[hahahahah]

Someone I went to high school reached out to me on facebook telling me that when he struggled with depression and anxiety he changed his diet to cutting out gluten, added sugars, and vegetable oils, and eating a lower-carb, higher-fat diet. He says it has curbed his depression and anxiety completely.

I am skeptical that this could help me too as I have been struggling for over a decade now. I also have a hard time with food as it and fear that trying a diet like that will only worsen my anxiety.

But I was wondering if anyone here has an experience like that?

[paynful]

I haven't had the guts to try it, but I do know that it is possible to see a significant change when adjusting your diet.

My cousins (twins) are autistic. They were about 6 years old and had no language skills. They communicated in simple sign laungage. Their parents decided to try changing their diets. They cut out gluten and sugar. Within 2 weeks, they were verbal!

Obviously, depression and autism are very different.

But I think that anything is possible. I would confer with a nutritionist before doing anything too drastic, but when all else fails... try something new.

I know diet helps. Removing gluten does work for a lot of people but not everybody. I am a little more pragmatic. I would recommend viewing or reading micheal pollen mainly for information about SAD and monoculture. He says any diet in the world well keep you healthier than SAD (standard American diet).

I also like Weston Price because the advice is mostly achievable without being risky. Nobody is really going to argue about dense foods. I personally do not think any diet that eliminates classes of food is a good idea unless you have specifically identified allergies working with a professional. Even if you did it would be highly unlikely you would have eliminate all protein or whatever. People are successful eliminating meat but they have to be extra vigilant about certain nutrients.

http://www.westonaprice.org/

If I were to recommend one thing you could do right now it would be eating a lot of beets in the spring and fall. Preferably raw but cooked if you can't do that. They really help clean your system which is really helpful for depression. They are filling too.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Interesting? The only thing I've heard of in terms of helping mood and etc is eating a lot of bananas. I'm really interested in that though... (since I'm a big fan of more holistic approaches).

You ever notice that diet and devil both start with the letter "D". Coincidence? I think not. Both are clearly EVIL.

[JustZeek]

Honestly this would depend on how these food effect you. I know people with gluten intolerance or celiacs disease that have major reactions to gluten. So in those cases gluten can really hurt them. But if you don't have those then chances are cutting out gluten isn't going to do you any good. Now eating healthier will help. More fruits and veggies and less fatty processed foods have been know to really help.

So yeah I believe diet can help. But I don't know if THAT diet will.

Originally Posted by keeprolling

Interesting? The only thing I've heard of in terms of helping mood and etc is eating a lot of bananas. I'm really interested in that though... (since I'm a big fan of more holistic approaches).

You're talking about changing your mood by eating certain foods and it having an immediate reaction... Like a pill. (I've never noticed much with bananas.) There is also the idea that the rest of our less than ideal diet is leaving behind toxins that affect you over time. Cleaning them out is the point of cleanses. Beets are a large part of Ayurvedic type cleanses which are not starvation cleanses. I have found very helpful to the point that it is really noticeable and lasting until I've loaded up on crappy food. While it is better to go through a whole cleanse it is hard. I've only done it once. But I do feel somewhat better and lighter if I include higher than normal beets and apple, for that matter, daily for a while. I'd get totally sick of them if I tried to do that all the time . But bingeing twice a year can't hurt if it is only part of your overall diet. Spring and fall are good times but it would take too long to explain that now.

I have a juicer, btw. I would prefer a vitamix but that is way out of my budget so this is a compromise. If you can't afford a juicer (or don't have the space) you can use a peeler or mince to eat raw beets. Mix them with oranges (zest and or slices) or apples. And I like adding fresh ginger. There is no way I could do that even once a week for a year

SAD is really hard to get away from in this country in particular. Not only is it everywhere but it is cheaper. Getting something into your body is better than nothing, right? So one does the best they can. Fat, btw, alters your mood also. I think it is a mistake to eliminate or reduce it significantly especially if you deal with anxiety. But there is nutritionally dense fat and bad fat. Eating dense fat makes a lot of sense to me. I think SAD gives it a bad rap because so much of it is bad fat and there is too much, of course.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I added Omega 3's to my diet. I take it in pill form, because you would have to eat a lot of fish and I'm not a fan.
For me, it helps.

[Altered Moment]

I started taking fish oil and vitamin D too again.

I was taking something called Deplin (L Methyl Folate) which is a form of vitamin B but you need a script for it and I forgot to ask my doc to give me a script the other day.

Google it and there is some research on it.

[Maria38Divine]

Having a balanced diet and ensuring your body and brain are getting enough nutrients are what's important. I started researching this some years ago after my sister told me she read an article about how low magnesium levels affect brain function. Based on my reading and an assessment of my diet, I realized I was omitting some really important foods. I've not had an appetite in many years, but after figuring my poor eating habits were probably worsening my depression, I started to see food as my medicine and not just something to eat so I don't feel hungry. I increased my consumption of certain whole, fresh foods rich in iron, magnesium, vitamin B complex and vitamin C plus ensured I was getting enough healthy fats, carbs and protein daily After a few weeks my mood stabilized.

When my eating habits fall off, it's just a matter of time before my mood takes a nose dive. So I force myself to get right back on track and take supplements if I have to.

[CaptainChaos79]

I went on the alkaline diet for several years (There is a book The Alkaline Diet Fkr Dummies) and I didnt need pain or mental health meds for the 4 years I followed the diet. Postpartum depression got me though and I went off the diet and now guess what?