly in the animal FAT.
So I advise avoiding both animal PROTEIN and animal FAT.
3. Here is a helpful strategy to increase your Serotonin: For the times you do eat high protein, you wait a few hours, then eat high carbohydrate foods, especially without added fats. (Fats slow down this process.) This will increase Serotonin because the amino acids from the protein will still be in your blood. The carbohydrates will call forth Insulin, which not only drives down blood sugar, but also pushes amino acids into the muscles, except Tryptophan. That one insulin leaves alone. Without the Branch-chain amino acids in your blood, your Tryptophan is now free to enter your brain, where it creates Serotonin. Please note that fruit, which is also a carbohydrate, will not work for this method because fructose is metabolized differently. Of course fruit being low protein is great for this diet, but it just won't work to drive amino acids into your muscles. For that you need carbohydrates, and please do this responsibly with COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES, not the refined sugary products that are the bane of modern society.
Plant foods that have high Tryptophan are the best for this method: sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds.
Also: some persons have a mutation on the BCHE gene that codes for Butyrylcholinesterace. As a result these persons have higher Acetylcholine in their brains. For them, avoiding choline is especially helpful, as well as avoiding Nightshade plants. (Potatoes, Tomatoes, Eggplant, Peppers, Tobacco). Also avoid Fluoride. You can find out if you have this mutation by getting your genes tested by 23andMe, and then uploading your results to Promethease.com. If you have it, it will show up near the beginning of your report.
I did a ton of research, and I hope you will benefit from it, as I am.
Think about this: in our parents' day, before factory farms, meat was expensive so animal foods were occasional. Now meat is cheap, so animal foods are abundant in our meals. Suicide rates have skyrocketed, and school shootings are frequent. Low serotonin, now epidemic in society, is a major player. It's Karma: we kill animals, and they kill us.
Two other suggestions:
1. Pay extra attention to your sleep. You can try the various supplements and sleep on grounding sheets. Sometimes a lack of good deep sleep masquerades as depression.
Currently a pricey supplement called Kavinace Zem is helping me sleep, and I am experimenting by trying its ingredients as separate supplements: Zembrin, Phenibut, and Blueberry Extract. Note that Zembrin (an African plant) works like Prozac, Zoloft, and that class of antidepressants: Zembrin increases Serotonin by blocking its reuptake, so your brain makes more use of its supply. Inositol and P5P also help me with sleep and mood, I assume by increasing Serotonin.
2. Be careful about eating too much nuts/seeds/ nut butters. These foods are high in Arginine, which viruses need to replicate. Sometimes chronic low-grade viral infections masquerade as depression. Do you feel achey and feverish along with your depression? That is a sign of viral presence. You can balance out the Arginine with a comparable amount of Lysine foods or Lysine supplements.
A final word: on this diet your main course is whole grains (organic) and vegetables. Fruit too, best absorbed BEFORE a meal. Small amounts of healthy fats are fine, avoid omega 6 fats in favor of olive oil and especially omega 3 like flax and walnut oil. FATS DO NOT HAVE PROTEIN, even when derived from protein foods. The only thing is that fats slow down the release of insulin that you need to create serotonin, as explained above. So be sparing and just experiment.
Dietary Changes
★★★★★
Hope you know you are loved in this word..regardless
Jodie
Dietary Changes
(London, Uk)
02/15/2013
Eliminating gluten and sugar might be a good place to start for your depression. I also recommend at least 45 minutes of cardio exercise 3-4 times a week. This will help immensely. Also check your magnesium levels.
Dietary Changes
I have been feeling more & more depressed the past month. I don't usually get depressed, so it's strange even though it IS around the holidays, a time when many get depressed. Anyhow, today I realized that maybe my depression has something to do with the radical increase in white flour and sweets, thanks to the constant supply of pastries, cakes, chocolates, candy canes and m&ms at my office during the entire month of December!!!! I normally don't eat much gluten and sugar products, which is why I am making a connection here.
Thank goodness I am on holiday now and don't have to be around the sugary temptations for a couple of weeks, so I am going to detox (stop eating junk food) and see if my depression disappears. I will let you know if I am successful. I know the holidays can be tough times for many people, but maybe we should also be highlighting the fact that people are eating so much crappy food that they might also be going into candida overload.
Thank you for reading! Happy Ho Ho Ho to all.
(Nova Scotia, Canada)
12/21/2009
oh yes!!! I too am feeling something, not a depression but an underlying GLUM feeling. I too am eating holiday junk to excess, it is everywhere!!! I went to a holiday party last night and ate a late supper, eating foods i rarely eat at an hour I never eat, slept very poorly and had odd dreams all night. I made the connection this morning, it must be it!!! Let us know how it goes.
(Venice Beach, Cali)
12/23/2009
★★★★★
Update: after one day off sugar and flour products, my depression totally went away. I am back to normal. WOO HOO!!!! Glad that this was such an easy fix and boy, do I feel like a fool for letting it go on for so long before figuring out the overload sugar connection to depression. Hope this helps someone else to cure the holiday blues!
To Carmen, yes yes "glum" is a great description for what I was feeling!
Thanks,, from Merryanne in Florida,,maybe the bread carbs are my problem,,I have been crying several time a week for 1 and 1/2 years and blamed it on the fact my dog died,,but it has been 1 and 1/2 years!!! so i think i will cut down real low on the sugar and bread and see what happens in the next couple weeks,,Thanks
Dietary Changes, Exercise, Supplements
★★★★★
I've suffered from a moderate constant form of depression called Dysthymia since I was 14 (I am now 43). I've been on several different antidepressants over the years. The last one I took was Paxil CR (which I was forced to quit cold-turkey in 2005 after production of it was briefly stopped after a problem at the pharmaceutical lab). It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It was a hellish experience and though I did get an appointment with my Dr. a week into the cold-turkey and could have taken regular Paxil to ease my distress, at that point I wanted NOTHING to do with these medications. The withdrawal symptoms showed me just how much they mess with your brain chemistry. I was getting all sorts of electrical "zappy" sensations, dizziness, tremors, and neuralgic pain that traveled all over my body. It took about 3 months for me to get over the hardest part of it. After that I joined a gym and started a simple EXERCISE program. Just 20 minutes of cardio (pick the machine of your choice) and another 20 minutes or so of weight training and stretching. Yoga classes are super helpful as well. Not only did this help me detox from the residual symptoms but my mood improved dramatically. I still have some 'down' days, but who doesn't? Overall I feel much more energized and balanced than I ever did on the antidepressants.
I've since made incremental changes in the quality of my DIET over the years and this has boosted my mood even more. I no longer eat any overly packaged/refined foods. I eat whole grain breads (sprouted & hemp mostly), and try to cook from 'scratch' as much as possible. Extra virgin olive oil is my cooking oil of choice (except when I am sauteing or using a relatively high heat, in which case I use sesame oil). I still eat meat, but not at every meal or even every day, and when I do it is no longer the "star" on my plate, it is about a 3-4 oz serving and the rest of the plate is filled with vegetables and whole grains. I've learned to love leafy green vegetables (so much so I pile them on my plate). I still 'allow' myself to have guilty pleasures, but after awhile you find you don't really want them because your body has everything it needs nutritionally (so you don't get carb cravings) and your mood is so good you don't cave in to the emotional eating binges. The only 'difficult' time is around that time of the month...I get a little hungrier and may have a slice of cinnamon toast or a little ice cream, but nothing like the pig-outs of the past :) For any emotional irritation during that time there is nothing like a good cup of tea (sweetened with agave so as not to spike your blood sugar...I've come to prefer it over sugar).
Finally, SUPPLEMENTS can be the icing on the good mood cake. I take a whole food multivitamin to fill in any nutritional gaps, a good Omega blend oil (something with borage oil in it is excellent too) and vitamin D drops in the wintertime (along with plenty of time under a sunlight simulator bulb - I keep one in my reading lamp).
Record numbers of people are suffering from depression because of the standard American lifestyle & diet. It doesn't have to be that way...you can feel good again without dependency on pharmaceuticals and by only making a few simple lifestyle changes (no need to go vegan or raw, though go for it if that makes you even happier).
(South America)
12/19/2009
I totally agree with this post. Well being is tightly associated to our diet.
About three years ago I lived on fast-food and frozen processed food. I was addicted to cocaine, got drunk every day, and had bouts of depression all the time where I simply could not function.
I started to change things little by little, first with education by monitoring sites and forums like this, reading books, trying diets and new "real" foods. My theory is that we were made perfect. We just need to put our physical body in a position to heal and maintain itself: literally give our body a chance.
Today I crave things like brown rice, sauerkraut, chilled açaí bowls with granola, steamed vegetables, etc. When I feel like eating something sweet, I have a can of coke (not very often). I no longer crave coffee, but I do drink cups of green tea tea with molasses and VCO. Yum!
I do not crave or desire any of that crap anymore! I have a frozen lasagne in my freezer and ice cream that must have been there for months and months. I just get this stuff for emergencies or when people visit, and end up not needing them.
I still eat meat, french fries, fast food, but it's just not part of my daily diet because my body no longer see that as "food". It's just something to have when there is nothing more nourishing available, a filler.
I learned the difference between being hungry and "feeling like having something to eat". I can also now tell the impact of foods in my life... my mood completely changes after eating a lot of barbecue for example. Coffee now puts me in a state where I feel a anxious and apprehensive about everything, and sometimes a bit shaky.
I still have my struggles with life as everybody else as well. I drink beer more than I should, but things are changing slowly. I no longer have that urge to change everything overnight. That's just not sustainable in the long run. You have to commit a small positive change, and wait a few weeks to see what the impact it. Once you do this over and over, one day you will come to the realisation that you are a whole new person. And also in love with it!
I haven't been sick in years. I take no medication of any kind. No doctor can scare me into doing anything. I'm not opposed to seeking help if I need it either, but I understand now that a good doctor is one that understands that he is an instrument in healing, nothing more. I can't run from pompous doctors fast enough.
Dietary Changes, Lifestyle Changes
★★★★★
I had major depressive disorder from age 4 until age 26. I'm 41 now, no problems with it. I was so bad I would have to snap my wrists with a rubber band to keep my thoughts from cascading downwards and had to go inpatient a number of times.
At age 19, I began a yoga teacher training program. I began a slow turn to vegetarianism because of a book I read to help migraines. When I did this, 75% of my MDD lifted, and my mind cleared up for the first time since I could remember. I even tried to go back and immediately the depression set in along with a newfound anxiety. That's when I committed to full vegetarianism.
It wasn't a cure-all, though, and I have to say the truth that I found a higher power that loved me and I felt it express very strongly to me. Once during a time period of self-harm I said no one loves me and I just clearly felt a strong response that he loved me. In that moment, I committed never to self harm again but it took time to get away from music that was always in lack. Always missing something. I had to turn to music that was talking about gaining and positive ideas.
I was still struggling with the MDD, but I began to respect myself and say that I would not be in a relationship with someone who did not love me. Therefore, no more intimate relations with those who are not truly wanting to be with me. This change probably brought me to 80% without major depressive disorder and kept me from going under water emotionally. I joined a program for that.
Once I found out that I had a learned eating disorder, and went into treatment with a nutritionist who balanced my food, and began to work on the reasons behind it, I would say that my major depressive disorder was gone at 100%. For whatever reason, the consistent nutrition at certain times unlocked the key to my major depressive disorder it was like I was saying that I deserve to have food and I deserved to have life. I also had to work on getting out of other people's business and began attending a program for that. I can only control what I do but of course one has to set up boundaries for things that are wrong. (I guess the best way to summarize that is that I learned how to interact with people in my life or family in a way that set up boundaries).
I have not had a problem since maintaining these changes and I'm super lucky and wanted to share with others.
Dietary Recommendations
(Springfield, Missouri, USA)
02/11/2009
★★★★★
When I was younger I was sad most of the time and often had bouts with fear. Mine turned out to be dietary. I ate a standard US diet with plenty of sweets and refined foods. I also drank a few times a week and the drinking would deplete my body even more than just the crummy diet.
On the insistence of a friend, I started taking a high dose multiple vitamin from a health food store, plus a separate vitamin B supplement, separate vitamin C supplement, and separate calcium, magnesium, zinc supplement. I also cold turkey cut out all refined sugar, soft drinks, coffee, and refined flour. I ate about three pieces of fresh fruit a day and had three servings of fresh vegetables per day. I got my protein from meat and cheese, and ate whole grains like whole wheat bread and brown rice. I also exercised 20 minutes a day, five days a week which I had to force myself to do at first.
It worked for me and 35 years later I still follow this regimen, although not quite as strictly as before. I continue to be optimistic and I think I have a normal energy level for someone 65. Once I started to feel better, I experimented with dose levels, but I take well above the recommended daily allowances every day.
My own view is that medications just cover up the symptoms and may actually contribute to the problem. I hope you are able to change your life to one that you enjoy living; time keeps running out.
It worked and I continue today to be optimistic and have normal energy for a 65 year old.
(Montreal, Quebec)
02/11/2009
Greetings Charles, There are many substances in nature that are useful to treat depression. Rather than try a hit or miss approach, I would suggest you find a book that will help you understand what is happening and what to do about it. An excellent choice is a book by Gabriel Cousens, a noted psychiatrist who uses natural means to cure depression.
http://www.amazon.ca/Depression-Free-Life-Gabriel-Cousens/dp/0060959657
Next suggestion, water... www.watercure2.com I think learning about the effects of water would be a solid foundation in any quest for better health, mental or physical.
All of the best Charles,
(Daytona, Florida)
09/04/2011
★★★★★
I wanted to add my experience to the dietary reccommendations. My depression has vanished since I added more fat to my diet and since I have been taking a b complex pill everyday. I now eat a tablespoon of cocunut oil in my tea each morning.
Many people who have adopted a low carb diet with adequat fat and protein have been able to get rid of there depression. Protein is great but please don't forget the fat!! And no fat does not make you fat! In my opinion carbs do!
Hope this helps someone!
Anna
Energy Healing
★★★★★
Carlos Sumpter
Exercise
★★★★★
I am surprised to see that exercise is not mentioned in the list of remedies. It is a life saver. The ones that work best are high intensity low rep exercises that boost your serotonin levels. Do it in the morning to get most out of it.
Exercise
★★★★★
(Rocky Point, Ct)
07/04/2013
★★★★★
I agree, I always feel great when I exercise. Article in today's New York Times about researchers at Princeton recently discovering that exercise creates new neuropathways in the brain. See - http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/03/how-exercise-can-calm-anxiety/
Exercise, B Complex, Magnesium
★★★★★
Exercise, Omega 3, Sauna
★★★★★
1. Exercise, especially intense aerobic exercise or weightlifting.
2. High-quality canned tuna (due to the fish oils). If/when I get down just having a bit here and there can perk me up.
3. Sauna. It's difficult to be depressed when you sweat it all out. Also gives you time to meditate and get into a better mindspace.
4. "Doing" rather than thinking. For example, trying to get involved in a tasks at home or at work that keep your mind off things. Decluttering, cleaning, gardening, etc. Anything other than negative thought patterns.
Fasting
★★★★★
I would just like to add that I recently added fasting to my health protocol. I read a fascinating book called "The Miracle of Fasting".
They say in this book that fasting helps emotional issues as well as physical ones. I have done a 24 hour fast once per week for 2 weeks in a row and I believe that it has contributed to my feelings of well being. I plan on continuing doing a weekly 24hr fast.
Hope this helps.
(Oregon)
02/11/2022
★★★★★
I started eating once a day, around 4-5pm. This means I do a 24 hour fast, roughly. It hasn't even been 2 weeks, but it has been very beneficial. I was 161 lbs and am already at 154. I can literally feel my body doing what it's supposed to be doing for energy. Sometimes I have so much energy that it feels as though I took an ADD medication, like Adderall. Definitely helps me feel hopeful and has the ability to get me out of that dark, horrible run. Good luck to you.
