Hey guys! I know what your thinking…how in the world would food have anything to do with helping you conquer depression?! I get it, I too was a doubter. Actually, I used to be the world’s biggest doubter. I doubted everything until the answer smacked me right in the face! What I couldn’t doubt, however, was that I was for awhile I was real depressed and real desperate.
Where does depression stem from?
I think a lot of depression stems from feeling helpless. Helpless in your finances, your family, your health, or your circumstances in life. The bad part about helplessness though, is that it gives your power to somebody or something else. When you lose your power, the world becomes a scary chaotic place that you no longer have a say in.
My depression stemmed from a lot of things I felt I had lost control over. I had just had a baby who was really sick. No matter what I did, I couldn’t help him. I had just been diagnosed with a lifelong chronic illness. It came with hundreds of possible symptoms that I seemed lucky enough to get all of. No matter what I tried, my body rebelled viciously.
What DID work to Conquer my Depression?
Eventually, I was told to eliminate everything I currently ate from my diet and try the paleo diet. I had no idea what I was doing, and to top it all off, I felt too exhausted, sick, and defeated to figure it out.
Out of pure desperation, however, I tried it. I scratched all of the current foods from my diet and replaced them with the healing food the paleo diet is comprised of. It felt terrifying, overwhelming, and scary. I had no idea how much this small step in faith would completely change my life!
The Moment I Realized it had Vanished
After just a few short months, I felt the heavy wall of depression melt away right in front of my eyes. The unbearable load I had been carrying around for the past couple years was gone. I saw the world differently and I saw my illness differently. I no longer felt trapped, I felt empowered.
Fueling my body and brain with real food literally stopped my depression right in its tracks. Scientists call the gut the “second brain” because what goes on in your gut is directly linked to your brain. Amazing isn’t it?!
I started eating paleo to heal my gut, and by default I healed by brain. The paleo diet changed my body and my mind for the better!
I now know that there is a tremendous amount of science linked to the effects of food on the brain and mood. I’m no scientist, so I can’t report specific study outcomes.
What I am is a fellow friend who struggled immensely with painful physical and mental symptoms, and who was lucky enough to discover the paleo diet as a means to heal both!
Happy healing guys!
*Photo credit Kelly White Photography
