"Nutritional Solutions for Depression" by Kathi Bratberg, RN, MS Holistic Nutrition

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A happy brain is a well fed brain- and this is not food from the "Standard American Diet." A happy brain depends on a happy gut and a lot of Americans don't have this. Just like your body needs nutritious foods to function, your brain works better if you eat healthy. Don’t just fuel your body...fuel your brain!

Our brain cells are made up of raw materials. If we don't have enough of the raw materials that make up brain cells, i.e. protein (amino acids) and healthy fats (fatty acids), you cannot build a healthy brain.

What you eat is in direct correlation to how your brain works. Your brain controls everything you do, give it all your support! How do you support your brain? By having a well functioning gut from eating nutritious foods. As I mentioned earlier, proteins and fats are very important. You also need vitamins, minerals and trace minerals to help make neurotransmitters, hormones and enzyme systems. These allow your brain (the most magnificent super computer on the planet) to orchestrate all of the functions that make us who we are and allow us to do what we do. 

There is an increase in celiac disease and gluten intolerance, thought, in part, to be a result of the changes in the American wheat supply. We also worry about the massive use of pesticides and herbicides, and the genetically modified corn and soy, which have become so prevalent in the American food supply. These things are so unnatural to our environment and thus to our bodies. For susceptible people gluten can affect the brain and cause brain fog and mood changes.

With the amount of sugar, processed foods, soda and alcohol we consume, we end up on a blood sugar roller coaster. This throws our brains (not to mention our adrenal glands and insulin receptors) totally out of balance.

Bottom line, to have a healthy brain, we need to eat a healthy diet, with good quality protein, healthy fats and food loaded with mineral and vitamins. So what does a healthy diet look like?

1. Quality protein. Eat protein with every meal! Organic, range free meat is a great way to get your protein.

2. Raw nuts and seeds: Perfect for a healthy gut.

3. Healthy fats (remember our brains are about 80% lipid - so we really are fat heads): Unrefined coconut oil and milk, organic butter, extra virgin olive oil and avocado.  

4. Vegetables: 5-7 servings a day (fresh or frozen organic is best). This is one of your sources of vitamins, minerals and fiber.

5. Berries: Fruit is a great snack and can be added to muffins or salads. Want to know which berry the brain loves? BLUEBERRIES. They are powerhouses of antioxidants which help protect the brain from stress.

6. Grains: My take on whole grains has changed as I have learned about the dangers of all the manipulation that goes on with them. My grain recommendations are things like brown rice, wild rice, gluten free steel cut oats and quinoa- in their whole form.

For any of you suffering from any type of gut problem, or mood disorders, gluten free is a very important consideration.  You cannot be sort of or almost gluten free. For it to work is has to be 100 % all the time. One little exposure can cause you problems for months.

You definitely are what you eat and what you can absorb. If you increase the quality of your food, you increase  the quality of your health.  A win - win in my book.

Key Insights to Depression in the Gut - Brain Connection by Michelle McCaslin APRN-NPC

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"Key Insight to Depression in the Gut - Brain Connection"

by Michelle McCaslin, APRN, NP-C

The cause of depression is not clear. You can do all sorts of research, even look up depression in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), which is published by the American Psychiatric Association.  There are many different theories, but not one “cause”. 

You may have heard a lot about serotonin and depression.  The DSM does not list serotonin as a cause of any mental disorder.  There are many medications that target serotonin and this causes some relief to the symptoms of depression. However, over time the medications can work against the mechanism they try to help! Medications can deplete the body of serotonin, which in turn will cause an increase in doses of medication.  This changes the type of medication or adds even more medication, which can lead to "poly-pharmacy" or use of many medications to treat depression. The use of medications may improve symptoms of depression...but medications can also cause a multitude of other symptoms as a result of side-effects.

Pharmaceutical companies have produced numerous medications that target and/or affect the level of serotonin in the brain. So it is easy to think that the brain is the only organ necessary to treat depression. But did you know that 90% of the serotonin is actually made in the enterochromaffin cells that line the gut.  Read that again, 90%! If that much of serotonin is actually made in the gut it is important to address the source of where majority of the serotonin is produced.

A healthy gut means more serotonin production which can cause better moods; hence the relation or connection of gut to brain. Aside from the production of serotonin, the gut is our connection to the outside world and gives us the ability to utilize nutrients and minerals in our environment necessary for life.

Our gut is home to trillions of bacteria (probiotics-good bacteria) that help digestion and make up 80% of our immune system. Because our gut is our connection to our environment it is important to take in or ingest high quality foods, also remembering that if the gut easily absorbs nutrients it can also easily absorb toxins (chemicals, pesticides, plastics…etc). High quality, organic, non GMO and nutrient dense foods are necessary for all body systems to function optimally. Eating bad quality fats, sugars, processed foods laced with chemicals and GMO’s (Genetically Modified Foods) causes inflammation in our guts. If we have inflammation in our gut the inflamed tissue works as a barrier inhibiting us from utilizing the nutrients from what we eat leaving our bodies starved.

An unhealthy gut can lead to low production of serotonin and the lack of minerals and vitamins which can set a stage for various other symptoms.

    

So what can we do?

1. Healing the gut by eliminating the bad foods and toxins that cause inflammation in the gut.

2. Support the gut with a healthy diet, good bacteria and various supplements.

3. Brain Mapping/Neurofeedback to help retrain the brain waves in specific areas that show brain wave activity indicative of depression.

4.  Supporting the Liver because it is the major organ of removing toxins (chemicals, pesticides and plastics) from the body.

5.  Making sure all hormones are optimal because all hormones (Female, Male, Thyroid and Adrenals) are anti-inflammatory.

6.  Supplements, there are many you can take for depression.

Every person’s situation and circumstances as to how they have come to their current state is important to take into consideration when treatment or support is necessary. Use of supplements may help the symptoms of depression but COMPLETE assessment of each person is necessary for a more comprehensive approach in obtaining optimal health and/or symptom relief.

At Alternatives we are team equipped with a Clinical Nutritionist, a Neurofeedback team and Counselor that work alongside practitioners (Dr. Ryan and I) to apply a more complete method of treatment. It is also important to take in the spiritual-emotional elements of each person as life circumstances.  How the person deals with the situations is important to also be aware of and know how to suggest further support. Achieved wellness comes when the person as a “whole” is taken into consideration and supported.

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