Food and Depression

I am blessed to be able to help many clients affected by mental illness. It is amazing to see how powerfully food and behavior are linked.

People are led to believe that mood disorders are idiopathic, meaning that there is no cause and that the solution is to be prescribed one, or even a cocktail, of prescription medication.

The first thing to understand is that depression is not caused by a deficiency in Prozac, the same way ADD is not caused by a deficiency of Adderral or other psychostimulants.

While there can be a place for psychotropic drugs, treatment should always include nutritional support and psychotherapy.

According to the CDC “nearly 20% of our adult population is on some kind of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor, or antidepressants. Even scarier, is the fact that the use of these same medications in on the rise among teens and pre-teens. Up to 10% of American children suffer from mental illness and up to twice as many show symptoms of depression”.

Currently, kids are put on antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications for all sorts of behaviors. I have seen kids on xanax because they were showing signs of unruly behavior and hyperactivity at school. The nutritional aspect is sadly too often ignored. By doing so some medical professionals may be moving away from the Hippocratic oath’s primary tenet, “first do no harm”.

Our brain needs appropriate amounts of specific amino acids, as well as the essential fatty acids EPA and DHA, and other cofactors. Vitamin B6, for example, is extremely important for the conversion of the amino acid tryptophan to serotonin and the conversion of tyrosine to dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine and melanin.

Tryptophan is found in turkey, chicken breast, tuna, beef, lamb, halibut, shrimp, salmon, and snapper. Abundant sources of tyrosine are chicken, turkey, fish, dairy products, peanuts, almonds, avocados and bananas.

Take a second look at this list. How often do you, or your child, eat these foods?

Nutrient deficiency can lead to mental illness and behavioral issues. And while psychotropic drugs may play a key role in one’s recovery, they should never substitute for nutritional therapy.

Psychotropic medication (SSIRs, anti-anxiety meds, mood modulating drugs, sleeping pills, and so on) should be prescribed for short periods of time, while the person is working with a counselor/psychologist, nutritionist, hypnotherapist, etc. Unfortunately this is not the case, I know people who have been on anti-depressants for years, with no therapy, and no chance to be able to get off the drugs.

Let’s talk about serotonin, our feel good neurotransmitter. The Standard American Diet is rich in foods that deplete serotonin levels. Every time you ingest aspartame, refined bread, corn, caffeinated soda, breakfast cereal, and white pasta, you are depleting your body of this important neurotransmitter.

Since the precursor of serotonin is the amino acid tryptophan, it makes sense to raise amino acid levels in the diet. Amino acids are supplied by protein foods, and one of the most common nutritional deficiencies that I see in my practice is an insufficient intake of good protein in the diet. Protein is the best source of amino acids for our bodies. And proteins from animal sources contain the largest amount of amino acids of any food group.

It is necessary that we understand that the source of our protein will have an effect on the quality of the amino acids provided. If the animals are fed low-tryptophan containing foods such as corn, the resulting food products will contain suboptimal levels of tryptophan. On the other hand, animals fed and raised in an organic environment will produce more tryptophan in their food products. When animals are fed a healthier diet, the end product (e.g., meat, egg, milk, etc.,) will contain much healthier nutrients.

Grass-fed, free-range, organic sources of protein contain a larger and more diverse content of amino acids as compared to conventionally raised animals. Eggs are the best source of protein as they are the only food that contains a full complement of all of the essential amino acids necessary for our bodies. Organic eggs have a better supply of nutrients for our bodies than conventional eggs. The same holds true for nearly all food products; organic foods have a more favorable nutrient profile when compared to conventional food products.

If you or a loved one is struggling with mental illness, please know that there is hope yet and that recovery is possible.

Contact me for a free 15-minute consultation today!

In health,

Francesca Orlando, NTP, CGP

Board Certified in Holistic Nutrition®

Healthy Indulgence At Thanksgiving

Dear friends of Healthful Living,

I would like to wish you all a wonderful and healthy Thanksgiving and a Happy Holiday season. This year, I would like to help you indulge without paying the price later!

Check out my plan:

  • Breakfast:  Pumpkin Pie. You read correctly: pie for breakfast!
  • Pumpkin pie – Try my wonderful pumpkin pie recipe, same great flavor, but much healthier ingredients.

Now, off to walk the dogs, take the kids to the park, play on the swings, have a game of catch. Be active and burn off some of that natural sugar!

  • Lunch Time – You may be tempted to skip lunch altogether. Please don’t. Skipping lunch will put your body in starvation mode and you will be tempted to either eat while cooking or overeat during dinner. Have a light lunch instead: a cup of soup and a salad, some olives and raw cheese are all you need to keep yourself from binging later!
  • Dinner Time – Set a beautiful table, darken the dining room, light the beeswax candle, turn off the football game in the background, give thanks for the meal and time together.

Fill your plate with protein and low-glycemic vegetables: turkey is an excellent source of complete protein and a good source of vitamins and minerals. Pile up with greens! Green beans, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, chard, they are rich in phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals, plus fiber necessary for healthy digestion and satiety. Add a colorful salad, for nutrition and crunch! Dress it with a delicious homemade dressing (recipe below) and voila.

Don’t deprive yourself of your traditional Thanksgiving dishes, including starchy carbohydrates like stuffing and mash potatoes. Just make sure to eat moderate quantities and fully chew each bite to enjoy their savory flavor.  Adding healthy fats helps regulate the glucose effect of these starches, and contributes to the satiation of the dish despite smaller portions.

Avoid carbonated beverages and your digestive system will thank you for it. Instead, sip some herbal or green tea, a glass of organic red wine, warm water with ginger and lemon.

After dinner don’t just sit around and watch football! Clean up the dishes, take a stroll around the neighborhood in the cool evening air, and return home to play a game with your family and guests.  If it’s too cold for touch football, play charades, take turns around a table telling jokes or funny stories, play cards or a board game, put together a puzzle, play music.

You started the day with dessert, which is special enough, but if you must have more pie, wait 2 hours for your stomach to fully empty.  By then you’ll likely forget about that second piece of pie…until breakfast Friday morning!

Pumpkin Pie Recipe
This recipe is adapted from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

  • 1 gluten free pie shell
  • 2 cups cooked pumpkin, or 1 can *
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/3- 1/2 cups honey, or other natural sweetener; to taste
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger, or 1 tablespoon freshly grated
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 cup coconut milk, full fat, use homemade for GAPS

Steps:

  1. Line a 9 inch pie pan with your choice of gluten free crust.  Crack the eggs into a large bowl and beat well.  Add the rest of the ingredients until thoroughly combined.  Pour batter into pie crust.
  2. To avoid the crust getting burned, cover edges of pie pan with strips of aluminum foil until they just cover the edges of the crust.
  3. For almond pie crust, bake at 350 degrees F. for about 35-45 minutes or until firm. Or for coconut crust, bake at 325 degrees F. for 50-60 minutes or until firm.
  4. Allow to cool for several hours or overnight in the fridge.  It will become more firm as it cools.  If you are using the coconut crust, the crust will also firm up overnight in the fridge.

Garlic-Herb Vinaigrette

  • 1/2 cup raw apple cider vinegar
  • 1-2 tablespoons dijon mustard
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • generous pinch of sea salt and black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons fresh herbs or 2 teaspoons dried (basil, oregano, chives, and thyme are all nice)
  • scant 1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
  1. Combine all ingredients except olive oil in a jar. Stir well with a fork.
  2. Add olive oil, cover tightly, and shake well until combined. You can also use a blender and drizzle the oil in slowly while it is running.
  3. Serve over your basic green salad with added chopped vegetables.

While it’s fun to indulge during the holiday season, limiting the splurging to the actual days of Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas will keep you feeling good about yourself come January. Don’t turn November and December into your holiday excuse months. With the sudden abundance of Godiva chocolates, pastries and more, it’s tough! I get it. But the more you nurture your healthy mindset and develop appreciation for healthy flavors (and feel the effects they have in your body), the less these fat and sugar laden foods appeal!

Think about creating some new traditions around healthy versions of traditional foods. If you’d like a little guidance, feel free to call me at 619-208-8159 or email me at Francesca@healthfulliving.com. I can help you manage the holidays so you set yourself up for your healthiest New Year yet!

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