1. Eliminate all processed foods (anything in a package, box, bag, bottle, can, etc…).

2. Avoid all junk food (see #1 above), even from a health food store. Don’t eat foods containing chemical preservatives, dyes, artificial colors & flavors, etc.

3. Don’t eat sprayed, fumigated, injected, dyed, waxed or irradiated anything. They do not support health.

4. Don’t eat eggs or any animal products that have been inhumanely raised in small cages, force fattened and treated with chemicals and antibiotics.

5. Eliminate grains and all sugar products. Use caution with fruit as they are hybridized for high sugar content. Sugar in any and all form feeds cancer and contribute to many other diseases.

6. Eliminate all commercial polyunsaturated (vegetable) oils [more info] with the exception of coconut [more info], palm and olive oil.

7. Avoid all fried foods.

8. Avoid over cooking foods with high heat, particularly proteins.

9. Avoid un-refrigerated, shelled seeds & nuts as they are most likely rancid.

10. Avoid pasteurized, homogenized, dried dairy. Homogenization is particularly damaging.

11. Avoid soft drinks and all sweet, sugary beverages (even fruit juices) like the plague.

12. Avoid commercial, poor quality supplements. Read labels.

13. Avoid soy products. They depress thyroid function and are very difficult to digest.

People with mental health problems are more likely to have a weight problem. The reasons for this are not fully clear. For instance, some people always feel tired and just not up to any activity. Others always feel hungry.

Some of this may be related to the mental health problem itself; however it has increasingly become clear that weight problems may also be a side-effect of some treatments. This does not mean one should stop treatment because one might become mentally unwell again. Sometimes it is possible to swap to another medication. Alternatively, one can try to become more physically active or switch to better eating habits.

Foods can essentially be divided into three groups:

• carbohydrates or sugar based foods
• fats
• proteins

A word of advice

We can only give general information but not consider individual cases. If in doubt, you should discuss your diet with your nurse, a doctor or a dietician. Also, the guidance given here applies to adults only and not to children who have different dietary needs. If you are pregnant or suffer from certain physical health problems your dietary requirements may also be different.

Immediate effects

Alcohol tastes good to most adults although not, usually, to children. It can help you to relax, which can make it easier to talk to other people, especially if you are a bit shy. The downside is that it can make you unfit to drive, to operate machinery and affects your ability to make decisions.

If you go on drinking, your speech starts to slur, you become unsteady on your feet and may start to say things you may regret the next day.

If you drink even more, most people start to feel sleepy, sick or dizzy. You may pass out. The next day you may be unable to remember what happened while you were drinking.

Helping depression

We know that most depressed drinkers will start to feel better within a few weeks of cutting out alcohol. So, it is usually best to tackle the alcohol first, and then deal with the depression if it has not lifted after a few weeks.

After a few alcohol-free weeks, you will probably feel fitter and brighter in your mood.  Friends and family may find you easier to get on with. If your feelings of depression do lift, it’s likely that they were caused by the drinking.

If the depression is still with you after four weeks of not drinking, talk to your GP about further help. It may be useful to talk over your feelings, particularly if your depression seems linked to some crisis in your life. Common issues are relationship problems, unemployment, divorce, bereavement or some other loss. Counselling may be helpful.

If the depression does not lift and is particularly severe, your GP may recommend a talking treatment called ‘cognitive psychotherapy’ or suggest antidepressant medication. In either case, you will need to stay away from alcohol and go on with the treatment for several months. There are some medications used to reduce the craving for alcohol, but these don’t seem to help many people and are usually prescribed by a specialist.

Stopping drinking

If you are worried by the idea of stopping or cutting down your drinking, or if you just can’t cut down, it might help to talk with a specialist alcohol worker. Your GP can tell you about the local services – you can then refer yourself or ask your GP to refer you.

Treatments for alcohol problems and depression do help, especially if you can regularly see someone you can trust – your own doctor, a counsellor or a specialist alcohol worker or a specialist psychiatrist. Changing your habits and style of life is always a challenge and can take some time.