A Healthy Diet May Alleviate Symptoms of Mental Illness

black men image of depression

Safe nutritional approaches have proven to be effective in alleviating the symptoms of some forms of mental illness. These approaches include the use of omega-3s, B vitamins, and amino acids, along with a nutrient-dense diet of natural foods.

Mental illness has long been connected to malnutrition and gut issues

Historically, unlike today, physicians understood that malnutrition contributed to mental illness. French psychiatrist, Pinel wrote almost 200 years ago that insanity originated in the areas of the stomach and intestines.

People who consumed nutrient dense diets were happy and well adjusted

Weston Price, DDS, in his landmark 10-year research in the 1930s, observed that primitive cultures consuming their native, nutrient dense diets, containing four to 10 times the amount of vitamins comparable to the American diet, suffered no mental illness. Dr. Price noticed that these groups were happy and well adjusted. There was no need for mental health treatments or prisons. This state of affairs is quite different from present-day American culture, with its preponderance of mental illness and violent crimes.

Research documents increases in omega-3s can alleviate depression symptoms

Several research studies have shown that daily dosages of 1,000-2,000 mg of the EPA form of omega-3 fish oil are helpful in alleviating symptoms of depression. The improvements in mood generally take place between three to 12 weeks after beginning the supplement. Diets high in fish have also been shown to be correlated with improved moods.

Americans are well known for having an imbalance of omega-3/omega-6 fats averaging 1:20, while the ideal ratio ranges from 1:1 to 1:4. Natural diets including coconut oil, butter, cream and other animal fats from pastured animals, have the ideal ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fats.

Read more: Natural News

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