Mental health is not something stable that “is” or “is not,” but something that it can be improved or made worse by any number of circumstances, including diet.

Just because I’ve been made a multiple personality, with dissociation, amnesia, and memory challenges, doesn’t determine my day-to-day functioning.  For many decades, I’ve been able to hide (even from myself) my deficits and actually perform, sometimes, at testable genius levels.  Other times, I’ve been so severely disabled, I thought it best I leave this life.

These differences in mental functioning can’t easily be tied to diet, except intuitively.  And I’ve intuited that I want to go on yet another personal crusade to further improve the food I put into my body – and I’ve begun.  It’s been just a few days of making food my “medicine,” and I’m already feeling great!

I’ve been eating organic since 1978.  Back in 1976, I gave up meat, then began eating it again.  I went off milk products in 1986 and immediately experienced the end of 20 years of acne (!), but now I’m testing myself on goat-milk yogurt because I believe I need more protein.  Yes, I’ve changed directions at times, as has the culture and certainly the entire medical industry (so I refuse to let that discredit my attempts), but my path has always been toward greater health.

I’m working now with Susun Weed’s New Menopausal Years:  The Wise Woman Way:  Alternative Approaches for Women 30 – 90, making my own yogurt, cooking up “Strong Bone Stew,” and learning (again) the value of greens and exactly which greens are best for me.  Her book is impressively broad in its scope, speaking to women along a wide spectrum of attitudes toward medical industry and ancient lore.  While only a small part of her book includes recipes, I’m having a blast in the kitchen like I haven’t in years!

And just a moment ago, I was drawn to watch a 3-minute video, “Got B-12?  Deficiency Causes Mental Illness” by Dr. Kelly Brogan – not because I think my issues are dietary, of course, but I sure don’t need diet making things worse.

There’s a good chance that I’ve done so well in my life, despite all, because my mother and grandmother were such serious nutritionists, and I ate quite well as a child and took nutrition seriously.

When pregnant with my first child, I bought The Mennonite Cookbook and Adele Davis’ Let’s Cook it Right, so that I could get the most nutrition for my dollar.   And I’ve continued to improve my diet over the decades, to where I’m now excitedly adding herbs and (maybe to some, obscure) root vegetables like burdock to my soup for their minerals.

I’d heard about Vit B-12 before and had purchased a bottle, which I was ignoring.  It’s on my desk now, and I’ll probably add a line to my Daily Check Sheet (read about it here) to make sure I take it regularly.  Just put a dropper-ful under my tongue – sweet!

Oh, yeah – and tonight at 6:30 (MDT), I’ll be taking a free webinar with John and Ocean Robbins, billed as the “Healthy Kitchen Power Hour.”  If you miss it, their site has great videos and other help to get you enthused.  I’m enthused, and I’ve changed my diet.  Enthusiasm alone, I’m sure we’ve all experienced at one time, is healing in itself.  

Let’s go for it.  Let’s take the time to make food our medicine.  It probably won’t cost us any more than eating cheap and fast.  I’m loving it already.

Wishing you well.

Jean