Hello Beautiful!

It looks like you're new to The Community. If you'd like to get involved, click one of these buttons!

In this Discussion

Help With Depression

Ok, So I have a Problem with depression, enough so that my doctor wants to prescribe a medication. I would really prefer not to take medication, and was wondering if there are any good foods that can help me feel better naturally? Thanks!

Comments

  • Annabelle77Annabelle77 Raw Newbie

    Hi KTay, I have also struggled now and then with depression, and after being on a variety of medicines years ago decided NEVER to take any of that crap again. Nightmares, tiny seizures, mood swings… those chemicals are no joke! I used St John’s wort for many years, and I felt completely normal. 5HTP and melatonin both help the brain make serotonin, and there is also samE. Not enough can be said for regular relatively-intense exercise either. I would work out a lot before trying anything else.

  • Hi KTay. I’m sorry for what you’re gong through. I haven’t really suffered from seriuos long-term depression, but I just wanted to offer you some encouragement to try eating high raw for a couple of weeks or so and see if you notice any difference in your mood/depression. I know I experinced a much happier attitude when I started eating high raw, even though I was a pretty happy person before- if that mkes any sense. I just felt more at peace with myself and the world- more acceting and optimistic, and when I did get bothered by something I was able to not dwell on it or get too worked up about it. Now, when I don’t eat well (high raw) during a day I can see a change in my attitude/mood- I’m more easily agitated, angered, upset, saddened, and/or moody.

    Also be sure and get adequate daily exercise like Annabelle77 mentioned. ALSO make sure you are getting adequate vitamin D FROM SUN EXPOSRE- not the synthetic, manufactured vitamin D -if you are able at all to get the REAL stuff (sun exposre). It’s been proven that a lack in vitamin D (sun) can cause and/or add to depression.

    Best of luck to you and sending out healing vibes to you.

  • KTay,

    I so get your depression. I have been depressed for most of my life, and am only now coming out of it. The thing about drugs (or lack of them) is that depression isnt a physical problem, despite what experts might say about brain chemicals. Depression is an emotional thing. Think of human consciousness as a stream. At the start of the stream is the emotional “body”, then it flows down to the mental body, then the physical. All drugs do,(Rx and recreational) is put in some type of dam down at the physical level, which can affect what happens further up the stream in the emotional realm. And while eating healthily can certainly feel good, and is a really good idea to do in general, I would say, though I dont know you, that the depression isnt going to be healed with food. It may medicate it, but not heal it. What seems like the most natural way is to do really deep and difficult emotional work, though it is really difficult and doesnt actually feel good while you are doing it, but is really healing.

  • Blue_EyesBlue_Eyes Raw Master

    KTay Like aspire said go high raw for a couple of weeks. I made it almost two weeks and was so giddy people were asking me if I was on drugs. They really thought I was stoned at lunch when I was going on and on about how wonderful my peach was. I dont think food had ever tasted so good. I want to experience that again. Cant remember now why I fell off the raw wagon but I am trying again. oh to feel like that all the time.

  • beanybeeganbeanybeegan Raw Newbie

    Hey! blue-Eyes nows the time to have another peach. Whole Foods has really good organic peaches on sale!

    Living on the Oregon Coast, one can get really depressed during the wet season. For me I force myself to go outside rain or not and exercise. So whats a lot of rain. The other is when I lay down. I like to think of my body parts and tell each one that I love them. I know, sounds odd, but it works for me. Do the things that make you happy. Dont listen to the doom and gloom news. I had a negative sort of friend. I got so depressed around him. That is the kind to steer clear of. Another big depression instigator is the T.V.. Death, mutilation. I pick very carefully on what I watch. Sometimes a good book or getting on the computer is more uplifting.

  • KevlarKevlar Raw Newbie

    I was on Zoloft for depression for 7 years. I’ve been off it now for two years. Take it from me, medication is not the answer. If you are depressed, there is a real cause for it that cannot be fixed by a pill. In my own case, when I eliminated all processed food from my diet and made sure to get regular sunlight and exercise, my depression problem went way. It’s very easy for a doctor to prescribe a pill rather than address the real cause of a disease, but unfortunately, that’s what happens more often than not these days.

    And I agree with beany, there’s nothing more depressing than TV. I haven’t had cable in 5 years. It’s hilarious to me when I see my mother watching the evening news and there’s a whole commercial break with nothing but commercials for prescription meds. Like “WAR, MURDER, POVERTY, DEATH, Depressed? Feeling runned down? Ask your doctor if Paxil is right for you…”

  • Thank you guys so much, I Do realize that most of the things you are suggesting, I don’t get or do enough of. I will defiantly make a better effort at getting outside exercising and eliminating as much non-raw foods out of my diet as I can. Thank you so much for your help and encouragement.

  • Hi Ktay, I know how you feel. I’ve suffered from severe cystic acne for 9 years among other health issues and it has just recently plumetted me into a deep depression after years of failed treatment. I’ve never taken drugs for depression and I don’t think I ever will. I turned to raw 3 months ago in an effort to improve my current condition, but in fact it for some reason worsened my skin. I am very surprised at this because a raw diet most of the time has a positive effect on all diseases. Anyway, keep your head up and exercise often. You will get through this, just as I will-it only takes time. Nuture your body the best you can.

  • greenghostgreenghost Raw Newbie

    Exactly. There is a lot to be said for getting rid of cable. I never thought I’d agree with the “kill your television” bumper sticker. When I was a kid/younger adult I was addicted to TV!
    But since 2004 I’ve been TV free and I do not plan to go back. Between the evening “news” and the asinine “Reality” TV shows like “Fear Factor” I got so fed-up.
    That Paxil commercial takes the cake. Then I hear from my sister that E.D. commercials run every 5 minutes.
    Anyway KTayMarie I sincerely wish you all the best with overcoming your depression.

  • bittbitt Raw Newbie

    EFAs from blue-green algae, flax oil, spirulina. vitamin D (preferably from the sun).

    As far as foods, lots of juices and green smoothies. Fresh fruit.

    Exercise daily.

    Be nice to yourself!

  • My ENTIRE family has a tendency to be extremely depressed. I am the ONLY one who is not so depressed and doesn’t take medication. Not to say that I don’t get depressed. If I didn’t choose this lifestyle i would be just like them. But it is more situational and controlled by food and exercise. I don’t agree with Laurenlove’s reply to you at all. 5 yrs ago or so by switching to all ORGANIC foods ..processed or not I cured an immediate onset of panic and anxiety attacks. Haven’t had that problem since! Depression is DIRECTLY related to food and exercise. My sister is on 3 drugs for her depression and tried to commit suicide twice whilst on them. She cannot be convinced that it is the drugs that made her feel that way. Never before the drugs she attempted suicide:( My other sister also on drugs for bi-polar and manic depression. So I definately have some serious depression running rampant in my family. They ALL think I am NOT as depressed as they are. I keep trying to tell them it’s my lifestyle that keeps me less depressed. Currently I am using maca powder but it is making things worse for me. It seems it is bringing out deep seated mood swings, depressions and breakdowns. I still think it works!! but I have cut back from using everyday. I couldn’t take the behavior i was exhibiting. I seriously think its MAJOR detox and my mind can’t handle that much at one time. Sometimes our depression is not really what it seems. 90% of serotonin is in your colon. And maybe, just maybe you are heavily loaded down with heavy metal toxicity causing you to feel this way. You never know.. try some cilantro it is great for that.

  • i am depressed right now, and i feel much better when i do the things mentioned: eat raw, exercise daily, and get sun. ripe fruit makes me feel really happy, and sometimes i feel better after indulging in a tasty raw brownie or some similar chocolatey food. you might also look for the book “feeling good.” this book has helped me immensely. if you take st. john’s wort, be careful because it can interact poorly with a lot of different things. i tried taking sam-e, and that might work for you, but i found it made me unfocused and neurotic. and i think that diet and exercise play a role, but you can’t feel all the way better without getting to the emotional root of the problem. good luck! s

  • I think, for me, exercise really helps. Another, more experimental, treatment, is saffron, believe it or not! It is expensive to get the real stuff, I know, but steeping about six or so stigmas of saffron in some hot water long enough to make a “tea” is something I have been doing. It may be placebo, I don’t know, but I came to this conclusion after reading about medical trials featuring saffron for depression (you can probably google it) and so far the effect has been really wonderful and uplifting. You could use the soaking liquid in a raw smoothie, too, to get the added plus of raw food healing power as well! Not sure if the stigmas are edible, but I usually do chew on them and maybe swallow a few! Be warned, though….your teeth will get stained temporarily until you brush them from drinking this! A small price to pay for the hope….

  • greenghostgreenghost Raw Newbie

    hey tiger lily that sounds really interesting about the saffron. I wonder if it works. I know that you said it’s experimental, but it is worth a try if one is depressed. I mean saffron is supposed to be a good anti-carcinogenic. It doesn’t seem too much of a stretch for it to be good for mood enhancement as well. AND it sure beats taking pharmaceuticals. Yeah, it’s something to think about. (sorry if it sounds like I’m talking to myself)....
    BTW there is a great drink recipe on here from grassdude called “India Saffron Masala Milk”.
    http://goneraw.com/recipes/3818-India-Saffron-M…
    It’s really tasty. If you try it you might want to seep the saffron in a little bit of warm water first then add it (and the water) to the recipe – this helps bring out the bright color and other saffron qualities (you probably know this from making the tea).

  • KT~

    I too know where you are coming from. I had a really bad mental breakdown about three weeks ago know which lead to severe depression. The most I have ever felt depressed in my entire life so far – I’m usually such a happy person that I lost complete interest in all the things I loved doing, that all I wanted to do was lay in bed and cry and sleep. I am barely now coming out of that and am starting to be happy and love myself again. What really helped me was going to a counselor – not a psychiatrist. Just a counselor at my college – they are provided free. It felt good just releasing everything to someone who knew absolutely nothing about me. He really listened to me and helped me discover parts in my life that I am currently struggling with and need to resolve. I never saw those things/problems before, and it was nice to hear that. I left feeling a bit better, but for these past weeks it’s been up and down with my emotions. Food wise – when I’m depressed, the last thing I want to do is eat. I completely lose my appetite. But when I finally did get extremely hungry (after about 3 days of not really eating, just drinking water and sleeping), I found that all I wanted to eat were mangos: fresh and dried with chili. I am still addicted to these. That was the only food that made me feel good. I am still eating more of those now than anything else, but I am also still recovering. I hope this helps – my heart and prayers reach out to you for happiness.

  • FruginiFrugini Raw Newbie

    I’ve read that depression can sometimes stem from vitamin B12 deficiency, so sometimes when I’m down I try to eat something high in B12, like nutritional yeast or just a vitamin. Might just be a placebo, but I think it makes me feel better.

  • I know this may go against what some people are saying here, but you could also look into a local DBT program. It’s a sort of behavioral group therapy where they teach you skills about how to look at situations with a higher consciousness of your feelings and behavior—so on top of learning how to re-evaluate and frame situations you also are taught methods of being nice to yourself and treating your own consciousness with compassion and empathy (i.e. not beating ourselves up on bad days). A lot of times these are offered at hospitals and centers for the treatment of mental illness, but from what I’ve personally experienced they will not force or pressure you to go on medication if you decide you just want to go through the program. The tools are invaluable and many of the things I personally learned I was actually relearning from a naturopath who took care of me growing up.

  • beanybeeganbeanybeegan Raw Newbie

    May I suggest you try 1 Tab. of Maca a day. It seems to help smooth out emotional problems.

    Read the posts on “Raw-Balancing Brain Chemicals”

Sign In or Register to comment.