| In this article, I will be describing the best foods | | | | Foods |
| for relieving depression and anxiety, and improving | | | | Deep sea cold water fish is the best source of |
| your mood. | | | | DHA. DHA (an omega 3 essential fatty acid) is |
| For detailed tips on nutritional supplements that | | | | essential for proper brain, nervous system, and |
| can reduce anxiety and depression, see my other | | | | visual function. The brain is highly dependent on |
| article entitled 'Depression and Anxiety - | | | | DHA. It helps increase serotonin in the brain. |
| Supplements Can Help!' | | | | Maintaining high DHA levels can help prevent |
| Compromised nervous system health is often | | | | depression, memory loss, and Alzheimer's disease. |
| seen in fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and many | | | | Salmon is one of the best choices. Make sure to |
| other conditions. Depression, anxiety, difficulty | | | | buy wild-caught salmon if at all possible. |
| sleeping, and emotional instability are often | | | | Farm-raised salmon is dosed with antibiotics, the |
| reported. These problems can be helped by | | | | meat artificially colored orange, raised in crowded |
| augmenting the diet with foods that support | | | | pens and fed a diet of low-grade chow that |
| nervous system health. Foods that heal and | | | | salmon were not designed to eat. Wild-caught |
| maintain the nervous system have many | | | | salmon and other fish are a far better source of |
| additional benefits, as well, including | | | | omega 3 essential fatty acids and high quality |
| improvingcardiovascular health, hormonal balance, | | | | protein than farm-raised. |
| weight loss, etc. | | | | Wild-caught salmon, walnuts, grass fed beef and |
| First, A Few Basic Suggestions | | | | dairy, and pasture raised fowl are great sources |
| You may know this already, but if you don't, you | | | | of omega 3 essential fatty acids. Omega 3's are |
| should. There is no way around having a vision of | | | | an important nutrient for maintaining cell |
| your health goals, being clear in your intention to | | | | membrane strength and integrity. Most peoples' |
| achieve them, and taking action to implement | | | | diets are far too weighted towards omega 6 |
| your goals. This should all come from desire, not | | | | essential fatty acids. This has been implicated in |
| making yourself feel like you are in boot camp. | | | | cancer and other serious conditions. |
| Healthy food can be savory, exercise enjoyable | | | | Raw aged cheeses like Emmenthaler, Gruyere, |
| and satisfying. Be patient with yourself, and willing | | | | and Swiss from Switzerland - contain calcium, |
| to stretch your limits. | | | | magnesium, and the vitamins A and D to help |
| Most important is reducing or eliminating foods | | | | absorb the minerals. Calcium and magnesium are |
| that rob your body of nutrients. 'Empty calorie | | | | vital to nerve transmission, muscle contraction/ |
| foods' such as white sugar, alcoholic beverages, | | | | relaxation. Canned salmon or sardines are also |
| soft drinks, products made with white flour, and | | | | good sources of these minerals, since they |
| all manner of candy and processed foods are in | | | | contain soft, chewable bones. |
| this category. These so-called 'foods' are so | | | | Dark chocolate is a great source of magnesium. |
| lacking in nutrition that in order to process them, | | | | When you buy chocolate, look for the kind with |
| your body has to deplete its own nutritional | | | | the least sugar (usually the darker chocolate). |
| resources. For example, sugar and soda pop will | | | | Rare steak, uncooked egg yolks (can get in |
| pull minerals out of your bones. Alcohol robs the | | | | Caeser salad dressing), raw almonds, walnuts, and |
| body of vitamin C, B vitamins, often dangerously | | | | cashews are excellent sources of B-vitamins, |
| lowers magnesium levels, and damages brain cells | | | | which support healthy nerve function. |
| and other nerve tissues. Is that what you really | | | | Egg yolks from naturally-raised chickens (w/o |
| want? | | | | hormones and antibiotics) are one of the best |
| Eat more fresh, raw foods. Unheated foods | | | | sources of choline and inositol. The brain and |
| contain enzymes, which are needed for every | | | | nervous system benefits greatly from a diet rich |
| process that takes place in the body, including | | | | in choline and inositol. Inositol has been shown to |
| nerve transmission. Our enzyme potential is | | | | improve cognition in Alzheimer's patients, to help |
| limited, because enzymes are depleted when they | | | | relieve diabetic neuropathy, and to relieve |
| are used for various functions in the body, | | | | depression and improve mood. |
| including digestion. To improve and maintain good | | | | If you have adopted the erroneous belief that fat |
| health, a constant supply of enzymes must be | | | | and cholesterol is bad and should be severely |
| supplied through our diet.This becomes more | | | | limited in the diet, you may think you should not |
| important as we grow older, since our | | | | eat many of the foods I have suggested here. |
| bodies'capacity for enzyme production tends to | | | | After three decades of research, personal |
| diminish with age. | | | | experimentation, and coaching many people, it is |
| Enzymes are destroyed when heated to 118 | | | | clear to me that most people feel better on a |
| degrees farenheit. Therefore, cooked foods | | | | diet that includes some of the above foods. Very |
| contain no enzymes. Cooked foods require a | | | | low-fat diets are dangerous for reasons I don't |
| tremendous output of enzymes from our bodies | | | | have space to go into here. High quality protein |
| in order to be digested and absorbed. If we eat a | | | | and fats are important, especially for the function |
| lot of cooked foods, enzyme potential that could | | | | of the nervous system, and the immune system |
| be devoted toward producing metabolic enzymes | | | | as well. |
| which heal and repair the body, is instead used up | | | | By optimizing your nutritional program and including |
| to digest dead foods. By eating a wealth of raw, | | | | foods that support nervous system healing and |
| enzyme-rich foods, we add to our enzyme 'bank | | | | maintenance, it is possible to relieve the |
| account' and have a lot more enzymes available | | | | depression, anxiety, and the emotional instability |
| for healing and repair. | | | | that often accompanies compromised health. Be |
| Enhance Nervous System Health With these | | | | patient and consistent to achieve lasting results. |