Some of you know that I have battled with pretty serious depression since my early 20's. With a lot of hard work and life changes I have been able to get it to a manageable level over the past few years but I still have some pretty tough days. One of the things I believe is that a healthy diet can do wonders for the mind. I did a lot of research on this topic and came to the conclusion that a diet high in raw and uncooked foods can be really beneficial for people who suffer from depression and mood disorders, especially people with bipolar and ADD because of how the brain chemistry works.
Over the past few months I began to eat a lot more uncooked foods, then smoothies and now I juice as much as I can. A lot of people scoff at this but I can tell you that for me when my diet is loaded with fresh fruit and veg, it really makes a difference to my mood. It's such a shame that when you go to the doctor for depression the first thing they usually do is push pills on you, pills that cause side effects loaded with chemicals that we have no idea how we will be affected by 20 years down the line. Don't get me wrong, sometimes a person is in such a bad state that they need a little help short term for their own safety, but this should only be used if there is no other option and more safe, logical and healthy options should also be advised by the doctor. A friend recently told me that doctors only have a few days of training in nutrition as part of their training which for me is crazy. I think it's important they know more about nutrition and how the body and mind works in relation to this. But if they can't arm us with the knowledge to help ourselves, then we need to take matters into our own hands and educate ourselves.
So if you're feeling a bit down try this for a few days. Even if you don't have a juicer you can make do with a big salad bowl, a giant strainer or sieve and a wooden spoon to push the juice through the pulp. Honestly, it only takes 15 min of your time and how long would you spend cooking a delicious meal? 15 min to improve your mood and supply you with lots of vitamins and minerals that will help your body every day doesn't seem like a lot now does it?
Healthy Boosting!
Green Mood Booster Juice
1 cup spinach or nettle
1 pear
big slice of yellow watermelon
1/2 lime
big chunk of ginger
small handful of lemon balm
half cucumber
1 apple
little water to help it blend
Change the amounts to your liking and tastes. Blend for a few minutes, pour into sieve and strain, compost the little pulp left over, drink and reap the benefits.
