Hi, guys. Dr. Axe here, founder of DrAxe.com and doctor of natural medicine. In this video, I’m going to share with you the top tips to beat depression for good. I’m going to talk about the depression diet as well as depression natural treatments and supplements, and these will work fast. In fact, in working with thousands of patients, I’ve found that some people can start experiencing a decrease in depressive symptoms in as little as 24 hours if you follow these tips. So let’s start off with diet. And let me share with you what not to do. The first thing, when it comes to depression, there are certain foods that can recirculate in your body, causing depression. And there’s a condition called leaky gut and that’s where you get holes in your gut lining, and certain proteins like gluten and bad bacteria, and even toxins can leak through into your bloodstream. Once they get into your bloodstream, things like gluten can circulate and cause inflammation of the brain, and lead to symptoms such as depression, anxiety, or even bipolar disorder.

So again, it’s very important that you change your diet and do what I call healing and sealing your gut lining. In order to do that, here are the foods you want to stay away from. Number one is sugar. We know sugar feeds Candida, which in turn will eat away at the gut lining. Stay away from the sugar. Also stay away from processed grains, especially gluten-containing grains. Those will cause inflammation and also they pull nutrients out of your body, causing depression. The other things you want to stay away from are hydrogenated oils and packaged foods. We know those are also highly inflammatory. The biggest thing you want to stay away from is artificial sweeteners. If you ever consume diet soda, any type of aspartame or Splenda, or Nutra-O, or sucralose, those fake sugars, they’re not even really sugar, in fact they’re neurotoxins, will absolutely cause major issues in terms of depression, bipolar, anxiety, and other forms of mental illness.

And so stay away from those. Now, here’s what you want to eat. Number one, go for Omega-3-rich foods. Omega-3 fats support the brain and nervous system, and other healthy fats as well. But you want to be getting salmon in your diet on a regular basis, also tuna, halibut, mackerel, sardines, or any type of fish. But Omega-3-rich fish are the best. Also grass-fed beef and Omega-3 fats that are found in chia seeds, flax seeds, and walnuts.

Load up on the Omega-3s. You want other healthy fats as well, like Omega-9 fats, which are found in avocados, olive oil, and sprouted nuts and seeds. So I recommend doing a salad on a daily basis, sprinkling some olive oil on there. Also, avocado is amazing. An avocado a day will keep your psychologist away. But again, avocados are great because they contain the healthy fats, magnesium, potassium, loads and loads of nutrients that are fantastic. The other thing that’s important in terms of diet and other healthy fats are getting healthy saturated fats, like those found in coconut oil. So making coconut oil a part of your diet is critical for depression. And then, you want to load up on nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables. In the fruit category, you want to go with the berries. I recommend you do a lot of strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, and cherries. Those are going to be the best for you. And then, also, loads of green, leafy vegetables and cruciferous vegetables.

So spinach, and cabbage, and broccoli, and cauliflower. Some of the best, those are going to get you certain vitamins and minerals you need. Last but not least, doing bone broth on a regular basis can help in healing your gut lining, and help treat depression. So doing a chicken broth soup on a regular basis, one of the best meals you can ever do. Now, in terms of supplements, here’s what you want to consider.

There’s a supplement, my favorite, called vitamin D3. Now, vitamin D, you can obviously get vitamin D from the sun, so I recommend if it’s sunny out, and warm enough out, get outside to where you’re showing a little bit of skin and get 30 minutes of direct sunlight every single day. But vitamin D3, if you’re not getting sun that day, you want to take 5,000 IUs of vitamin D. The other thing you want to get is magnesium. Take 500 mg a day. That can actually help in fighting depression. And then take a good B complex supplement. Go and look for an organic B complex. It can definitely help fight depression. Now, there are other supplements out there such as St. John’s Wart, which is good. I recommend essential oils, such as Ylang ylang. Ylang ylang essential oil has been shown to lift your mood and spirits so I recommend that essential oil to naturally fight depression. And then, last but not least, exercise. If you’ve ever heard of a runner’s high, well, a runner’s high happens when you’re out running or doing any form of exercise and your body starts releasing serotonin and good endorphins that actually help lift your mood.

We were created to move and for hormone balance purposes, you’ve got to move. And even if it’s just three days a week for 20 minutes, that’s it, you’re still going to benefit. So, listen, you don’t have to go to the gym and do an hour a day and just work out like crazy. But 20 minutes, three days a week. So I’m not asking you to exercise an hour a day, one hour total a week, even that can really help you in naturally fighting depression.

And this goes to my last point, is that an important part of depression is that depression doesn’t always start in the mind. Oftentimes it starts in the gut. And this is why you want to work to heal and seal your gut. So adding in more probiotic-rich foods, looking for an organic probiotic supplement can be great at healing and sealing your gut lining. So consider that as well. And then, last but not least, it’s also, too, important to take care of the mental side of things. And I’d get out a sheet of paper; draw a line down the middle. And on one side, write down all the things that are stressing you out or causing you to be depressed and figure out how to manage those things differently.

And the other side, I want you to write all the things that bring you joy. Maybe it’s lunch with a best friend, or going for walks in the sun, or reading a certain book, or whatever it is. Write those things down. I want you to start scheduling in things you love to do every single week because, oftentimes, we’re just not scheduling in things we love enough, and that can also cause depression. So that’s another thing to consider. And also having good community, connecting with friends on a regular basis, or joining some sort of club or group, where you’re having connectivity on a regular basis, and not isolating yourself, another great way to beat depression.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this video on natural remedies to fight depression..

As found on Youtube