Rebuild from Depression Blog

I went to Trader Joe's the other day and the free sample guy Bryan said "Hey, the depression book lady! You know, that stuff really works."

He went on to say that since we spoke last a few months ago he started taking an Omega-3 and a B-vitamin supplement religiously and has gotten mood relief.

Bryan started taking these supplements even without blood work because of the evidence for their effectiveness in alleviating depression. First, most of us do not get enough of these nutrients and fats in our diet and just adding them will give us a better sense of wellness. Second, in clinical trials participants tend to have improved moods while taking them. The clinical trials often do not even test to see if the participants are deficient. And frankly, most of them would be.

Unless you have made a concerted effort, the smart money is that you have not consumed enough Omega-3s or folate, perhaps for your entire life.

If you or a loved one are struggling with depression, read Chapter 8: The Usual Suspects.

This chapter describes the importance of Omega-3 fatty acids and B-vitamins. This version of the manuscript is not final in content and has not been edited since my last round of revisions, so pardon the typos. They are all mine and I apologize in advance.

Finding Omega-3 supplements

The book excerpts do not include the Appendix which will have recommendations on supplements. You can easily access Omega-3 fatty acid and B-vitamin supplements. I am looking for the best supplements to offer on the website, but one simple solution is to walk into your local independent health food store and ask for their best supplement. My preferred cod liver oil is from Nordic Naturals. The best price right now is at www.vitacost.com. I have purchased the 16 oz liquid form because that is the best value. If the thought of cod liver oil or fish oil makes you gag, look for a gel cap form.

Dr Andrew Stoll recommends about 4 grams of EPA for depression. That is a lot of supplementation, so even if you take half that amount, you'll want to shop the price. Look at the label on the back of the supplement for the amount of EPA. Most will be in milligrams. One thousand milligrams equals one gram. You'll see that it takes a lot of cod liver oil to reach four grams of EPA.

Finding B-vitamin supplements

Brewer's Yeast enriched with B-vitamins is a very good B-vitamin supplement. I used to take a tablet form from GNC that worked well. A cheaper form is powder that you mix with water, available at any health food store. If you take the powdered approach, get the "de-bittered" variety. Ask at your independent health food store for Brewer's Yeast and, if it's powdered, ask if they've tasted it. You might take about double the recommended levels for a couple of weeks. If you find yourself reorganizing the cupboards at midnight, you've taken too much. Brewer's Yeast can give you some energy, but you need your sleep more than your cupboards need reorganizing.

Alternatively ask someone at your local independent health food store for their recommendation on a B-complex vitamin for you.

B-vitamins and liver

Those who know me well know that my favorite B-vitamin supplement is actually liver. I mentioned the Brewer's Yeast above because that is the most palatable choice for most people. Another path to B-vitamins is through eating liver. Yes, I mean the internal organ of an animal. When I eat liver about three times a week, I have a great boost of energy, I am able to handle stress, and the many life stresses do not upset me as much as they normally would. If I haven't disgusted you with this, liver is another strategy for you.

Nothing is easy if you are struggling with depression

There may be no supplement on the planet that can turn your life around in a few days if you are at the bottom of a bad cycle.

If you are able to begin to take a B-vitamin an Omega-3 fatty acid supplement, do that today. The B-vitamins may only take a week to show an effect, but nutritional therapies in general may take weeks or months. It is a long-term strategy. And on bad days you'll forget to take the supplements. That's OK. Take them when you remember. Over time, your down cycles should be shorter and less bad. The time between these down cycles will be longer. That's progress. I am hoping for many good days for you.

The book, Rebuild from Depression, reviews the top seven nutrient deficiencies associated with depression. It reviews how to identify a deficiency, the best form of supplementation, and the best food sources. It is recommended by readers and experts. Read more about the book.

Since I wrote this blog post, I had a baby without suffering from depression and psychosis as I did with my first. Read the story: avoiding postpartum depression.

Read more
Omega 3 and depression
Magnesium and depression: Keeping your head above water
Zinc and depression: Shocking discoveries
Iron and postpartum depression

Tell a friend

If you have a friend who needs this information, send them this entry. At the bottom of the page for this post, you will see an option to "share with a friend." Send this to them today. It's a good day to get started.

In celebration of our first ever contest here at Rebuild from Depression, my mom and I have been working diligently on this downloadable cookbook for you. The cookbook features five depression buster foods and is called "Depression Busters: Five Family Favorites."

Do not fear. Even though the current contest is called "Pest or Dinner" and we are having fun trying to figure out if particular rodents have the nutrient density to qualify as depression busters, there are no rodents in this cookbook. There is not even an organ meat. There are, in fact, even some plant-based foods, none of which are pesky. I apologize in advance if this comes as a disappointment to anyone. (We are working on the organs, however, so just sit tight and, please, send us recipes if you have some good ones.)

To access the free e-book, just click on this link. If you have subscribed to something here before, you will simply receive your download link via email. If you have not yet subscribed to any of the free resources, click on the link and you will be sent a confirmation email. Then click on that link to get your email. This is just our system's way to reduce spam. Sorry for the hassle.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the next entry in the Pest or Dinner contest.

When you are writing a book about health you are sometimes convicted by your own behaviors. It's a bad idea to drink alcohol when you struggle with depression or even when you've had depression in your past. It's a depressive drug. Most of us probably know that.

If you don't think about it a whole lot, you can just kind of cover your ears and say "la la la la" if the topic ever comes up over your beer.

But a few events have collided, inspired this blog post, and finally got me to write the inset article about alcohol for the book.

My son has gotten into "stories" in the past year. As we drive the long hour or two to civilization weekly, I always hear "Mama, tell me a story." I am pretty long on stories, but even I get bored with the exchange on occasion. I decided to practice speaking techniques in the context of specific "stories." So I have a "story" about drugs. It's an anti-drug message perfect for a young child. The story includes some great persuasive descriptions and a repetitive refrain that I deliver with great energy:

"It's easier never to start than it is to stop once you are addicted."

The speech comes packed with stories of Aunt Frances, who was given two days to live and still walked out of the hospital with her pickled liver. She would have lived, of course, had she actually stopped drinking when she returned home.

"As tough as she was, Frederick, she couldn't stop drinking once she was addicted."

We role-play refusal techniques. He claims he's "already cool" and "doesn't need a toke." (And I become acutely aware at times that I don't know slang terms for drugs. I'll have to make a few calls before I take my speech on the road.)

And so it was just a matter of time before I got the question:

"Mom, why are you drinking? It's not healthy. You need to stop."

I was careful in my speeches to discuss "too much" alcohol so that this day would not come. And yet the day is here.

The fact of the matter is that since about December I have pretty easily consumed my weight in wine quite a number of times. When the ">number of deaths in your friendship circle becomes Apocalyptic, these things tend to happen.

"Frederick, you are right. I am going to finish this glass and when you return from Magic Mountain, I will not drink anymore."

I can assure you that Frederick will not forget the promise. And because I will not sneak alcohol from anyone, that makes tonight the end of the wine.

In honor of the end, I finally wrote the inset article for the book. It's amusing in this context that I put it off for so long. And as it turns out, it is a probably a bit of a softball treatment of the issue in the context of depression, but it was the best I could muster given the probable state of my own B-vitamins today:

Alcohol and Depression Alcohol is not only a depressive drug, but it actually depletes your body of depression-fighting nutrients. B-vitamins in particular are lost as you drink. Studies in humans of blood levels of folate show that hours after a drink, our blood levels of folate fall (Stowell 2000). Folate is difficult enough to get in our diets, it seems like a good idea to take it easy on the drinks.

I will have my last glass in about an hour. A plate of liver tomorrow, packed with folate, will be the beginning of my penance.

Easter has snuck up on me once again. It is a shock that it's April, but it is a relief that it is sunny. We don't have a strong Easter tradition around here, but this is a good week for us nonetheless for at least five reasons.

1) The Eggs.

I've never really cared for those plastic Easter eggs that open up primarily because they usually have something very ordinary inside. My son just got a pink one, wrapped in more plastic, with a green Jolly Rancher inside. That seems like a lot of plastic for a Jolly Rancher.

When I was a girl, I used to get a big chocolate egg from See's Candy here in California. That was a treat, but it was always a little much and now I need it like a hole in the head.

In my opinion, the best Easter eggs are actual eggs.

If you can find some brown eggs, white eggs, and even green eggs then when you dye them, the range of colors is really cool. We have a variety of hens and get a whole range of egg colors, so the Easter egg dying is even more fun than usual.

The yoke under that colored shell is also loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids because our hens are allowed to range and eat bugs. Commercially, the Omega-3 eggs you find in stores from hens fed flax or algae are a good bet too.

2) The Chocolate.

I am always skeptical about research that links some sort of dessert to improved health. My dad tells me regularly that ice cream helps his depression. And once when I did a depression buster pizza makeover (important book research of course), my dad ate a bite or two and said "I know I feel better already. It does help my depression."

Well, Dad doesn't really have depression and just enjoying a food isn't really enough to make something a depression-buster.

But chocolate does have some properties that make it stand out in the dessert category. It is a good source of depression-fighting magnesium and it affects your serotonin levels. My friend Terri recommends raw cacao for this purpose. It will be a far sight better than the Easter chocolate available at the quick stop this week.

4) The Dinner.

Holidays are always a great opportunity to hone cooking skills. Easter is great because that meal can be just about anything we choose. I choose beef over ham and turkey because of its nutrient content. Beef also fills my freezer after the recent slaughter of my steer, so it is an economical choice in this house.

This year is actually even better because we will be doing more eating than cooking. We are traveling to southern California to spend the holiday with my family.

3) The Sunshine

I know some of you are up to your eyeballs in snowflakes this week. Our weather has been so glorious that I've gotten almost nothing done on my computer. My garden gloves are leaving tan lines on my forearms as evidence of my activity this week.

Sunshine on your skin will raise your levels of vitamin D, a deficiency many implicate in Seasonal Affective Disorder (winter time blues). Light entering your eyes, unprotected by sunglasses, will increase your levels of melatonin and help you get a better night's sleep.

5) The Family.

As much as sunshine feels like the highlight of the week since I have had a few great days outside, I will tear myself away and make a five hour trip for a dinner. It feels like a big chore given the sunshine here, the many weeds that need pulling, and the satisfaction I feel with getting things done outside. But I know that the schlep will be more than worth it. We have a great family and do not see them often enough.

Earlier this week Reuters reported the findings of some surprised researchers: add some tequila to your juice to increase the antioxidant levels.

Antioxidants are critical in cancer prevention, but some Jack in your orange juice for breakfast just doesn't seem like the very best path we can take to increase the antioxidants in our diets.

Those who know me know that I am a big fan of liver. In fact, liver is a depression buster food and probably in a class of its own providing in large quantities every depression-fighting nutrient in my book except for magnesium. Most foods make the list because they excel in one or two nutrients or in Omega-3 fatty acids. Not liver. It could nearly be your replacement for a multi-vitamin/mineral complex.

I used to see my multivitamin and mineral as good nutritional insurance. It certainly is a form of insurance, but there can be consequences with taking your daily supplement blindly.

The folic acid fortification program in the United States provides us with a very good example of why supplementation willy-nilly can have perverse consequences.

People do not get enough folate in their diets and a low folate status is associated with birth defects like spina bifida. Since many women do not plan their pregnancies and many who do plan them do not consume enough folate in preparation, the USDA decided to fortify grain-based foods with folic acid in the late 1990s.

Nearly a decade later, researchers are trying to determine the effect of this food fortification program. Neural tube defects like spina bifida are on the decline, but cognitive problems are on the rise in the elderly.

It appears that you can get too much of a good thing under certain circumstances.

Results of a consumer survey were released last month by the International Food Information Council (IFIC). Survey researchers asked consumers question such as "How concerned are you with the amount of fat you are eating?"

72% of Americans are concerned with the amount of fat they consume.

Compared to one year ago, Americans are concerned that they are consuming too much saturated fat and they are actually seeking to consume more vegetable oil.

There is very little reason to consume more vegetable oil. In fact, to fight depression, research suggests we should be consuming less.

People who read this blog know that I think liver is the new black and the food most likely to keep our energy up and keep us on an even keel. I eat it as much as possible. As it turns out, I do get sick of it pretty quickly and then take some in a freeze dried form. It is like a miracle in my skillet and just short of a miracle in freeze dried form.

Liver is known for its B vitamin content. It is so loaded with vitamin B-12 that it challenged my graphics program to display it. It is one of the best sources of folate - a critical depression-fighting nutrient that is difficult to get enough of in our diet.

Everyone struggles to improve their diets and sometimes the task seems so monumental that it is not even worth the effort. But small changes can have an impact. A study of breastfeeding moms from about ten years ago makes that point.

I see these supplements in health food stores all the time. In one bottle you get three types of essential fatty acids. We have been hearing about how important Omega-3 fatty acids are and since Omega-6 and Omega-9 fatty acids are essential too, these products look the product manufacturers' gift to your health. They are not.

On the way home from preschool the other day, five-year-old Frederick was recounting his dream for the night. As he described the dream, I thought "I must write about this on the site."

What I thought to myself as he told me the story was "Good news. His B-6 status is good."

Your regular doctor will not have this information but pioneer in mental health and food nutrients, Carl Pfieffer, describes in his book Nutrition and Mental Illness that in the presence of a B-6 deficiency you do not recall your dreams at night.

How many times have you said, "I don't have dreams"?

You likely do have dreams but just don't remember them.

In honor of this week's 50th Anniversary of the La Leche League at their conference in Chicago, I have found an interesting article on Omega-3 fatty acids, trans fats, and the cord blood of newborn babies. Pregnant or not, woman or not, a study of the cord blood of newborn babies is important for our health.

I am what Sandor Katz in Wild Fermentation calls a post-vegetarian. I was a vegetarian or near vegetarian for many years primarily for health reasons. I am an omnivore now for the same reasons. Apparently, my favorite vegetarian chef, Mollie Katzen, eats meat on occasion.

I eat meat now for the nutrient content, not just because it is an easy meal or because I cannot pass up a hamburger (though I do find it hard to pass up a hamburger). My depression was aggravated by nutrients that were lean in those old vegetarian days - vitamin B-12, vitamin B-6, zinc, and Omega-3 fatty acids. Iron is another deficiency that can plague anyone, but one which vegetarians are more likely to struggle.

But with a focus on meat nutrients it is easy to forget the benefits of the plant world.

In depression studies of mice, researchers literally throw them into a water tank and observe them swimming. Healthy mice meet the challenge and swim. Depressed mice may swim at first but they will soon wear out and the only movements they will make in that tank of water are the minimal movements necessary to keep their heads above water.

A 2004 study of the magnesium-depression link used the swim test to test the effect of magnesium depletion on depression and anxiety. They fed one group of mice a magnesium-depleted diet for a few weeks and fed control mice a regular diet. At the end of the study period, the poor magnesium deficient mice were prone to anxiety and to depression.

Most folks probably do not give a whole lot of thought to their zinc intake, but apparently, if your diet is lacking, one of the consequences is depression. Doctors who use an orthomolecular approach to treating depression such as those at the Carl Pfieffer Centers or authors Joan Matthews Larson and Julia Ross have for decades examined their patients' zinc levels. They have found what researchers are only beginning to document - that improving your zinc status from a deficiency state can improve your mental function.

Zinc and depression
The clinical trial evidence for the zinc-depression link is still slim, but researchers do give us cause to believe that the two are related:

Women who have been pregnant receive fair warning from obstetricians and midwives that they need to watch their iron intake. Hemoglobin levels get monitored in pregnancy. And though the poking and prodding gets old if you are the pregnant woman, the importance of iron in pregnancy and in nutrition in general cannot be overstated. Most women do not consume nearly enough iron in a day. Add pregnancy to the picture, where her body is required to produce more blood to support the uterine lining and placenta, and iron deficiencies become quite common.

The western diet is in a large part responsible for our low iron status. Foods low in iron such as white flour and potato chips have replaced higher iron whole foods such as whole wheat bread and legumes. Meat consumption has been on the decline as well which would be a good source of iron in an otherwise processed-food diet.

Anything you are deficient in may cause or aggravate your depression, but there are the usual suspects. In the many nutrients that keep our brains healthy, some have a much more direct impact than others. There are also nutrients that we are simply much more likely to be deficient in and, thus, end up high on the radar of researchers (Omega 3 fatty acids and iron are a good example).

Research comes out regularly on the link between Omega 3 fatty acids and depression. If you are depressed and have not made a concerted effort to improve the content of Omega 3 fatty acids in your diet, the easiest first step you may make to alleviating depression is to buy an Omega 3 fatty acid supplement. Read more on this site:

If you are in the New York area and into eating one of nature's most powerful depression-fighting foods, check out the chopped liver taste-off at The Fork in the Road blog at the Village Voice (via Marisa at Slash Foods)

We should have a liver taste-off right here on this blog or perhaps a liver blog carnival. I wonder if such a carnival already exists. I wonder if anyone would join the carnival besides my mother and I.

More on liver:

• Mom's flash-cooked liver recipe
  
• Liver and essential fatty acids
  
• Vitamins and minerals in liver

The talk around the brunch table today was about inflammation and, specifically, the finding that the cholesterol-lowering drugs may actually work to reduce heart disease because they reduce inflammation in the body. There are ways to reduce inflammation without the use of pharmaceuticals and certainly without the use of expensive pharmaceuticals. After all, aspirin reduces inflammation.

It reminds me a bit of my discussions with a vendor last week at Expo West about an anti-inflammatory product they carry. I am always interested in learning about anti-inflammatory foods or supplements because of the role of inflammation and depression. The woman was selling a high-priced supplement and I asked her a question that shocked her just a bit: is your product more effective than aspirin at reducing inflammation? Walking outside my front door and taking in some deep breaths on a spring day reduces inflammation too.

I posted a list a couple of times in the last month about things I was going to do to stay healthy in the midst of work stress. What strikes me is that these activities (particularly the first four), will reduce inflammation in my body. I could take drugs to reduce inflammation, but unless the drugs are sleeping pills, they will not give me the sleep I am lacking. They will not help me get sunlight and exercise.

Today for Easter I sat on a hammock with my friend Galina and said, “This is the way to reduce inflammation.”

“The List”
1) Sleep a lot more. If I count sheep, I will try not to think about the bacteria colonies in their rumen.
2) Cut the coffee. A friend of mine recommends Tylenol for this task. I usually put myself through some sort of obsessive weaning program.
3) Move around a little bit. For numb shoulders and for general health, a wise person once told me that exercise can be healthy. Finger movement at the keyboard is not the best source of exercise.
4) Eat real food. Coffee is not a food group. Salads are a nutritious and easy option. I will keep my fingers crossed that the lettuce was not watered with dairy run-off. (See, there I go again.)

With busy schedules it is easy to forget some of the easy and most pleasurable things we can do to improve our health. In my announcement post some months ago now, Jennifer mentioned that she gets twenty minutes of sun every day. In those twenty minutes, she can grab a bit of relaxation but also her skin takes in the sun and makes vitamin D in her body. She make even get a wee bit of a tan. It is not enough sun to cause harm but is a good amount of sun to improve vitamin D stores. I need to make a habit of it myself rather than taking the "catch as catch can" approach, my approach pretty much all summer.

On a related matter, whenever I am outside and do not need sunglasses, I go without. If our eyes take in light (even in the shade), our bodies produce the hormone melatonin that help us sleep better at night. It works for me -- no glasses to steam up when I'm working on a hot day.

Technorati Tags: depression, puppy, Rebuild from Depression, sunshine, vitamin D

With busy schedules it is easy to forget some of the easy and most pleasurable things we can do to improve our health. In my announcement post some months ago now, Jennifer mentioned that she gets twenty minutes of sun every day. In those twenty minutes, she can grab a bit of relaxation but also her skin takes in the sun and makes vitamin D in her body. She make even get a wee bit of a tan. It is not enough sun to cause harm but is a good amount of sun to improve vitamin D stores. I need to make a habit of it myself rather than taking the "catch as catch can" approach, my approach pretty much all summer.

On a related matter, whenever I am outside and do not need sunglasses, I go without. If our eyes take in light (even in the shade), our bodies produce the hormone melatonin that help us sleep better at night. It works for me -- no glasses to steam up when I'm working on a hot day.

Technorati Tags: depression, puppy, Rebuild from Depression, sunshine, vitamin D

I just knew there was something about ice cream and perhaps eating it daily in the first trimester of this pregnancy is why I am getting along so swimmingly. In fact, in my last pregnancy I was in the depths of depression by about 28 weeks and headed into a couple of psychotic episodes. Here I am at 30 weeks still out of the pit.

Is it the ice cream?

I turned to Google Trends for the answer and check it out. When people are on the Internet searching for the word "ice cream," they are less likely to be searching for the word "depression." Wow.

In the figure below, the blue trend line is searches for "ice cream" and the red for "depression." Each year the searches for ice cream peak about mid-year and, accordingly, searches for "depression" decline. (Sorry for the "A," "B," "C," "D" in the graph. They will give you Google news stories on "depression" if you were actually in Google Trends.)

Does Google provide us with proof positive that there are foods that fight depression? Is the recent rise in searches for the term "depression" due to ice cream shortages?

The alternative theory is that sunlight in the summer improves our vitamin D status, vitamin D deficiencies aggravate depression, and that summer time is a great time for ice cream. The recent rise in searches may well be due to that other type of depression. But if you need an excuse, by all means, here's some data to justify ice cream. There is no reason to let alternative theories stand in the way of a good story. Consider having some fatty fish high in Omega 3 fatty acids as well.

Technorati Tags: depression, foods that fight depression, ice cream, Rebuild from Depression, sunshine, vitamin D

My life has been filled with wildly productive work cycles. I look back on a few with pride even though they required months of recovery. I don't bill my clients by the hour, but by the job, because I only work when I have the energy. When I do work, I do the work of about five people. Memorable work times are when I carry this level of work on for weeks at a time, but I can usually count on a few days of the madness every few weeks. It's simply been how I get work done.

A cycle was in the works last week: I could feel the energy, my blood pressure was up, my senses were more alert. Any other time in my life I would have said, "Hot diggity, let's get something done!" For the very first time in my life I realized that my body didn't have the energy for what was about the happen even though I had a good bit to do on this WASC project. I shut down the computer and went outside to weed. I deliberately took a week away from my for-pay work to break the cycle. I am three months postpartum and have enough energy to get by day after day, no more. I am quite sure a manic period could send me straight into the pit.

Saying "no" to mania now tops my list of postpartum survival. Other favorites:

(1) Sleep. When I have a bad night, I take an over-the-counter sleep aid the next night. I know that's cheating but it's better than Zoloft and it's better than three years of hell.

(2) Supplements. I take a liquid multi diligently and desiccated liver capsules when my stress level is high. I keep a B complex supplement in my bathroom and in my work area to take when I remember. I take about 2 grams of Omega 3 daily.

(3) Stay home. I have resisted a number of trips, both day-long and overnight. I don't need the wear and the uncertainty that comes with hauling a newborn around. The bad side of this rule is that I am feeling increasingly shut in. After nine months of pregnancy where I followed the same rule, it's about time to see things other than forest wildlife. (We live in the Sequoia National Forest away from pretty much all of civilization.) I do try to enjoy it though:

Technorati Tags: B vitamins, depression, foods that fight depression, liver, Omega 3

If we ever needed a visual that eggs can be contaminated on the inside as well as on the outer shell, we've got it. Here's a gecko that took a real bad turn up the back side of a hen and spent its final days swishing around in egg white. That's a custard you'd want to cook. (Check out the story of the discovery: ABC News.)

I eat them raw or undercooked, I admit. I don't worry too much about our own eggs but not because I think they cannot contain salmonella. I just figure I get exposed to so much salmonella cleaning out the hen house here that the eggs are the least of my concerns. Same with the little folk. Eggs from hens eating bugs and weeds are a pretty good source of Omega 3 fatty acids, key for brain health.

Technorati Tags: eggs, Omega 3, salmonella

Beef liver is my "food of recovery," a food that replenishes me of nutrients when I have been through a rough patch. It is absolutely loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fats and, by chance, loaded with the nutrients that help keep our brains healthy.

Depression is complex with many causes, but some folks (like me) have had diet deficiencies that have aggregated their depression. We need good food to be healthy. Our brain needs good food for it to be healthy. It might catch up to us in our older years in the form of Alzheimer's or we might get some early warning signs (as I did) that things like low-fat diets are a real bad idea. We need healthy fats, particularly Omega 3 fatty acids, but some of the foods we shunned in the low-fat diet crazes of the 80s and 90s are foods that have other key nutrients: beef, for instance, is an exceptional source of iron. Most plant-based foods and low-fat foods in general are not. Low iron has been linked to postpartum depression.

It is worth a try if you want a boost. I wrote about my liver regimen in liver and vitamins and minerals and describe its Omega 3 content in Liver and Omega 3s, particularly liver from cattle on a grass-based diet (see figure below).

If you are stumped on how to cook it, check out Mom's recipe for flash-cooked liver. She descibes her process in our own kitchen via a YouTube video. I've got another interesting liver recipe video waiting in the wings.

Technorati Tags: B vitamins, beef, depression, fat, foods that fight depression, grass fed beef, liver, Omega 3, postpartum depression

Kimi at The Nourishing Gourmet has been discussing how to get by in tough economic times and still eat well. She has asked bloggers to contribute ideas in her Pennywise Platter blog carnival. You will want to check out the many ideas to find some that suit your cooking style and taste.

Here in this house, one of my favorite meals for convenience, flavor, and price is a green salad topped with some sort of protein (usually a nutrient-packed depression-fighting food). In the depression-fighting department, there are few foods better than wild salmon, high in Omega 3 fatty acids and in minerals. I find it regularly at a discount store for one buck. It is canned, but hey, the price is right.

I am lucky here in the Sequoia National Forest that I have ample space for laying hens and, this time of year in particular, I have an abundant source of eggs. I can tell you that just looking at the eggs (or a picture of them) helps fight depression -- the colors and textures make me smile.

Beyond their beauty and exceptional flavor, do they fight depression? The answer is: "probably so." In the book Rebuild from Depression, I identify the nutrient deficiencies most commonly associated with depression in the medical literature. I actually did a statistical analysis of foods highest in those nutrients and create a list of depression-fighting foods in the book. Egg yolks from pastured hens make the list. (Check out the now-available book to learn more.)

I say eggs "probably" fight depression because the most effective food for you depends on what you are most deficient in.

Hens on pasture eat bugs and weeds and produce a higher content of Omega-3 fatty acid in their yolk because of their diet. The commercially available Omega 3 eggs are from hens fed flax or a fish product.

Wherever you get it, Omega 3 fatty acids are critical for brain health. Many of us would go crazy without them. ;)

Brains need the right dietary mix to be healthy. Too much or too little of a good thing can lead to an unhealthy brain and you could well end up depressed. While all nutrients are important in healthy brains and healthy bodies, it turns out that some are more critical in our brain function than others. Omega 3 fatty acids are a great example. Your brain consists mostly of fat and without Omega 3s, a critical fat for your brain, you may end up fighting depression. If you add Omega 3 to your diet, you may get some relief from depression.

The question, then, is: What are you deficient in? In the depression case, there are some usual suspects: Omega 3s, B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, iron in postpartum women, and possibly vitamin D in the winter. I review each of these nutrients in the book Rebuild from Depression: A Nutrient Guide and provide information on body signs of deficiencies and the most effective clinical tests.

But what can you do right now to start down the right food path? You need to eat food packed with nutrition. In the book, I identify foods highest in seven nutrients most commonly associated with depression and call those foods "depression buster foods." I use the USDA nutrient database of over 5,000 foods and foods most likely to help us fight depression.

This is the first sort of analysis of food and depression of its kind. There are many "lists" out there of foods, some lists of foods that fight depression, but this is the first list based on a systematic selection of nutrients that performs a systematic analysis of over 5,000 foods.

I buy sesame seeds in bulk through a food co-op because of their high nutrient content and their great flexibility. You can center an entree around sesame seeds; you can center a dessert around sesame seeds. All the while, the nutrients in the sesame seeds may well be combating your depression. (Read the Rebuild philosophy on foods that fight depression.)

Sesame seeds are high in magnesium, zinc, and iron, the lack of which may be contributing to your depression.

Toast for flavor

The flavor of toasted sesame seeds is unequaled. They are also quite versatile. Toasted sesame seeds are wonderful additions over

• Salads
• Soups
• Open-faced sandwiches
• Casseroles

They are splendid additions to

• Salad dressings
• Sandwich fillings
• Almost any baked-good

A condiment of Korea consists of 1 cup of toasted sesame seeds whirled around in a blender to a course texture with a teaspoon of salt added to the mixture. It is a fine addition sprinkled on almost anything but ice cream.

How to toast

Last week the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) published "The Ten Riskiest Foods Regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration." All foods on the list are healthy foods, seven or eight of the ten are quite healthy if, of course, they don't kill you. Eggs are #2 on the list primarily because they can harbor Salmonella. Something on the order of 1 in 10,000 eggs have the bad bug in them and can make you sick if you eat them raw. Yet generally, they will help keep you healthy. They are a great source of protein. Eggs from hens eating weeds and bugs are high in Omega 3 fatty acids, making them a good depression fighting food. In fact, pastured eggs make the list of "depression buster" foods here at the Rebuild website. (Read more about the Rebuild philosophy that foods can fight depression.)

A whole lot of healthy foods appear to be trying to kill us these days and it seems prudent to approach the menu with a bit of education. In the case of eggs, you cannot always wash that Salmonella off. It can be contained inside the egg shell. The graphic picture I posted this spring here tells the story. The poor gecko apparently violated the privacy of that chicken in a major way and it received the sort of punishment only a hen can give. It was found later inside the egg shell of that hen.

Eggs can certainly be contaminated with Salmonella, regardless of how the hens are raised. Your chances of exposure are pretty slim at 1 in 10,000 eggs. On top of that fairly low chance of illness, we have a bit of a unique case as well in our household since we raise our own laying hens. My exposure to Salmonella must be orders of magnitude higher when I am cleaning the hen house than when I am eating a runny egg. In addition, I have probably developed some level of immunity to the Salmonella strains we are growing on the property. My son has his own technique for building immunity. When eating at home, I do not worry about Salmonella in our eggs. On the road or at a restaurant, I do not eat undercooked eggs.

An undercooked or raw egg will have a slightly higher nutrient value, but you should consider the risk when making your food selection. Either cooked or raw, the Omega-3 rich yolk from a hen eating bugs and weeds (or even on a flax or fish diet) will help you fight depression.

To add eggs to your diet, I offer Mom's "Sweet Omelet" recipe, a great option for brunch. Mom writes:

All summer long as sun hits our skin, our body transforms the sunlight into vitamin D. Our body stores much of that vitamin D but as we stay holed up in the winter or face the cold outside in hats, scarves, and mittens, our vitamin D levels decline. Low levels of vitamin D may wreak havoc on our brains. Our depression may be aggravated in the winter as a result.

Depression is tough all year round, but might we possibly be struggling more now here in the northern hemisphere because of low vitamin D? Quite possibly.

As with all nutrients, our vitamin D status is so individualized. If we have lighter skin, we tend to make more. If we have more sun exposure, we make more. If we are obese, we need more. If we do not eat foods high in it or fortified with it, we need more.

I put a quick video on YouTube about vitamin D and depression; scroll down for links.

With this seasonal interest in vitamin D, we should all take an interest in adding more vitamin D to our diets in the winter. Is lard your vitamin D ticket? No. Lard has very small levels of vitamin D. Listen to the video below on lard and vitamin D.

As I posted before, it is important to have your vitamin D levels checked to determine if vitamin D will help your depression. Deficient or not, adding high vitamin D foods surely won't hurt. Generally, fish and seafood are your best sources followed by eggs, but no food source compares to the power of sunlight. When the sun hits our skin, we turn it into vitamin D.

Our brains need fats, vitamins, and minerals to be healthy. At no point in our lives is our need for nutrients greater than it is in pregnancy, when we are creating a whole new life. Pregnancy may leave you deficient in key nutrients that keep your brain healthy. As a result, you may end up experiencing postpartum depression, anxiety, or obsessive compulsive disorder.

Might you be deficient? Answer these questions:

* Have you ever been on a "low fat" diet?
* Was your pregnancy, birth, or baby's infancy stressful?
* Were you anemic or borderline anemic in your pregnancy?
* Does your hair and fingernails grow slowly?
* Do you get stretch marks easily?

If you answered "Yes" to any of these questions, you will benefit from the information in the book Rebuild from Depression. You may well have a deficiency in at least one of the nutrients your brain needs to be healthy.

The book opens with the claim:

"My grandmother died at the age of sixty-one of complications from postpartum depression."

Indeed, grandmother displayed symptoms of nutrient deficiencies in her postpartum period, never corrected them, and developed diseases related to those same deficiencies. Omega-3 fatty acids are implicated in depression, diabetes, and heart disease, all of which her grandmother developed.

We must correct our nutritional intake now to improve mental health and to avoid complications that may follow. Of course, you also need relief now.

You can find a good bit of information on this site about nutrients and depression. The book is a far better organized and more thorough read.

Read more about the book:

Read my postpartum depression story, "Second Baby, Second Chance."

Bone broth is a great food. It adds flavor to grains, sauces, and soups. If you keep it on hand, you can have an instant meal by dropping a couple of eggs into a hot pot full of broth. I recommend bone broth highly in the book Rebuild from Depression.

What is the exact mineral content of bone broth? A reader asked and I looked it up dutifully and created the video below (or go to You Tube -- bone broth). I describe my hopeless search in the USDA nutrient database, the mineral content of bouillon, and why it is surely packed with minerals.

Since making the video a day or two ago, I do recall looking up the mineral content of "bones" back when I was researching the book. I will have to see if I still have that information.

For more information on broth, read Mom's advice on making bone broth. Make broth out of a carcass of a whole chicken. Ask a butchers if he or she has extra soup bones available. You can also add vegetable scraps to the broth or you can simply make vegetable broth. Broth is a frugal way to add flavor and nutrients to your food which is why this post is part of Pennywise Platter.

Chicken liver is packed with nutrients [liver nutrients] but its strong flavor makes it a controversial choice in many households. This casserole, similar to "dirty rice," masks the strong flavor well. Serve the casserole with barbecue chicken, grilled steak, or lamb shish kebob. Serve sliced heirloom tomatoes on the side.

Ingredients
2 cups white rice + 3 cups water
½-1 pound rinsed chicken livers
5 stalks celery, diced
1 medium white or yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Fresh herbs: 2 large sage leaves, 2 tbs minced parsley, 1 tsp minced lemon thyme
(Alternative: 2 tsp poultry seasoning)
3 tbs olive oil or butter
2 tsp salt
4 thin slices provolone or swiss (optional and to taste)

Steps

Low magnesium may be aggravating your depression. We know that if we deprive mice of magnesium, they begin to show signs of depression. If you are feeling a bit like a deprived mouse these days, you can do a trial run of magnesium to see if you get a boost. You are unlikely to take in toxic levels of magnesium in the process because, quite frankly, too much magnesium will give you diarrhea.

How much is too much?

Your need for magnesium depends on your diet however several studies have had good outcomes with 160 mg of magnesium citrate (Kuti 1970), though others have used up to 400 mg of magnesium lactate (Barthelemy 1980) and 500 mg of magnesium aspartate (Abraham 1984), all highly absorbable forms of magnesium.

In the book, "The Miracle of Magnesium," Dr. Carolyn Dean recommends magnesium dosage by body weight (p. 225): 3 to 4.5 mg magnesium per pound of body weight. If you weigh 200 pounds, you would consume 600-900 mg magnesium per day. Again, you will have clear body signs if that dosage is too much.

Children should receive about twice that dosage per pound because of their lower body weight and growth requirements.

There are tests that allow you to track your magnesium levels (I discuss some in the book) but if you are struggling with depression today, I would simply start taking a magnesium supplement and it may bring you some relief.

This post is part of Real Food Wednesday.

Magnesium taurate may well fight your depression. I wrote about a study of mice where one group was magnesium-deprived and then thrown into a tank of water. In studies of mice, researchers consider them "depressed" if they do not swim in a tank of water but simply paddle about only enough to keep their head above water. If those magnesium-deficient mice were given magnesium taurate, they likely would swim with much more vigor.

The taurine form of magnesium may give us a one-two punch because taurine is an amino acid that is associated with brain health. Furthermore, amino acid chelated minerals such as magnesium taurate and magnesium glycinate are highly absorbed. The ionized mineral products such as Calm are also good picks.

The Form of Magnesium: "Fancy" Magnesium?

We are winding up the winter here in California and our vitamin D status may well be at the lowest point of the year. Until we can get out and get more sunshine, food and supplements are our best hope.

Is liver a good option?

Liver is packed with nutrition and it does have vitamin D in it, but not a whole lot.

I searched the USDA nutrient database for "beef liver" and found that raw beef liver has 1.2 micrograms of vitamin D per 100 grams of liver (about 3.5 ounces of liver). Most of us think in terms of "International Units" (or IUs) for vitamin D. 2.5 micrograms of vitamin D is the same as 100 IUs. Thus, liver has under 50 IUs of vitamin D. Many people take 1,000 or more IUs daily in the winter. Liver offers very little in comparison.

Liver, however, does pack a punch. Read more about the nutrients in liver and the Omega 3 fatty acids in liver.

Oyster is packed with nutrition. It is an exceptional source of zinc, iron, and vitamin B-12, all nutrients that fight depression. In fact, it is so high that I consider oyster to be a "depression buster food" as I describe in the book Rebuild from Depression.

But what to do with oysters? Canned oysters I like to use in soups much like clam chowder or in dips like this clam dip. If you buy oysters fresh on the shell, check out Diane's very simple recipe for steamed oysters or her tantalizing fried oyster recipe.

I was at a meeting recently and happened to mention the link between nutrient deficiencies and depression, such as magnesium and Omega 3. My colleague asked if a one-a-day vitamin would be helpful for depression. My response in a nutshell was that probably wouldn't hurt but it's not the targeted treatment that people need.

I do take a liquid multivitamin that I find gives me energy. The liquid multi-vitamin/mineral supplements available on the market today are all a bit pricey but are also more effective in my experience perhaps due to better absorption. Even as much as I like my liquid version of a "one-a-day vitamin," it really wouldn't pull me out of the depression pit if I found myself there once again.

The fact is most of us need to make a whole lot of changes to get out of the pit (I made a lot of changes to stay out of the pit in my last pregnancy) and vitamins are one of those changes.

If you are struggling with depression, consider some supplements more likely to help people with depression:

There is a fairly strong body of research on the link between Omega 3 fatty acids and depression. Read about the Omega 3 foods and supplements you need for depression.

Don't forget B vitamins for depression. Frankly, some people take them for energy even when they are not deficient. (Guilty as charged). Just don't do it everyday for months or years. You can get too much of a good thing.

Magnesium is a mineral most of us do not get enough of in our diet. Magnesium may be implicated in your depression. Consider zinc and iron as well. Consider the link between vitamin D and depression, particularly in the winter months.

Consider buying the book Rebuild from Depression: A Nutrient Guide where you will find a whole lot of information in one organized place.

Best of luck.

Does Zoloft cause nutrient deficiencies?

It's a great question and is actually addressed in the Drug-Induced Nutrient Depletion Handbook.

The basic idea is that your body has to metabolize any sort of medication and some of the medications that we take in an on-going fashion essentially have the opportunity to deplete us of certain nutrients if we do not get enough of that nutrient in our diet.

In the 2001 edition of the book there is no research that indicates that Zoloft causes deficiencies. I did a quick literature search as well and found nothing additional. If you have seen a scientific study on the question, please add it to the comments below.

Read more on vitamins for depression and magnesium and depression. See the short YouTube video on vitamins for depression.

This post is part of Fight Back Friday.