Depression. It sucks and whatever your doctor tells you, there is no magic pill to change your life. Sure, it alleviates the symptoms, but I want to treat the cause, not the effect. I am not saying come off your medications, I am not saying that I know more than a doctor, but I do believe that we are given most of the tools to ensure that our body works properly. Are there exceptions? ABSOLUTELY. If your body is malfunctioning based on something out of your control, then by all means take the medicine that will change/save your life.
When I went to the doctor in February and told my doctor about my depression (which I thought was related to hypothroidism. It wasn’t by the way), the first thing she asked me is: which anti-depressant do you want? I was blown away. I couldn’t believe that all you had to do was tell your doctor that you are depressed and you would get to choose your drug. I told her I didn’t want to take medication and wanted to find out why I was depressed instead. Did I get any help? no. I’m not trying to put down my doctor, I know most of the time they are just doing the best they can. I did learn something valuable at that doctor’s appointment though, my vitamin D was low.
If you don’t spend a whole lot of time outside, and you’ve been feeling sluggish and down, I absolutely recommend you get your Vitamin D levels checked. Most doctors do this now, because so many of us have low levels of D, but if your doctor hasn’t, please ask!!! Once I got my Vitamin D up, it was like night and day. I couldn’t believe how much better I felt just from taking a vitamin that you literally can get everywhere.
This was my biggest clue to figuring out that a lack of D was affecting my mood: Going outside on a beautiful day made me feel incredibly happy. I felt my absolute best outside in the sun when combined with running. I used to call running my anti depressant, but I truly believe it was more than the running, it was my environment.
So I got my Vitamin D on track, what was next? Food. We all know that food can either be your poison or your medicine. When you don’t feel good, it is impossible to have excellent mental health. When we don’t take care of our bodies, it is difficult to have positive self-esteem. Treat your physical body with upmost respect and before you know it, you will begin to treat your self with respect. It is awful difficult to be depressed when your body feels good.
I want to be clear, I am not a doctor, I’m not a nutritionist. I am a person who changed her own life with the right food and exercise. I am the poster child for what cleaning up your diet can do for you! My life was ridden with depression, I couldn’t get out of bed in the mornings. There was no light at the end of my tunnel. I turned my life around in 2 months with my diet. This is no exaggeration.
I’m so tired of people throwing meds at their problems. Take care of your body and you will receive rewards beyond your imagination. Now I am not telling you to go off your drugs. There are people out there whose bodies malfunction for seemingly no reason and medication can save their life. All I’m saying is that medication should be your last resort. If you’ve done everything you can and you still need the medicine, then by all means take that route. I’m talking about the people who would rather use intervention instead of utilizing prevention. Stop making excuses, you only get one body!
So what kind of food are we talking about you might ask? What kind of food can change your life? You walk right by it every time you go to the grocery store. Fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats (antibiotic free, hormone free, organic meat), some nuts. It is that easy. Food can be broken down into two categories: Macronutrients and Micronutrients. Macronutrients is where you get your energy, extremely important (protein, fat, and carbs). When we are talking about healing your body and optimal health we are talking about micronutrients. Micronutrients are vitamins, minerals, and other compounds. So how do you get your micronutrients? fresh fruits and vegetables. I can not stress how important fresh fruits and vegetables are. Stop thinking as your food as just an energy source! Food can heal you. Still want to go to the vending machine and get that snack cake? Read the back of the package. See all of those chemicals? Everything you put in your body will affect your body. Just because a manufacturer is allowed to put something in food, does not mean that it is good for you, or even safe. Now here is where the excuses really start to pile on. I don’t know how many people have told me that they just can’t eat this way, it’s impossible. This is not based on fact, this is based on an inability to change.
Can’t afford to eat real food? Keep on telling yourself that, but you’re going to have to find money for your hospital bills and medications. Most people know that they don’t eat the food they should, but they believe the worst that could happen is some indigestion and weight gain. Guess what? These are the least of your problems. I’m talking cancer, autoimmune disease, infertility, diabetes, and heart disease just to name a few. Cancer has really become prevalent in the past 20 years. Why do you think that is? I believe it has to do with the food that is being pushed down our throats. You can’t put non-natural things in your body and expect your body to function properly. You can’t repair your body without the nutrients it needs, it’s impossible.
You would never knowingly put bad gas in your car so why would you put bad food in your body? It is the same thing. Is your body not more important than a car? Please stop destroying your body.
If you want help, if you don’t know where to start, please contact me. allthat1der@gmail.com.
Stop making excuses. Your body can only understand your actions, not your words.
Health and Happiness,
K
allthatwander 