A Natural Answer To The Global Epidemic Of Depression
A World Health Organization report in 2001 identified depression as the No.1 cause of disability in the US and the third biggest, behind heart disease and strokes, in Europe.
Have you ever had the two or more of the following feelings for more than a couple of weeks?
- Bad mood for most of the day, more days than not
- poor appetite or overeating
- insomnia or sleeping too much
- low energy or fatigue
- low self-esteem
- poor concentration or difficulty making decisions
- feelings of hopelessness, helplessness
- feel hollow or empty
Two or more of these symptoms together could be an indicator of depression.
Although our own feelings and beliefs about things can cause
depression, depression can also be caused by an imbalance in brain
chemistry. Today
let us talk about an inbalanced chemistry caused by nutritional
deficiencies.
Depression And The Food Connection
Sometimes something as simple as changing the diet can make a difference.Here is an easy way to see if a change of diet can assist an imbalance in Brain Chemistry. Try this for a month:
Water can make a difference
For the next month, drink plenty of water and leave out all soft
drinks, diet drinks, colored and flavored drinks from your diet.
These have chemicals
that can adversely affect your brain chemistry.
I suggest drinking one quart of water for every 50 pounds of weight. So if a Person weighed 150 pounds, that would be three quarts of water a day.
The brain needs to be hydrated to work at optimal level. As a health practitioner I see people who only have a glass or so of water a day. Your body and your brain cannot function very well with dehydration going on. Your nervous system is a conductor of electricity and nerve impulses. Water is an electrical conductor.
Cut way back on Chemicals and Preservatives
Most snack food contains a tremendous amount of chemicals and preservatives. Things such as Nitrites, Nitrates, MSG, and sulfites. These can cause their own chemical reactions in the brain, which can be far less than beneficial.
To cut out the chemicals and preservatives means going back to food in its natural state. Skip the pre-packaged and pre-prepared foods as much as possible.
Eat more Vegetables and Fruit
When I do Nutritional Counseling, I run into a good number of people now who eat very little vegetables or fruit. These are our prime source for minerals and vitamins. Minerals are extremely important for Nerve and Brain balance.
Fruits and vegetables contain the minerals, vitamins, enzymes and phytochemicals that our body needs everyday to create health. I can tell you for sure that you will not be healthy without eating your vegetables. Mom was right!
You will get the most minerals, vitamins and enzymes out of your
raw foods. Cooking always diminishes these. Increase your vegetable
consumption
to about half of your meal in vegetables. If you are concerned
about weight,
do not eat many starchy vegetables. (those grown below ground).
Start Eating Fish
Oily fish, such as sardines, mackerel, trout, tuna and salmon, contain Omega-3 fatty acids, vital for a healthy brain and nervous system. Eat fish often.
A survey commissioned by the British Trout Association, showed that one-fifth of the population eat no oily fish, rising to one-third of those aged 15 to 24. Most people eat half the amount they would have eaten 50 years ago.
Your brain cannot run at peak efficiency when it does not have
the fatty acids it
requires. So what to do if you do not eat much fish? Take a fish
oil supplement.
These can be found in capsules or flavored liquid at the health
food store.
Don't Continue To Suffer!
The world is in the grip of a global epidemic of depression. Something as simple as deleting a few things from the diet and adding a few healthy foods, a couple supplements and water could make a world of difference.
Isn’t it worth it to have a healthy style of eating for a few weeks and see what it will do for you? If you see improvement in how you feel whether emotionally or physically then stick with it! You will be happy that you did.
__________________________________________________________
Article written by Jeannie Crabtree C.Ac. Jeannie Crabtree has
been a Health Practitioner for the last 20 years and is a Certified
Acupuncturist and Total Body Modification therapy Practitioner.
Jeannie publishes Healthy Solutions newsletter. She shares health
answers that work, tips, nutrition suggestions and research. You
can subscribe To Healthy Solutions by visiting http://www.health-doc.com
|
|||||
|
Your privacy is secure with our service,
no exceptions!
|
Back To The Articles Section
