The scientific research on how the physiological effects of dietary sugar and refined carbs contribute to depression and greatly influence whether a person can recover successfully over the long term without dependence on medications.
You’ve no doubt seen the television ads warning “this is your brain on drugs”.
These public service announcements are designed to be visually shocking, thereby discouraging drug abuse by comparing the brain to an egg and a fried egg in a pan to a brain on drugs.
The same can be said about the effects of sugar and refined carbs on the brain.
Most people do not realize that a diet high in sugar and refined carbs runs a high risk of long-term mental illness, including depression.
Depression is at epidemic proportions today.
Even children are not immune!
Some experts estimate that 1 in every 8 teenagers is clinically depressed, especially young girls.
What’s more, major depression is on track to become the #2 disability in the United States.
This is roughly one-quarter of the population who will suffer its devastating impact sometime during their lives.
Why Antidepressants Aren’t the Answer
When the sobering diagnosis of depression is given, the typical remedy given by doctors is a script for antidepressant drugs.
According to Nora Gedgaudas, author of Primal Body Primal Mind, antidepressants only have about a 13% effectiveness rate, just slightly better than placebo!
Moreover, for the small minority of people for whom antidepressants actually help, 30-40% of them will not find antidepressant drugs effective over the long term.
The bottom line is…if you are depressed, don’t look to drugs as the long-term solution, especially if you want to maintain balanced hormones.
Antidepressants are well known to significantly dampen or even completely eliminate libido!
Instead of drugs, look to your diet as the best long-term solution whether it be a mild case of the blues or full-blown depression.
Are You A Carbovore?
Diet has a tremendous impact on the development of depression and whether or not the sufferer successfully recovers long term.
For some unknown reason, this basic truth is consistently ignored by most conventional medical authorities other than the possible suggestion of a doctor’s office recommended supplement of industrialized (toxic) fish oil capsules!
Imbalanced, unstable blood sugar is a common source of depression.
It is also a trigger for irritability and violent tendencies, according to Ms. Gedguadas, a board-certified Nutritional Therapist and Clinical Neurofeedback Specialist.
Doubt that blood sugar plays a huge role in brain health?
Consider that Alzheimer’s patients are notorious for having a voracious sweet tooth (particularly ice cream).
Eating sweets on a frequent basis with the accompanying blood sugar surges depletes magnesium in the body at a rapid rate.
This physiological state leaves the brain vulnerable to the ravages of aluminum.
A high aluminum level in the brain is, of course, a hallmark symptom of Alzheimer’s Disease.
An aluminum detox for the brain can often prove very helpful in those cases, in addition to dietary modifications.
Sugar and The Brain
Blood sugar surges destabilize the brain via the deadly process of glycation.
In layman’s terms, glycation is the chemical process in the body whereby glucose, proteins, and certain fats become tangled together, making all manner of body tissues stiff and inflexible – including the brain.
Glycation is a big free radical problem in the body causing rapid aging.
In neurological terms, glycation has the very real potential of actually shrinking brain tissue.
Absolutely nothing is more destabilizing to the brain than surging blood sugar, which triggers widespread glycation in the body.
Case in point: Have you ever noticed how your temper gets really short after that mid-afternoon candy bar?
Similarly, this is why kids get so moody and disruptive when a teacher ironically and misguidedly gives them candy as a reward for good attention.
Ms. Gedgaudas maintains that blood sugar issues are the #1 influencing factor in mental health, with depression being one of the most prominent.
Avoiding the devastating effects of glycation on the brain, which can cause mental illness like depression, anxiety, and other mood disorders, requires stable, steady blood sugar as much as possible.
Healthy Fats Stabilize Insulin
Surging blood sugar levels caused by overconsumption of grain-based foods, processed sugars, and even alcohol in the diet is the most destabilizing force the brain can experience.
In fact, sugar can cause liver cirrhosis just the same as booze.
Conversely, natural dietary fats are the most stabilizing neurological force giving way to clear thinking and stable emotions.
The best dietary fats for blood sugar control are those consumed liberally by Traditional Societies which experienced vibrant health and suffered little to no mental illness or degenerative disease.
These are the very same fats that are typically shunned by most people in favor of factory fats, aka “seed oils”.
These processed fats, such as canola, soy, sunflower, and safflower (among others), are not favorable to brain function.
Avoid them as much as possible!
Here’s the catch.
Traditional fats must be consumed liberally in the diet to achieve mental stability.
Let’s look at this a bit more in depth.
Lowfat Diet = Neurological Instability
Think about the makeup of the brain.
Consider that 60-80% of the brain is fat, a full 50% of which is saturated fat!
11% of the brain is arachidonic acid. This nutrient is best found in egg yolks.
25% of the brain is DHA, an omega-3 fat best found in oily fish or virgin, raw cod liver oil (NOT industrialized fish oil).
Note to vegetarians. Flax oil is a poor substitute as it converts very inefficiently to true DHA.
Worse, those who depend on flax for omega-3 fats risk hormonal disruption or even precancerous breasts down the line.
How much of the brain, under healthy, normal circumstances, is composed of polyunsaturated vegetable fats (seed oils), the primary fat in the Western diet?
How about none!
Brain-Building Fats (consume liberally)
If you want to adopt the wise and time-tested strategy of eating properly for your brain’s sake, then you must eat the type of fats that actually comprise the make-up of the brain.
Doesn’t this seem like common sense?
These brain-building fats include:
- Butter
- Cream
- Store-bought or homemade ghee
- Coconut oil
- High vitamin cod liver oil
- Tallow/Lard
- Egg Yolks
Interestingly, these are the very same fats demonized by politically correct nutrition.
These nourishing, traditional fats are the ones to seek and consume liberally if you wish to put depression behind you for good.
For more details on the healthiest fats to consume and the ones you absolutely can’t do without if you want peak mental fitness, please see this article about five healthy fats to stock in your kitchen.
By slaying the sugar monster, you can save your brain…and possibly even your life!
References
Primal Body Primal Mind by Nora Gedgaudas
Wise Traditions Conference, lecture by Nora Gedgaudas
More Information
Natural Remedies for Panic Attacks
Fix Childhood Anxiety with Simple Dietary Changes
Thank you. This article is fabulous… easy to read and comprehend.
Generally I don’t learn article on blogs, but I would like to say that
this write-up very forced me to try and do so!
Your writing taste has been surprised me. Thanks, very nice
post.
How much sugar is too much? Is there a general daily amount of sugar that’s acceptable?
So after reading all these comments, it’s safe to say I don’t know what the hell we’re supposed to eat for depression and anxiety. Half of the people are advocating for high fat, low carb and the other half are saying that approach will make you worse and that you need to be regularly munching on potatoes and whole grains. I don’t know what to do.
It IS frustrating. There is so much information floating around, and it always says the opposite of whatever news headline came out the week before. 🙁
I guess trial and error really is the best way. For instance, I find it interesting that when I had a huge bowl of mac and cheese at Rogue Brewery in Portland last week, not only did my blood sugar plummet, and I sat glum, tired, and very un-talkative in the passenger seat all the way back home to Seattle….but I was craving ice cream allllll evening long. Like..I had barely gotten home and said hello to my husband before I was putting my coat and shoes back on to go get some. I shouldn’t have been hungry later that night (I’m a small person), but I was.
These two things helped me: Reading “Wheat Belly” in order to learn the actual science behind all those stupid “news headlines” and reading REAL people’s testimonies on Mark’s Daily Apple.
Hope this helps. Good luck!
Thank you for sharing this! Ironic that I am reading it on Day 1 of No Sugar. I gave up wheat last summer, and decided this weekend to eat the rest of the ice cream and flourless cake in the house and start a “no sugar” thing today. Tried in the past and failed. This time…I am ready. And this article is definitely helping. 🙂
My two noteworthy takeaways from Sarah’s article:
1. Imbalanced, unstable, surging blood sugar is a common source of depression as well as simple irritability and violent tendencies according to Ms. Gedguadas, a board certified Nutritional Therapist and Clinical Neurofeedback Specialist.
2. If you want to adopt the wise and time-tested strategy of eating properly for your brain’s sake, then you must eat the type of fats that actually comprise the make-up of the brain. Doesn’t this just make sense?
Amen