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Tonya Octave LCSW

Vegan Foods for Mental Health


Depression and anxiety: Many foods are known to improve one’s overall food. I am a big proponent of what you can eat vs. what you should not eat. In terms of mental health food, bananas are a great option. They contain tryptophan, norepinephrine, epinephrine, dopamine, and catecholamines. However, what’s most impressive about Bananas is the interaction with tryptophan metabolizes into serotonin, our happy hormone. Serotonin, along with dopamine, helps reduce depressive symptoms. If you want to get fancier, add Cacao, which relieves anxiety. Cacao stimulates receptors in the brain to release neurotransmitters that trigger calmness and happiness. (1)

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Yes, all those symptoms associated with PTSD; hypervigilance, flashbacks, insomnia, inability to concentrate, irritability, and, to put it simply, emotional pain. What most clinicians don’t address is “PTSD involves inflammation, oxidative stress, brain chemical irregularities, gut microbiome dysbiosis, and mitochondrial dysfunction.” (2). Therefore, if one continues to eat acidifying foods such as processed foods, starches, sugars, meats, and dairy, they will not reach their full potential to recover.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): One of the fastest-growing diagnoses along with autism. There was one point in my career when 90% of my patients were children diagnosed with ADHD before my intervention methods. I have seen firsthand children and adults improve when they commit to eating alkalizing foods to their bodies. When they eat for nutrition with purpose and kindness. A raw vegan diet will provide optimal amounts of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, electrolytes, protein, essential amino acids, neurotransmitters, hormones, all the body needs to build it back up from years of deprivation.

Autism: There are many claims about how one can heal themselves from autism by going on a raw vegan diet. In the clinical world, autism is on a spectrum of symptoms. It is a developmental disorder and presents challenges in social communication and interaction, repetitive and constructive behaviors, interests, or activities. The broader category of developmental disorders is considered neurodevelopmental disorders. These disorders interfere with the “acquisition, retention, or application of specific skills or sets of information. (3) A clinical trial with those diagnosed with autism was placed on a modified gluten-free ketogenic diet with impressive results. There was a significant improvement in the core features associated with autism. (4)

As one transitions towards a raw vegan life, there will be challenges. It involves the mind-body-spirit connection. It will challenge your beliefs about food, beliefs about yourself, and even beliefs about the world. First, build up the body. Don’t start taking food items away. You will need to eat high valuable nutritious organic foods. Make sure to supplement where needed. Then start off slow. Remove one food item at a time. Give yourself a week, month, a year to remove that item. Do your research on the food items you want to remove so you can work on controlling those thoughts. I suggest keeping a journal of the experience to have something more profound to reflect on later.

Remember to show compassion for yourself. There will be obstacles and challenges along the way. Keep your goal in mind and work to control negative and unproductive thoughts. Lastly, engage with a community of raw vegans. They are online in various ways, go in person, take classes, buy cookbooks, experiment with foods you create.


Citation

  1. https://clinific.com/treat-anxiety-depression-and-stress-with-this-banana-chocolate-smoothie-raw-vegan-gluten-free/

  2. https://www.msdmanuals.com/home/children-s-health-issues/learning-and-developmental-disorders/definition-of-developmental-disorders

  3. https://foodandmoodcentre.com.au/resources/

  4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5863039/

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