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Paleo and grain free diets: anxiety and depression success stories

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I recently reached out to my community to hear your diet-depression or diet-anxiety success stories in anticipation of the new SMILES diet depression trial, published last month and which I covered in a blog post last week. In that post I promised to share some real-life success stories on how diet changed people’s lives for the better!

I also shared that everyone who responded with success stories was following a more “evolved” diet than those who participated in the SMILES trial (the first randomized controlled diet depression study where ONE THIRD of the dietary intervention group saw improvements in their depression symptoms by switching from processed/junk food to real food with no specific dietary restrictions!).

What do I mean by a more evolved diet? Each of them was eating a real foods or traditional non-processed diet that was gluten-free, mostly or all grain-free and various permutations of the Paleo or cave-main diet.

The anxiety and depression success stories

Alice from Cape Town shared this about banting, a Paleo-type dietary approach that does include dairy products and has been popularized in South Africa by Professor Tim Noakes:

Three days after I stopped eating grains, my chronic depression lifted and has never returned (it’s three years later now). I had been a vegetarian most of my life, discovered in my early 50s that I was gluten intolerant, went off grains, started banting (Cape Town craze!) and have never felt better. Gut, mood, bones, energy, skin … all better!

Andrea shared this about her diet-mood results, also with a grain-free and high fat diet:

I happened upon a fat loss diet that had me cut out grains, most dairy, and sugar while focusing on mostly meat, fish, fats from nature such as butter, olive, and coconut oils. Nuts, seeds, and legumes were allowed too. These rules made it so I had to avoid processed foods. There was one day a week of eating anything.

Within 6 weeks I was shocked that I got much much more than fat loss. My depression, anxiety, mood swings, sleep issues and all but one pesky health symptom was left disappeared. I was stronger, faster, and felt energy I never remember having.

Holly shared how she healed severe depression and anxiety by changing her diet:

Over the course of a year and a half, I was given 10 different psychiatric diagnoses and cycled through 10 different medications. I discovered the healing power of diet completely by accident, and it changed my life. I now live with no diagnoses and no symptoms.

I started with the Whole30 (strict paleo), then went paleo, dabbled with a ketogenic approach, and now I eat a modified paleo diet, with some rice and goat dairy.

Krysti shared how diet reduced her severe mood swings and panic attacks:

I was dx with bipolar at 18 years old. Suffered panic attacks and the random severe mood swings that made absolutely no sense. I was sad for days to weeks only to be followed with unrealistic overly-exuberant highs where I had the energy of a toddler on sugar and the signature grandiose thoughts that I could simultaneously fly and conquer the world and do all the things! For a day. Then the next day felt numb. And resorted back to “cutting” just to feel something. I never cut for attention. In fact not even my closest friends knew I did it. It was for me and I hid it.

…my oldest sister introduced me to Paleo. I was soon dx celiac, cut out grains and have been med and *mostly* mood swing/manic free ever since. No panic attacks. I have never felt more emotionally stable. Even through the death of my youngest sister and big life events, my emotions have been that of a normal person. Explicable. Expected. Level. No extremes.

You can read their entire inspiring diet-depression stories and other ones in the comments on this blog.

Thanks to Alice, Andrea, Holly and Krysti for sharing your wonderful and very hopeful stories! It warms my heart and I know it inspires my community!  

And here is my story again:

For me it was anxiety and panic attacks that resolved when I made dietary and other nutritional and lifestyle changes.   I had been eating a vegetarian diet for a few years and I suspect the non-organic/GMO processed soy products (soy milk, soy yogurt, soy “butter” etc) were a big issue for me and damaged my gut.  When I added back quality animal protein (grass-fed red meat, wild fish, pastured eggs and chicken), switched to organic produce, added healthy fats and removed gluten my mood improved dramatically.  Now I eat a combination of a Paleo/SCD /low FODMAPS/low oxalate diet. 

During the severe anxiety and panic attacks I also needed additional support in the way of the targeted amino acids GABA (this was a life-saver and stopped the panic attacks in a few days) and tryptophan, plus zinc, vitamin B6, evening primrose oil, a good multi and B complex and adrenal support.  I still continue with some of these basic nutrients today.

My health issues have been complex as I’ve also had to deal with heavy metals, poor gut health and much more so I had what I call “a perfect storm” and yet diet has had such a huge impact for me!

Getting off medications

Lead researcher Professor Felice Jacka was quoted in an ABC article saying this in response to the SMILES trial:

people suffering from depression should not replace therapy and drug treatments with the Mediterranean diet.

Based on my experience working with clients and feedback I receive on the blog, finding the ideal diet and addressing all nutritional deficiencies often allows my clients to work with their doctors on eliminating all their depression and antianxiety medications. Other medications also go by the wayside: pain meds, high blood pressure meds, allergy meds, reflux meds etc.

What is Paleo?

I had the pleasure of hearing Australian Chef Pete Evans at an all-day Sydney event earlier this year, in celebration of the launch of his new book The Complete Gut Health Cookbook, with co-author Dr. Helen Padarin. He is a big time Paleo advocate and this is what he said on stage at the start of his presentation and wonderful day of cooking demos:

Paleo is basically a meat and 3 vegetables – it’s that simple!

To expand on this a bit…this means quality animal proteins like grass-fed red meat, wild fish, pastured eggs and chickens, organic vegetables (typically lower carb) and fruit, soaked nuts (if tolerated), bone broths, fermented vegetables and broths, and health fats like coconut and avocado. Many in the Paleo community say no to dairy and butter but I do find that some of my clients do fine with small amounts and some people do better with fermented dairy like kefir and yogurt or goat/sheep and even camel milk rather than cow’s milk.

I also got to meet both Pete and Helen at the book signing – they are both wonderful and very down-to-earth!

Meeting the famous (and very down-to-earth) Chef Pete Evans at the book signing

Can you imagine my surprise when Pete invited me on to stage to welcome me to Australia and share a bit about my work with diet and anxiety!?

Here is a 5 minute clip of me on stage with Pete and Helen where we talk about:

  • How what we eat has a direct impact on our brains and how we feel
  • How our gut bacteria make some of our brain chemicals like serotonin and GABA when we consume fermented foods [and other foods rich in amino acids and organic produce]
  • The term “psychobiotics” coined by Dr. Ted Dinan ie. good bacteria that improve our mood
  • Kelly Brogan’s wonderful work around depression and diet and medication tapering, and her great book A Mind of Your Own
  • How quickly can diet lead to anxiety and depression symptoms improving and allowing you to get off medications? …biochemical individuality, diet alone, addressing gut health, adding fermented foods, addressing low zinc and other root causes, looking at gene defects
  • Real food, liver, rooibos tea, herbs
  • My story of anxiety and panic attacks and changing from a vegetarian diet to a modified Paleo diet
  • The Anxiety Summit and my book The Antianxiety Food Solution as resources

 

As you’ve read with these success stories and heard me say on Pete’s stage, many people can do it with diet alone (even if their anxiety is very severe), many need additional nutritional support, and many need the targeted individual amino acids to get immediate relief from their anxiety or depression while they are looking for all their root causes. Many also need the amino acids to break their gluten and sugar addictions. But making the dietary changes are the foundation!

Stay tuned for more about Pete Evans, some of his recipes and gut healing protocols and the unfortunate grilling he’s been getting in the Australian media for advocating a Paleo diet! In the meantime, I will say that all his books come highly recommended!

In case you’re wondering about the research on the Paleo diet, while we don’t have a study that’s looking directly at anxiety and depression, we do have these papers on the overall benefits of a Paleolithic diet:

And in this paper co-authored by Professor Felice Jacka – Nutritional psychiatry research: an emerging discipline and its intersection with global urbanization, environmental challenges and the evolutionary mismatch, they mention

a potential evolutionary mismatch between our ancestral past (Paleolithic, Neolithic) and the contemporary nutritional environment.

We do, of course, have many studies supporting a diet-mood connection:

And Professor Felice Jacka shared this during our interview on The Anxiety Summit: The Research – Food to prevent and treat anxiety and depression? 

One of the hypotheses that I had during the Ph.D. was that increased intake of animal foods would be toxic and would be associated with more mental disorders.

This did not turn out to be the case: In our study, out of every single dietary food grouping that I looked at including vegetables, fruits, salads, beans, etc the strongest correlate of mental health was red meat intake [grass-fed red meat of course.]

Consistently, women who have less than the recommended intake of red meat seem to be in an increased risk for common mental disorders [like anxiety and depression] and bipolar disorder.

She was referring to the results of her Ph.D. paper that was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry in 2010: “Association of Western and Traditional Diets with Depression and Anxiety in Women.”

Have you changed your diet to a Paleo way of eating and observed a reduction or elimination of anxiety or depression? Was a dietary change enough or did you need to address brain chemical imbalances and other nutritional deficiencies too?

If you’re a practitioner, have you seen results like this with your clients or patients?

 

Tryptophan, red meat and baby steps for anxiety: the Brain Summit

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Just a quick reminder that the Brain Summit starts tomorrow, Monday, May 2nd.

brainsummit-trudy

Here are some snippets from my anxiety interview with host Erin Matlock. We started out talking about diet and grass-fed red meat and why it’s so beneficial if you have anxiety (and other mood problems):

…there’s a lot of research showing now that [a Western diet] diet is not good for so many conditions, and mental health is now coming into the research. And we know this, but to see it in the research is really beneficial. Dr. Felice Jacka did a great study in Australia that was one of the first studies that looked at anxiety and depression in women and found that the Western diet was associated with a higher risk for anxiety and depression. And this whole foods, traditional diet, that actually included grass-fed red meat, was more beneficial for anxiety and depression. And in her thesis, they actually looked at red meat thinking that they would find that red meat was actually detrimental. And, lo and behold, they found that grass-fed red meat was one of the most important predictors for good mental health. So a lot of people say, “I don’t eat red meat any more. I’m being healthy.” And in actual fact, not eating it is doing them harm.

So red meat is wonderful! And it needs to be grass fed because then you’re getting the good levels of the Omega-3s. The Omega-3 three profile of grass fed red meat is very similar to what you would find in salmon. Obviously, fish is great, so while fish like salmon or sardines are great as well, the reason I like the red meat is it’s something that most people enjoy eating. And as well as the Omega-3s, we’re getting the iron, and iron is a co-factor for making serotonin and making GABA, and it’s needed for energy and so many other functions in the body.

It’s also got zinc, and zinc is a common deficiency, way more common than we realize. And when you are anxious, you may have high copper level, and low zinc level. So getting those zinc levels up will push the copper down, and that can help with your anxiety, as well.

We also had a long discussion on serotonin and tryptophan/5-HTP:

…we often associate serotonin with depression. And a lot of people don’t realize that it’s very closely tied to anxiety, as well.  So we’ve got two types of anxiety when it comes to the brain chemicals. One is the low-serotonin type, and this is the anxiety in the head, where you’ve got the ruminating thoughts, and the busy mind, and the negative self-talk, and just this monkey mind that you can’t switch off — this worry, and sort of reprocessing things. And then we have the low-GABA kind of anxiety, where it’s in your physical body and you’re feeling stiff and tense, and you can feel it in your body, and you may feel it in your gut….

I have people do a questionnaire, and depending on how you score on that questionnaire, that’s a clue as to whether serotonin may be a factor. So all of those symptoms I’ve just mentioned, you would rate yourself on a scale of one to ten.  And then I use individual, targeted amino acids. So it’s a supplement, and the other things that obviously have an impact are food, and diet, and everything we just talked about. Getting exercise, getting outside in the light, all of those are factors.

But for quick, immediate results, and pretty profound results – people just say to me, “Could this really be happening so quickly?” that’s how quickly we get results, you know, within 30 seconds to two minutes they’re getting results – is to use these individual amino acids as supplements. And the reason they’re called “targeted” is because it’s targeted to your unique needs. Like when you do the questionnaire and it says, yes, you need some serotonin support, and then you would use either tryptophan or 5-HTP as a supplement. And again, targeted, because you need it, but also targeted to your unique biochemistry.

There’s a standard starting dose for tryptophan, which is 500 mg, while 5-HTP is 50 mg.

Be sure to tune into the interview with Debbie Hampton. She is the survivor of an acquired brain injury (from a pill overdose when trying to commit suicide) and the author of the upcoming book, Sex, Suicide, and Serotonin.  Her story and resilience is inspiring!  Here is Debbie’s wonderful answer to Erin’s question: “What advice would you give to someone who feels like it’s too late to do what they want to do? I’m already so deep in, there’s no way that I could possibly have the life that I wanted or do the work that I really wanted to do.”

debbie-hampton

It’s never too late. And those limitations, you’re putting on yourself. Those limitations are in your mind. If you think you can’t, and you think it’s too late, then it is. You’ve got to change your mind first and if your mind thinks you can, you’re halfway there.

My advice would be to start small … I’m not big on long-term plans. I’m big on a long-term bigger goal. But what you’ve got to do is you’ve got to take a little step in the right direction towards that goal, and when you get there, you look around and you say, “Okay, what is my next best step?” And when you get to that next step, there may be opportunities that you can see that you couldn’t even see back here.

So you’ve got to take it one step at a time and get there and assess your opportunities. And then figure out the next best step, and then get there and figure out the next one. And it may be a zigzag path, and you may even have to go back sometimes, regress, but as long as you just keep moving forward and keep positive momentum and positive thoughts and be your own cheerleader, and encourager, and supporter— be your own friend—that is the most important thing.

I could not agree more – there is an answer, you can do whatever you set out to do and just take baby steps!

You can register for the Brain Summit here:
http://www.brainsummit.com?orid=45505&opid=12

 

Western diet is associated with a smaller left hippocampus and anxiety

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western-diet

A new food and mental health study has been published in the international BMC Medicine journal: Western diet is associated with a smaller hippocampus: a longitudinal investigation. The lead author is Associate Professor Felice Jacka from Deacon University in Australia.

Here is the conclusion of the study: 

Lower intakes of nutrient-dense foods and higher intakes of unhealthy foods are each independently associated with smaller left hippocampal volume. To our knowledge, this is the first human study to demonstrate associations between diet and hippocampal volume concordant with data previously observed in animal models.

Study participants were Australian adults aged 60-64.   The results of the study, show that an unhealthy “Western” diet is associated with a smaller left hippocampus and a healthier “prudent”, nutrient-dense diet is associated with a larger left hippocampus.

The unhealthy “Western” diet was:

characterized by the consumption of roast meat, sausages, hamburgers, steak, chips, crisps and soft drinks

and the healthy “prudent”, nutrient-dense diet was:

characterized by the consumption of fresh vegetables, salad, fruit and grilled fish

This study has importance for cognition and mental health, both depression and very possibly anxiety too:

extensive evidence from animal studies points to the importance of the hippocampus in the association between diet and mental and cognitive health

The hippocampus is a brain structure associated with both learning and memory, as well as mood regulation, and is specifically implicated in depression

The study does group high sugar and high saturated fat together, and unfortunately the healthy diet excludes good quality red meat which is surprising considering previous research and conversations with Dr. Jacka about the benefits of good quality red meat and mental health:

In our study, out of every single dietary food grouping that I looked at including vegetables, fruits, salads, beans, etc the strongest correlate of mental health was red meat intake [grass-fed red meat of course]

Consistently, women who have less than the recommended intake of red meat seem to be in an increased risk for common mental disorders [like anxiety and depression] and bipolar disorder.

It will be wonderful to see follow-up research looking at the effect of quality grass-fed red meat on hippocampus size.  

Drew Ramsey, MD, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City, described the study as “exciting” in an interview on Medscape Medical News:

It’s the first time that a dietary pattern has been linked to specific changes in the brain. We’ve known for a long time that there’s a correlation between dietary pattern and the risk of a number of brain illnesses, like depression and dementia, and the mechanism behind this, we believe, involves neuroplastic processes of how food affects brain growth. This is the first study that’s really shown that quite conclusively.

Dr. Ramsey is the author of The Happiness Diet, and co-founder of National Kale Day. His mission is to educate America on eating healthier and I’ll second what he said about this study:

nutrition should be incorporated into mental health clinical practice.

How wonderful is it to hear a statement like this from a psychiatrist!?

You can read the complete study here.

What does all this mean for you? Eat real whole nutrient-dense food and ditch the junk food and processed food. Your brain will be happy and so will you be!

If you’re a mental health practitioner, start talking to your clients and patients about what they’re eating, ask them what they had for breakfast and share this research.

 

The Anxiety Summit – Primal nutrition for anxiety and depression

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lauren noel 

Dr. Lauren Noel, ND was interviewed by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

Primal nutrition for anxiety and depression

  • The benefits of eating grass-fed red meat
  • Which healthy fats to include and why
  • Why include nutrient-dense bone broths and how to make them
  • Mineral-rich foods make a difference

Here is the blog post from season 1 of the Anxiety Summit: The Research – Food to prevent and treat anxiety and depression?

out of every single dietary food grouping that I looked at including vegetables, fruits, salads, beans, etc the strongest correlate of mental health was red meat intake (grass-fed red meat of course)

I’m glad we talked about total cholesterol that is too low because the whole cholesterol question comes up a lot. Here is a blog post with some links to studies: Total cholesterol that is too low: anxiety and depression in women

Here is some research on how trans fats make us depressed and anxious

Here is my roasted spicy pumpkin seed recipe  and Magdalena’s liver pate recipe

If you can’t get your meat locally, you can mail order grass-fed meat and other wonderful products like liver and pemmican from US Wellness Meats.  In the interview I mentioned their Liverwurst, which is a mixture of grass-fed beef trim (30%), liver (30%), heart (20%) and kidney (20%). I really think this “is the tastiest way to incorporate healthy grass-fed beef organs into your diet!” All of their beef products are 100% grass-fed and grass-finished. They source from family farms, and endorse sustainable farming and humane practices.

Dr. Lo is the host of Dr. Lo Radio, a top rated podcast on iTunes that has attracted over 1million listens. It’s a great podcast. Here are links to 2 shows: Death by Food Pyramid with Denise Minger and Your Personal Paleo Code with Chris Kresser

If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here www.theAnxietySummit.com

The Anxiety Summit: The Research – Food to prevent and treat anxiety and depression?

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Dr. Felice Jacka_2

Dr. Felice Jacka, Principal Research Fellow at Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia, is interviewed by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

The Research: Food to prevent and treat anxiety and depression?

  • Organizations and collaboration in nutritional psychiatry research and prevention
  • Study: Traditional diet lowers the risk of anxiety and depression in women
  • The surprising benefits of grass-fed red meat for improved mood
  • Food and mental health research in Norway, Japan, UK and Spain, across all ages and socioeconomic levels
  • Ongoing research on diet to prevent depression and future research on the gut

These are the two organizations we talked about:

Dr Jacka said she “initiated this society at the end of 2012 really in recognition of the need to get people collaborating and working together and creating those synergies to push this field forward”

We talked about so much and promised to share some links with you:

Here is a link to the special prevention edition that Dr. Jacka edited in the BMC Med a couple of weeks before our interview.

Here is Dr Jacka’s fabulous INSPR conference video presentation.

Here are some great gems from our interview:

we take the point that prevention is better than cure

there is no mental health without physical health

treating the whole person- their physical health as well as their mental health – is critical

We’ve now seen data from right around the world right across every continent and across age ranges, showing that diet really does matter to the prevalence and incidence of depression and anxiety.

Study: Association of Western and Traditional Diets with Depression and Anxiety in Women

We discussed the results of her Ph.D. paper that was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry in 2010: “Association of Western and Traditional Diets with Depression and Anxiety in Women.”

This study was published on the front cover of the journal with a big editorial and was nominated the most important study of 2010 in psychiatry research. It was considered really huge news in psychiatry.

a “traditional” dietary pattern characterized by vegetables, fruit, meat, fish, and whole grains was associated with lower odds for major depression or dysthymia and for anxiety disorders. A “western” diet of processed or fried foods, refined grains, sugary products, and beer was associated with a higher odds of mood disorders

We discussed the connection between red meat and mental health especially in women.

Dr. Jacka shared this: “One of the hypotheses that I had during the Ph.D. was that increased intake of animal foods would be toxic” and “would be associated with more mental disorders.”

This did not turn out to be the case. “In our study, out of every single dietary food grouping that I looked at including vegetables, fruits, salads, beans, etc the strongest correlate of mental health was red meat intake,” grass-fed red meat of course.

“Consistently, women who have less than the recommended intake of red meat seem to be in an increased risk for common mental disorders” (like anxiety and depression) “and bipolar disorder.

Women only need a small amount (a palm-sized serving) three or four times a week.

These are pretty profound results, especially in this day and age where people are being cautioned to eat no red meat or to eat less. I encourage all my clients to eat red meat, grass-fed of course. It’s a wonderful source of amino acids, zinc, iron and omega-3 fatty acids – all important for depression and anxiety.

The first randomized controlled trial

Dr. Jacka is looking for participants for the first randomized controlled trial looking at diet as a therapeutic approach for depression. They are seeking the following study participants: those with major depression, who are over 18, with no dietary restrictions and who live in Melbourne.

Here is the link to the information regarding the trial. The email address listed is the best way to connect with them about the trial or sign up on the Diet Depression Study page.

If you you have the means to help fund research in this area please contact either Dr. Jacka or me!  

If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here www.theAnxietySummit.com

UPDATE: The Anxiety Summit season 1 concluded in June 2014. If you’d like to be on the notification list for the next summit just sign up here www.theAnxietySummit.com

Missed this interview and want this and the other great interviews for your learning library? Purchase the MP3s or MP3s + transcripts + interview highlights and listen when it suits you

Woman with Anxiety at ADAA 2012 conference: food is the answer

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I’m heading to the 32nd Annual Conference of Anxiety Disorders Association of America . It’s on from April 12 – 15, 2012 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott, Arlington, Virginia.

The theme is: Integrating Mind-Body Connections: Advancing Science, Informing Practice for Anxiety and Related Disorders and you can find conference details here

I’m thrilled that I’ve been accepted to do a poster presentation on food/nutrients and anxiety – Food and Mood: Case Study of Woman with Anxiety. It will cover real whole food, including grass-fed red meat; neurotransmitters and amino acids GABA and 5-HTP; the mineral zinc; the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids; vitamin D; the mood impacts of gluten and more.  All supporting research will be provided.

The amazing thing is that this woman, a client of mine, was able to completely eliminate her anxiety and panic attacks, PMS and carb cravings using dietary and lifestyle changes only.

I look forward to sharing this information and my book The Antianxiety Food Solution  with attendees.

One of the newest food mood studies I’ll be sharing is one by Davison and Kaplan, titled Nutrient Intakes Are Correlated With Overall Psychiatric Functioning in Adults With Mood Disorders. It was recently published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry.

They looked at Canadian adults with mood disorders. Intake of carbs, fiber, total fat, linoleic acid, riboflavin, niacin, folate, vitamin B6, B12, pantothenic acid, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, magnesium and zinc were measured and higher levels of nutrients equated to better mental health.

Dr Kaplan, PhD was quoted as saying: “Doctors should consider counseling their patients to eat unprocessed, natural, healthy foods and refer them to a nutrition professional if specialized dietary consultation is needed.”

Here are some other interesting poster sessions I plan to visit:

  • Evaluation of Oral Zinc Sulfate Effect on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A
    Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial
  • Dietary Supplements for Anxiety Disorders: A Systematic Review

There are also some very interesting sessions that I look forward to attending:

  •  Integrating Complementary and Alternative Medicine Into the Treatment of Anxiety and Related Disorders
  • Exercise for Mood and Anxiety
  • Adding Biofeedback to a Mental Health Practice
  • The Ethics of Psychology in the Media: Print, Internet, and TV
  • Anxiety and Gastrointestinal Distress Across the Lifespan
  • Benzodiazepine Use

All in all it should be a great three days of sharing, learning and networking at the ADAA 2012 conference and then a day of leisure in Washington DC before I head to Wisconsin for 3 days of Food-mood-anxiety workshops . I’m going to need that day of leisure!

I’ll be sharing what I learn on future blog posts and have plans to share my new beautiful 3ft x 5 ft poster too (created by my wonderful assistant Mika Howard) . And of course, I’ll take plenty of photos too.