There’s a big connection between what we eat and how we feel — both physically and mentally.
As a regular reader, you’ve heard me talk about my Primal Power Meal Plan and how it focuses on eating the way our ancestors did… with lots of healthy fats and grass-fed meats.
Our modern diet has strayed incredibly far from this simple, healthy way of eating. Our plates are now piled with carbohydrates, refined sugars, processed foods and foods that score high on the Glycemic Index.
All of this so-called food causes your insulin to spike — and diabetes to develop.
I saw this with my new patient Patty D. who came to my South Florida clinic four months ago. She’d been diagnosed as pre-diabetic and was looking for a way to get healthy without Big Pharma’s drugs.
After reviewing her labs, I immediately started Patty on my Primal Power Meal Plan.
On her next visit, she’d had remarkable results.
Her blood sugar levels were back in balance. And she’d dropped almost 20 pounds.
She was very pleased with her progress… but there was another amazing side effect that came as a surprise to her. You see, Patty also suffered from anxiety and depression, which had completely disappeared.
“Dr. Sears,” she told me. “After just one week of following your Primal Power Meal Plan, I felt the dark cloud floating away. I have more energy and my brain fog is gone!”
Patty never mentioned that she was suffering from anxiety and depression. But I wasn’t at all surprised at her outcome.
For years, I’ve been telling my patients that red meat is a proven mood booster. And the science backs it up…
In a large study out of the University of Australia, researchers followed more than 1,000 women. The researchers admit they
were trying to prove that red meat was NOT good for mental health.Instead they found the exact opposite.1 Increasing red meat consumption cut anxiety and depression IN HALF.
A second randomized study confirmed the results. In this study, researchers divided depressed patients — ages 20 to 93 — into two groups. One group was fed a diet of processed foods and carbs. The others ate a red meat-heavy diet.
After 12 weeks, 32% of meat-eaters say their depression and anxiety symptoms disappeared — compared to only 8% who ate a typical Western diet.2
Most doctors still don’t recognize the connection between how we feel and what we eat. They were taught to write a prescription for whatever ails you.
So they dole out prescription medications like Prozac. Today in America, one of every six adults in their 40s and 50s takes an antidepressant, as do one in five adults aged 60 or over.
I don’t prescribe these meds — but I have successfully treated patients with depression at the Sears Institute for Anti-Aging Medicine by taking a more natural approach.
Ease Anxiety with My Primal Power Meal Plan
Like Patty, the first step you can take to eliminate anxiety and depression is to eat the way nature intended. Studies show how the brain needs a primal high-fat diet to ward off depression.3
With my Primal Power Meal Plan, I recommend you have these proportions at every meal: 70% fat, 25% protein, and 5% carbohydrate. You can get started by sticking to these easy principles:
- Choose the right fats. Fats should make up about 70% of your calories — but the right kinds of fat. Strictly avoid trans fats and vegetable oils like corn, sunflower, safflower, soy and canola.
Instead, choose fats like olive oil, coconut oil, avocado, butter, ghee and heavy cream.
- Eat the right protein. Protein is the only macronutrient your body requires every day. When your body doesn’t get enough protein, it prompts insulin to store fat — and too much fat causes chronic inflammation. You can eat all the natural protein foods you love — like steak, omelets, salmon and lobster.
- Go super-low carb. Your body’s requirement for carbs is zero. Starches spike insulin levels and they’re highly inflammatory, which can lead to anxiety and depression. Avoid vegetables that grow underground and eat non-starchy vegetables that grow above ground. Good choices include kale, spinach, broccoli, cabbage and green peppers. Limit fruit to berries lower in sugar.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
References
1. Jacka FN, et al. “Red meat consumption and mood and anxiety disorders.” Psychother Psychosom. 2012;81:196–198.
2. Jacka FN, et al. “A randomised controlled trial of dietary improvement for adults with major depression (the ‘SMILES’ trial).” BMC Med. 2017;15(1):23.
3. J Sublette ME, et al. “Meta-analysis of the effects of eicosapentaenoic acid in clinical trials in depression.” J Clin Psychiatry. 2011;72(12):1577–1584.