As of late, a new medical field has come out and that’s called Nutritional Psychiatry. Nutritional Psychiatry is a growing practice that directs its focus on food and other supplements to provide the essential nutrients which are needed to use as an alternative treatment for mental health disorders such as depression.
This practice basically boils down to the importance of what we eat and how it affects our mental stability. There are many scientists and researchers out there who believe that the food in which we eat and their nutrients, provide a significant link to our mental health.
In the past, and still, today with most practises, patients who are diagnosed with a mental disorder such as depression or anxiety are on most basis’ prescribed a course of antidepressants. The idea of feeding people anti-depressants and other such medications may as well go out the window because it has now been shown that the nutrients, or lack of, that we let into our body are the underlying cause of depression.
More than 20% of Americans are on at least one sort of medication for disorders like depression and anxiety. Dr Wallach has always held the belief that depression is not a disease, nor a symptom. it is caused by a lack of key nutrients being introduced into the body as well as inflammation that may occur due to food allergies.
Until recently, it was believed by many researchers and doctors that depression was simply a chemical imbalance in the brain, despite there being absolutely no proof to back up this theory.
Think about it this way. The brain is like a car that is constantly running. Just like a car, the brain needs fuel in order for it to function properly and do its job. That “fuel” comes from our nutritional intake and our diet. We need to make sure we are putting the right “fuel” into our system. Just like a car, if we put the wrong type of fuel in, the car will not be able to function properly. Hence why it is so important that we are getting the right nutrients from our foods.
The link between diet, nutrition and adolescent depression
The young people of today are known to be more fragile and less resilient compared to generations before them. The youth of today have a hard time being called all sorts of different things such as spoiled or helicoptered. If people took a look closer, they would see the real reason why our young children are suffering.
The Ritalin generation has matured into the antidepressant generation.
Anxiety amongst teenagers in this day and age has been rising rapidly. It is a phenomenon that is sweeping across the world. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) in the year 2014, 2.8 million teenagers, ages 12 to 17 suffered at least one major depressive episode. These are alarming statistics, considering that at these ages, children should be happy and enjoying life without any worries, not reaching for the pill bottle.
Just a simple improvement in diet might just be enough to alleviate symptoms of depression without the need for antidepressants.
In a previous article, we touched down on the link between depression and found that the answer lies within our gut. It is believed that gut inflammation is the underlying cause of depression. Eating inflammatory foods like gluten and dairy products like eggs and milk can cause allergenic reactions that then activates inflammation and this has been found to directly affect the brain. Once inflammation is active, it is highly self-perpetuating.
The most common nutritional deficiencies seen in those people who are suffering from depression are of omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, vitamin C and D and the essential trace minerals lithium, vanadium, chromium and zinc, along with amino acids which are precursors to neurotransmitters.
Taking part in Youngevity’s 90 for Life will help to clean up your diet and have an impact on the improvement of your mental health. Youngevity’s Healthy Body Start Pak™ provides all 87 out of the 90 important nutrients to your health. The purpose of Youngevity’s Healthy Body Start Pak™ is to get all the necessary and important nutrients into your system and have as much of a positive impact on your body and mental health as possible. 
The Healthy Body Start Pak™ comes with 3 items which provide you with the essential nutrients that you might need.
The Beyond Tangy Tangerine™ 2.0 powder is a multivitamin, antioxidant, prebiotic, probiotic mineral blend, which very effectively covers 87 of the 90 essential nutrients. It has been proven to be the most advanced, natural multi-vitamin available on the market today.
The EFA Plus™ comes in an encapsulated soft gel form and is a very well balanced formula containing Omega 3, Omega 6 and 9 fatty acids which are important for brain function.
The Beyond Osteo FX Plus™ contains high-quality calcium and other bone supporting properties in a powdered form which when added to liquid, will provide maximum absorption because the blend of calcium and nutrients contained in this product are in the same form found in our bone matrix (Tri-calcium phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, and copper, mixed with a balanced ratio of vitamin D3, MSM, glucosamine, boron and strontium.) It is great at addressing nutritional deficiencies that lead to inflammation and depression.
