A Mind of Your Own: The Truth About Depression and How Women Can Heal Their Bodies to Reclaim Their Lives

by Kelly Brogan

Rule #2: Eat Whole Foods Once you eliminate processed

you’re left with focusing on pure, whole, simple foods that often don’t even come with nutritional labels: fresh fruits and vegetables (“Eat

rainbow every day,” including root vegetables), pastured meats, wild fish, eggs, nuts and seeds, and traditional natural fats like those from animals, olives, and ...

Despite what trendy low-carb diet books would have you believe, root vegetables are an impor...

Eat yams and squash with olive oil, coconut oil, or grass-fed ghee (clarified butter) to co...

After the first month, white rice and white potatoes are fine additions; these are powerful “prebiotics,” or bacterial foods that we want to save for the period after which we’ve re-set the ...

You’ll have the freedom to eat fruit, but it does not feature prominently in this diet.

ORGANIC FOODS Foods that are important to buy organic:8 apples celery strawberries

peaches spinach nectarines grapes sweet bell peppers potatoes cherry tomatoes lettuce kale/collard greens hot peppers cucumbers

Pastured animal products and wild fish Pastured animal products come from animals that are allowed

recommend eating pastured, organic meats: red meat including lamb, pork, and beef three to five times a week; fish and poultry two to three times a week; and eggs daily.

I tend to gravitate toward Atlantic salmon, sardines, and anchovies.

Don’t hesitate to try chicken and beef bone broths, which have traditionally been used in gut-healing protocols.

Pastured eggs I love pastured eggs cooked over low heat in ghee. The

Pastured eggs come from chickens that are allowed to roam free, eating plants and insects (what they would normally eat in the wild).

And when scientists try to track a relationship between serum cholesterol and egg consumption, they continually document that cholesterol levels in people who eat few or no eggs are often identical to people who consume lots of eggs.13 More

Eggs are a perfect food, and the yolk is a nutritional gold mine. Whole eggs—yes, yolks included—contain all of the essential amino acids we need to survive, vitamins and minerals,

And they can have far-reaching positive effects on our physiology. Not only do they keep us feeling full and satisfied, but they help us control blood sugar. In 2013, researchers at the University of Connecticut showed that people who ate whole eggs daily improved insulin sensitivity and other cardiovascular risk parameters.15

There are so many ways to cook eggs—whether you scramble, fry, poach, or boil them or use them as an ingredient in your dishes, eggs are among the most versatile ingredients. Soft-boil

Raw dairy During the core thirty-day program, I’m going to ask that you avoid dairy entirely, including milk, yogurt, cheese, and ice cream. I will ask that you drink only filtered water. Not even tea is allowable, because teas have diuretic effects.

After the first thirty days, I will then show you how to see if dairy in moderation can work for you. As a gluten cross-reactant containing immune-stimulating proteins such as butyrophilin (associated with multiple sclerosis) and casein, dairy can be a challenge for many struggling with chronic illness.16 And

Nuts and seeds All types of seeds (including flax) and dry-roasted or raw nuts are good. Note

Warning: legumes I advise my patients to avoid legumes entirely for the first month, as

Popular legumes include beans, peas, lentils, and peanuts. In addition to being high in minerals,

Rule #3: Don’t Avoid or Restrict Natural Fats

When my patients complain of sugar-driven mood and anxiety fluctuations, depression, insomnia, and low libido, I know that I need to support their brain, hormone, and metabolic functioning with an aggressive infusion of fat.

INGREDIENTS TO START USING TODAY Liver powder Liver is a lost superfood and the best multivitamin money can buy, as it’s a unique source of fat-soluble vitamins including pre-formed A, D, K, and E; minerals; usable iron; antioxidants; and B vitamins. Grass-fed liver should be consumed about twice a week; a desiccated liver powder can make that easier. You can incorporate liver powder into soups, stews, or even smoothies with minimal alteration of flavor. Start with 1 tablespoon twice a week.

Resistant Starch Starch comes in two varieties, one of which is not enzymatically broken down and serves as a source of fiber in the intestines that has the power to produce anti-inflammatory saturated fats. After one month of a no-grain, no-added-sugar, high-natural-fat diet, introducing resistant starch can contribute to beneficial changes in the intestine that contribute to blood sugar balance and metabolism support. The best way to do this is with cooled white potatoes and white rice, as the cooling process increases the resistant starch. Green plantains are another source of resistant starch. And if you’re looking for

shortcut, try potato starch: start with one teaspoon daily in food or in water (you can do it as a shot with each meal) and you can work up to...

The polyunsaturated fats, omega-3 fatty acids, have gotten their share of well-deserved positive press because of what fish and fish oil (EPA and DHA) can do to promote anti-inflammatory activity and cell membrane

For example, grass-fed beef is not all saturated fat; it’s actually primarily monounsaturated fat. Nonetheless, saturated fats are critical to cell membrane health and a brain that is 60 percent lipid by dry weight.

Omega-3 and omega-6 (polyunsaturated) fats: cold-water fish, flax oil, macadamia nut oil, grass-fed meat, eggs, nuts, and seeds

Omega-9s (monounsaturated) fats: olive oil, avocado, almonds, eggs, lard (yes, lard) Saturated fats: red palm oil,

animal meats, ghee, dark chocolate, coconut oil (remember, fats help with absorption of fat-soluble vitamins D, A, K, and E) Use grass-fed ghee (many can tolerate butter after the month) or coconut...

Ghee is butter that is clarified of lactose and casein (which oxidize at high heat), and it’s a powerful source of unique fats such ...

In Indian tradition, ghee is known to have healing properties distinct from butter that are not captured by an analysis of its macronutrients and micronutrients.

Coconut oil is not a bad fat,

Eliminate all premade salad dressings, most of which contain vegetable oils; use olive oil and vinegar (apple cider vinegar and/or lemon are good choices).

Cook with as many fresh herbs and spices as you like, especially garlic, ginger, and turmeric—all of which have

SALT SHAKER Throw away your Morton’s salt! Buy unprocessed sea salt or Himalayan salt.

Himalayan salt boasts more than eighty ionized minerals that were encrusted into the earth more than 200 million years ago. Consumption

Rule #4: Go Pro (as in Probiotics)

As I outlined in Part 1, there is now ample animal research and preliminary human trials to support the ability of gut microbes to influence mood and behavior. Numerous

Throughout history, fermented foods have provided probiotic bacteria in the diet.

The Chinese were fermenting cabbage six thousand years ago.

Fermentation is the metabolic process of converting carbohydrates, typically sugars, into other molecules—either alcohols and carbon dioxide or organic acids. The reaction requires the presence of yeast, bacteria, or both, and it takes place in the absence of oxygen (hence the original description of the process as “respiration without air”).

Mechnikov believed that toxic bacteria in the gut contributed to aging and that lactic acid could help prolong life. His daily diet included sour milk and he is credited with coining the phrase

probiotic to describe beneficial bacteria.

Lactic acid fermentation in particular is the process by which foods become probiotic, or rich in beneficial bacteria.

Bacteria consumed in this manner are exceptionally bioavailable (easily accepted by the body), and they go to work in numerous ways. They help maintain the integrity of the gut lining; balance the body’s pH; serve as natural antibiotics, antivirals, and antifungals; regulate immunity; and control inflammation.20 In