Re: Overwhelmed

Most severe and longstanding states of Depression involve chronic exposure to hidden food allergens, a high degree of candida, a lack of digestive enzymes and the like. In my opinion, the more one learns about such issues, whether they apply to them, and how to fix them... the better.

I sure would avoid the most common hidden food allergens, such as the gluten grains of wheat, oats, barley, rye, all dairy (especially cheese), corn, eggs (and perhaps the chicken the egg came from), peanuts, the nightshade family (potatoes, tomatoes, aggplant, pepper), citrus, chocolate, etc. if I was you. Always remember, "we tend to crave the very foods that hurt us" when in a state of depression.

Simply regularly juicing raw organic and generally non-allergic vegetables such as cabbage, kale, swiss chard, etc. and beginning to deal with yeast (candida) by taking probiotics, etc. can be a very powerful antidepressive measure for some persons.

If you don't have the energy to juice raw organic veggies, perhaps someone near and dear to you will juice them for you.

In addition to juicing, eating simple meals such as broiled (with olive oil) deep ocean fish with freshly cut pineapple and/or papaya (both pineapple and papaya contain enzymes to help digest protein foods) is wise when one is depressed vs. eating hard to digest meat and multiple starchy vegetable combinations, which is so common in America. Also eating clearing fibrous material such as two or three apples at once to help clear out excess mucous, etc. in the GI tract can sometimes be very helpful to a person that is depressed.

In regard to any high protein food intake, the use of powerful digestive enzymes is always wise in a person that is depressed, as depressed persons almost always lack such... the end result being that most amino acid content in high protein foods is flushed down the toilet a day or two later.

Supplementing with at least the water soluble vitamins of B complex (50 or 100 mg.) and vitamin C (perhaps 2,000 to 3,000 mg.) at every meal is wise, and hydrate with "good water" (not tap water) either well before or a few hours after a meal, not during it, to avoid dilution of necessary digestive secretions is wise as well.

Supplementing across the entire vitamin, mineral, essential fatty acid, and amino acid range is always wise in a person that is depressed. If broad based free form amino acid supplementation seems to difficult or complex for you to accomplish, I sure would not ignore the other three essential nutrient classes. Depression and (1) essential nutrient deficiency are synonymous. And Depression and (2) high food allergen exposure or (3) high gut toxicity due to candida and the like are almost synonymous as well.

Lastly, walk a mile or so every day, outdoors if at all possible. Don't just sit or lay down. The gut needs movement such as walking in order to operate properly.

Hopefully some of the above ideas may be of use to you.

Allen Darman