In a message dated 3/20/01 2:09:23 AM, JoAnn Betten <[log in to unmask]> writes:

<< here's the situation.  i've been paleo for
almost 4 years now.  in December, i became horrifically depressed, and in an
effort to get myself out of it (without any pharmaceutical intervention) i
took up weight lifting, as i had heard that exercise is one of the best ways
to cure depression. . . . here's what i ate yesterday (a typical day):
breakfast--two eggs over easy and a hamburger
lunch--vegetable soup (homemade, only paleo veggies, no beans, no potatoes)
supper--ribeye steak, salad (no dressing)
snack--apple and some walnuts (i usually only have nuts 1-2x/week)
>>

Hi JoAnn,

I have no comment about body building but I do about the depression. From the
typical day's food intake you listed it would appear that you might be
deficient in essential fatty acids. Other than the few walnuts which you say
you eat only 1-2x/week, there doesn't appear to be any source of healthful
oils in your diet. In my own personal experience, I suffered from horrific
depression/bipolar disorder for which I was hospitalized and given over a
dozen different medications during a 13 year period with very poor control.
About 3 years ago I switched from a mostly vegetarian type diet to a mostly
Paleo diet, getting progressively more strict as time when on. I added 1-2
tablespoons of flaxseed oil a day to my diet, cut out every speck of grains
(especially wheat) and recently started eating more oily fish as well. I have
been off all medications for 2 years as of this month, and have not had a
single bipolar episode in all that time. I also take St. John's Wort, but I
believe it is the absence of grains and the addition of the flaxseed oil that
has allowed me to achieve this degree of successful control over a horrible
disorder without medications. There are studies about this, but I cannot put
a finger on them at the moment.

HTH
Maddy Mason
Hudson Valley, NY