Patty D. is a new patient who came to my South Florida clinic four months ago. She’d been diagnosed as pre-diabetic and read about my diabetes protocol.
She wanted to get healthier without Big Pharma’s pills.
After reviewing her labs, I immediately started Patty on my Primal Power Meal Plan for elevated A1C levels. And the results had a surprising benefit for Patty…
If you’re a regular reader, you’ve heard me talk about this way of eating before. This meal plan eliminates all carbohydrates, refined sugars, processed foods and foods that score high on the Glycemic Index. These are the foods that cause your insulin to spike — and diabetes to develop.
In other words, my Primal Power Meal Plan focuses on eating the way our ancestors did.
With lots of healthy fats and grass-fed red meat.
I recently saw Patty again. Her blood sugar levels were back in balance. And she’d dropped almost 20 pounds.
That’s when she told me about an amazing side effect from her Primal Power eating plan…
Her anxiety and depression 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.
There’s a big connection between what we eat and how we feel — both physically and mentally.
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
If you suffer from anxiety, I bet you’ll never hear your doctors tell you to eat two steaks and call them in the morning. Most 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.
But I can’t blame them…
Back when I was in medical school 30 years ago, not one single class was offered in nutrition. And it hasn’t gotten much better since.
Today, medical schools only average a measly 2.8 hours on the topic…3
And this lack of nutritional training leaves doctors painfully untrained and dolling out prescription medications like Prozac. Today, one in four women in their 40s and 50s take an antidepressant in America.
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.
For decades now, I used this natural approach to treat and prevent depression.
Ease Anxiety with My Primal Health 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.4
That’s where my Primal Power Meal Plan comes in. I recommend every meal to consist of 70% fats, 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 they have to be 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. And avoid vegetables that grow underground. Choose non-starchy vegetables that grow above ground. Good choices include kale, spinach, broccoli, cabbage and green peppers. Limit your fruit choices to berries that are lower in sugar.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD, CNS
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. Antognoli EL, et al. “Primary care resident training for obesity, nutrition, and physical activity counseling: A mixed-methods study.” Health Promot Pract. 2017;18(5):672-680.
4. 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.