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Is it possible to change your mood by changing your food?
I mean really affect a significant change!
My answer would be a resounding “yes” as I am living proof that you can absolutely do this. That is why I teach and write and now have a membership website devoted to guiding and helping people do what I did more than six years ago.
I “disappeared” the chronic depression that had plagued my life for decades, and I lost twenty pounds. I did it accidentally in just a few months.
So how do you eat to beat the blues? You turn your back on processed foods is the short answer. The long answer is more complicated which is why I teach and lead this movement. Big food and big pharma don’t want you to know what I share. They don’t want you to know you can eat to be well rather than eat to be sick and old before your time. And, if you’re eating the Standard American Diet (SAD), that is exactly what you are doing…regardless of how much you exercise, meditate or practice yoga.
You can eat to beat the blues and improve a few other aspects of your health. Have more energy, better mental clarity, sleep better, lose more than a few pounds without being miserable on a diet that some over-paid celebrity is touting on TV. You won’t have to buy special food that is still loaded with chemicals that harm you.
The food industry and the diet industry are diabolical. They are so good at marketing, and many of us are so desperate for change, that they give us hope. Hope that their “food” will make us young and healthy again. What will make you feel healthier and look younger again is real food. There’s a catch to that though…
Big food has taught us that food tastes like salt, sugar and bad fats which are what are in their products. The first thing we have to do to save ourselves is to learn what real food tastes like again. It tastes like fresh whole food…vegetables, fruits, grains and protein. And, it can be delicious, but we have to retrain our taste buds. That’s where it gets tricky. They design their “frankenfood” to be addictive so we crave it. They’ve set us up for abject failure in trying to save ourselves, and we are complicit in that we can’t resist.
I find few people can “rip the bandaid off” and make drastic changes in diet habits. Although it’s in everyone’s best interest to do that, I find that taking smaller steps is more tolerable for most people. Incorporating simple changes that you build upon is often a better way for many to proceed. And this can be true if you have kids or a resistant-to-change spouse on your hands.
So back to Eat to Beat the Blues. How does that play into this whole article? Very simply, when you eat whole food, you reduce the inflammation in your body. Research has, in recent years, discovered that inflammation in your body is transmitted to your brain and manifests as depression.
I now realize what I did to “disappear” my chronic depression was to reduce my body’s inflammation. Depression isn’t the only health challenge affected by inflammation. Inflammation contributes to other health challenges like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, cancer and so on. We now know that inflammation is the root cause of all disease and premature aging.
It’s easy and simple and, quite frankly, with our Standard American diet, it’s hard all at the same time.
To that end, I want to invite you to check out my newest project for you. The Healthy Eating Club has been created as a vehicle to reach the largest number of people in the shortest amount of time. I am dedicated to sharing how I was successful in transforming my life and my health, both mental and physical. You can read about it here: http://TheHealthyEatingClub.com
Please let me know if you have questions. I am always happy to hear from you. You can email me at: Cheryl@thinstronghealthy.com.
This article was originally published on: https://thinstronghealthy.com/eat-to-beat-the-blues/
How may I serve you in your quest for optimal mental and physical health?
Cheryl A Major
Cheryl A Major lives in Westford and is a Certified Nutrition and Wellness Consultant. Her TV show, Thin Strong Healthy, airs on WestfordCat and is an offshoot of her blog http://ThinStrongHealthy.com Cheryl offers ongoing information, live and online courses and personal health coaching to help you feel better and be healthier. Follow Cheryl on Twitter @CherylAMajor. She is also a full time residential Realtor with Coldwell Banker with more than 25 years experience.
Cheryl’s new membership site, The Healthy Eating Club, is open for members! Join our community that supports its members in the quest for better health, both mental and physical through delicious, healthy eating!
