Anyway- I won’t go into a long detailed discussion of where I’ve been or where I think I’m going for now. If you have a desire for immediate information on real food, I suggest that you click that link and browse (clicking as many links on that site as possible is also encouraged).

Though I’ve been more or less good about cooking and eating real food, it’s not always easy when you have a full time job, a side business, lazy tendencies, and an addiction to Frontierville. Particularly if you also participate in any personal hygiene activities, and your job’s hours prevent easy shopping at farmer’s markets or even non-24 hour grocery stores. Even worse if you have a gas oven and the outside temperatures are topping the 90’s.

But this weekend, my husband was supposed to go away all day Saturday, and the temperature was to be under 80 degrees. I planned accordingly. Sadly, hubs got sick and stayed home, but due to the sudden drop in temperature, use of the oven was actually encouraged. Yay!

I made:

1 large loaf of yeast bread based on a medieval recipe (though using modern yeast instead of randomly collected yeast from the air or ale yeast) and I soaked the whole grains in whey over night to lower the phytic acid.

2 loaves of “beer bread” (in quotes because I used one bottle of natural ginger ale for one, and one bottle of natural apple cider soda for the other) of 100% whole grains (whole wheat, spelt, and rye).

1/2 batch of soaked blueberry, chocolate chip, whole grain pancakes (whole wheat and spelt)- again soaking the whole grains in water and whey to reduce phytic acid.

1 meal consisting of thin sliced organic steaks, green squash fried in coconut oil, a veggie mix (broccoli, carrots, water chestnuts) sauteed in coconut oil, and one box of breaded butterfly shrimp (purchased before my real food days, and decided to use up and give hubs a treat).

1 meal consisting of grass fed beef burgers with French fries fried in coconut oil, and sugar snap peas sauteed in coconut oil.

1 whole 4.25lb organic chicken (couldn’t bring myself to pay the price for pastured, though I desperately wanted to) cooked in a Crock Pot with the stock reserved and put into the freezer, and the meat shredded up for chicken salad, to go into the stock, and a little to go into my sprouted lentil tacos later this week. Bones are in the freezer to be boiled again with more chicken bones for more stock later.

1 small jar of lacto fermented salsa which is fermenting on my kitchen counter right now.

1 cup of lentils sprouted for tacos later this week.

1 quart of yogurt turned into yogurt cheese and whey (with the whey being used to soak whole grains and to lacto ferment the salsa, and the remainder being bottled into a pretty glass olive oil dispenser). The yogurt cheese was mixed with the remainder of the salsa that didn’t fit into the ferment jar, and combined with mayo and chicken became our chicken salad sandwiches for work Monday and Tuesday.

While the weekend wasn’t totally real food (for example, a local but not organic or sustainable company’s sausage to go with the pancakes- the chocolate chips in the pancakes were the remnants of an old Hershey’s chocolate chip bag), I also purchased some unusual heirloom tomatoes for the salsa and to slice up for the burgers, I drank a lot of raw milk, and I got oodles of compliments from my husband on the home baked bread. My favorite being “now this is REAL bread, not the stuff you get at the store!” (this being soon after his first taste of grass fed organic milk of which his response was “this is the best milk I’ve ever had!”).

I have yet to make the coconut oil chocolates that I’d intended to make, and I didn’t quite make it to cooking the beets before they developed mold. I’m currently cooking a 2lb meatloaf in the Crockpot using grass fed burger, and will have to boil and mash the organically grown potatoes tonight. But all in all, I’m very satisfied with my weekend’s efforts.

Will I bake yeast bread every weekend? I think not. It’s fun and satisfying, but there are way too many carbs which can’t be resisted (It’s sooo good), and it really does take a lot of time and effort. Will I be lacto fermenting everything I can get my hands on? Probably not- I have no where to store it in our tiny little town house. Will I keep on making things from scratch and make an effort at continuing to eat real food? Absolutely.

And just as a heads up- if you ever run out of real food recipe ideas, try doing a search for “medieval ‘fill in the blank’ recipe” or “SCA ‘fill in the blank’ recipe”. Recipes from before there were fake foods are automatically real food. Expand a bit and add in “Victorian ___ recipe” or “Civil War ___ recipe” and you’ll have real food recipes coming out of your ears!

P.S. I haven’t updated this site in about a year- if you scroll through my old posts, don’t get mad at any outdated information! I plan to go back and fix them with real food information!

Please do visit that link for some great products (especially if you live in the UK), but I thought I’d write up a list of my own. Mostly things I’ve tried, but I tend to be a bit random, so who knows what kind of coffee alternatives will pop into my post!

1. Teechino- while this product was listed on the other blog about alternative coffee products, I have actually tried it and thought I should talk about my experience.

Teechino is an herbal coffee, much like herbal tea isn’t actually tea. It’s a healthy alternative to coffee because it’s made entirely out of fruits, nuts, spices, and herbs. Many of the nutrients from these foods are transferred into the hot liquid that is considered a replacement for coffee. It is completely caffeine free.

How it tastes is a matter of opinion. To me, it really does taste like coffee, with perhaps a faint dried fruit flavor. However, it doesn’t taste like good coffee. You know what office coffee tastes like? Kind of thin, usually bitter, sometimes a bit burnt, and very weak? Almost as though someone showed the coffee to some water and the water tried to imitate coffee. Teechino is better than office coffee. But barely.

It has that thin taste, and I don’t remember a burnt taste. It definitely wasn’t bitter. But what made it totally undrinkable to me is that it felt chalky in my mouth. Still, if you’re desperate, go ahead and try it. They offer a free trial on their website if you sign up for their newsletter, and they do have flavored “coffees” available, which may be better.

2. Yerba Mate- I loooove Yerba Mate (especially with a splash of stevia). There are several brands, and some are better than others. I personally prefer “smoked” yerba mate. It has less caffeine than green tea or white tea, but about the same lift. It may not be as much of a lift as you get with coffee, but it’s a lot healthier and you won’t have a caffeine crash.

3. Teas- Black tea has the most caffeine, followed by green tea and then white tea. All are gentler than coffee unless you make them very strong.

4. Roasted Chicory- I’ve heard that roasted chicory is a natural coffee alternative that tastes just like coffee but contains no caffeine. Teechino uses chicory as one of its main ingredients, and southerners often flavor their coffee with chicory. I’ve not been able to try it myself, however, since it doesn’t seem to be available in my area.

5. B Vitamins- B vitamins naturally give you energy. You can find them in meat (though eating enough meat to give you the B’s you need for energy would cause other health problems) and some vegetables. However, for an energy boost, just take a B vitamin multi supplement. Taking it in liquid form will absorb faster (look for sublinguals), and you won’t have a caffeine crash. B vitamins are also essential to a good mood (if you suffer from depression, make certain that you’re taking your B’s!), and are one of the vitamins that directly affects your nervous system.

6. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder- My mother used to make an odd concoction using instant coffee with unsweetened dark cocoa powder mixed in. She used the cocoa to try to cover up the taste of the coffee so that she could get a caffeine buzz, but I’ll tell you right now that the unsweetened cocoa was ten times more bitter and strong flavored than any coffee I’ve had! Still, that strong flavor is exactly what makes it a great alternative to coffee.
There are a lot of other coffee alternatives, but these are some of the best if you’re looking for natural and healthy alternatives.

Alternative Coffee

The required natural remedies for depression will depend much upon the cause of depression, the depth of depression, and many other factors. The good news is, if you receive help from any one area, it’ll be much easier to find other natural remedies for your depression, and the improvement may make the wait easier to bear.

Natural Remedies For Depression:

These natural remedies for depression are among the most popular, and with good reason. They work. Depending on your level of depression, or other medications that you’re taking, they may not be right for you, but these natural treatments for depression are easily found. Ask your doctor before trying these.

Nature Made SAM-e:

It is believed that SAM-e increases the bio-availability of serotonin and dopamine (serotonin and dopamine are  “feel good” chemicals in your body). It was recommended to my father by his doctor for his chemical depression. It took some time, but gradually, my father’s moods become more and more normal.  These are not “happy pills”, but can balance your moods.

SAM-e is one of the more expensive supplements on the market. Even the cheap brands run close to $40 for a 30 day supply. However, Nature Made allows you to bank points on your purchases, earning coupons and discounts. These coupons can be combined with in store sales, making SAM-e quite affordable. My father saves the coupons until he finds SAM-e available in a 2 for the price of 1 sale, and then stocks up.

SAM-e can be a stimulant, so it’s recommended to take it first thing in the morning, and follow the instructions on the bottle. If you are bi-polar or suffer from anxiety, use only under the supervision of your physician. Side effects of  SAM-e may include digestive complaints, dry mouth, low blood sugar, thirst, increased urination, headaches, hyperactivity, anxiety, and insomnia.

Eleuthero:

Eleuthero is another natural remedy for depression. Eleuthero can help balance out the chemicals that control our moods, such as serotonin and dopamine. It also helps to reduce stress by regulating cortisol and adrenaline.

While eleuthero is something of a “feel good” herb, if you’re diabetic or have a heart condition, it’s an herb that’s best avoided, as it can lower blood sugar and raise blood pressure.

St. John’s Wort:

St John’s Wort is one of the most widely prescribed natural remedies for depression.  It can take 4-6 weeks to fully feel the benefits of taking St John’s Wort, but many people have been able to avoid chemical based depression medication entirely, or wean themselves off of it with the use of St. John’s Wort.

However, St John’s Wort is one of those herbs that can cause severe problems with use. If you’re pregnant or nursing, make certain that you get your doctor’s permission to take St John’s Wort before actually taking it. You should also check with your doctor if you’re taking any other medications at all, as St. John’s Wort is known to interact or nullify many other medications including the contraceptive pill.

In fact, St John’s Wort can cause more problems with people who have a number of diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and schizophrenia. With the number of interactions and side effects, St John’s Wort should never be taken without your doctor’s permission. However, with your doctor’s permission, it can be an affordable, effective, and natural treatment for depression.

Natural Treatments For Depression:

There are many natural treatments for depression that are available and can be used with or without a doctor’s permission. However, depending on the actual cause of depression, these methods may or may not work.

Exercise:

Exercise has been touted as a natural treatment for depression so often, and for so long, that it’s starting to seem like a cliche. But cliche or not, exercise is able to help depression by releasing endorphins (they make you feel good). Also, if your depression is due to emotional turmoil, it can help you work out any aggression you feel. If your depression is due to a medical condition, in many cases, exercise can help those conditions which in turn can aid your recovery from depression.  And, if nothing else, it’ll give you something else to think about, if only for a few minutes at a time.

Light Therapy:

If your depression is related to seasonal change (for example, seasonal affective disorder- SAD), light therapy is most often prescribed. It’ll be recommended that you take full advantage natural sunlight, preferably by getting out in it, and sitting by open windows when possible. And, using specially designed light boxes in a prescribed manner (it’s said to be most useful when used for the same amount of time at the same time, every day) can be a huge benefit.  You can also replace regular lightbulbs with imitation sunlight bulbs.

Meditation/Journaling:

If your depression is caused by emotional trauma or turmoil, meditation can help you turn your thoughts towards something more positive. Journaling can help you find what that root problem is, or work through a problem that you’re already aware of.

The key to using meditation as therapy is to find something positive and affirming to concentrate on- not simply spacing out for a few minutes.

Nutrition For Depression:

With how few people get adequate nutrition, it’s no wonder that poor nutrition can cause depression. The best way to combat this, of course, is to use nutrition for depression as a treatment.

Magnesium and Potassium:

It’s been found that low magnesium levels can lead to depression, making depression a symptom rather than a disease of its own.  You may want to have your blood magnesium levels tested, however, as having too much magnesium in your system can also cause depression.

Magnesium is essential to proper absorption of potassium, and having low potassium levels can also cause depression. It may be recommended that you take both magnesium supplements and potassium supplements, or simply eat more foods that contain these minerals, such as leafy greens (magnesium) and bananas or potatoes (potassium).

For more information on magnesium, see these articles:

Health Benefits of Magnesium

Food Sources of Magnesium

Ancient Minerals Magnesium Oil

Iron:

If you’re low on iron, your body is likely to suffer fatigue and depression. You can simply up your iron intake by eating more red meat or taking supplements, or try taking vitamin C with your iron, to help your body to absorb it better. However, you may be suffering from anemia, so if you suspect that your depression is due to low iron, ask your doctor to test you for anemia. There are some supplements that are available by prescription that you can’t get on the store shelves.

B Vitamins and Manganese:

The B vitamins control your nervous system. If you’re too low in B vitamins, you won’t be able to handle stress as well as other people, and it can easily lead to depression.

Manganese helps your body to utilize B vitamins, so make sure that you have enough in your diet or supplements.

When using nutrition to treat depression, you’ll need to make sure that your balance of vitamins, minerals, etc is within healthy limits. Even though all of these things are good for you, too much, or in the wrong proportions can throw your body out of whack, and you could end up worse than you started.

Other Causes Of Depression:

Numerous health conditions can cause depression. Here are a few.

PCOS (Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome):

Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome is characterized by an imbalance of hormones. It’s a chicken or the egg kind of disease, where being over weight and unhealthy can cause PCOS, but having PCOS can cause you to become over weight and unhealthy.

Some symptoms of PCOS are: hirsutism (body or facial hair where it doesn’t belong- such as on the chin, on the breasts, etc), adult acne, small breasts but large hips, discoloration around the neck, under arms, and inner thighs, as well as insulin resistance, and often an irregular period.

Many sufferers of PCOS are also suffering from depression. Generally, in this case, the depression is caused by an imbalance of hormones. It can be treated with the contraceptive pill, diabetic medication, exercise, and diet.

If you think you may have PCOS, contact a specialist, or a gynocologist that specializes in the disease.

Hypo-Thyroidism:

Hypo-thyroidism is caused by an underactive thyroid. The symptoms of hypo-thyroidism are almost identical to the symptoms of PCOS (see above), and if you think you may have an underactive thyroid, you should contact an endocrinologist.

If you suffer from hypo-thyroidism, you may want to look at this list of foods to avoid if you’re hypo-thyroid.

Trauma:

If you’ve recently lost a loved one or suffered heart break, among other causes (emotional trauma can even be caused by situations such as the economy, threat of war, and events such as 9/11), this is a time to surround yourself with loved ones and talk to a psychiatrist.  You may be prescribed medication, or have natural remedies for depression recommended to you while your emotions heal.

Medications:

There are many, many medications that can cause depression, or strip your body of the nutrients that you need to maintain a healthy body and mind. Not all of them show up on the side effects the drug company prints out. Take the time to research online. Forums are a great place for personal information like this. In many cases, Glucophage and Metformin can cause depression, even suicidal depression, and they’re not the only ones. Look up anything, and everything, that your doctor has prescribed for you if you begin having these symptoms.

What Helped My Depression:

In October of 2008 I was struck by depression and anxiety out of nowhere. In the middle of my work day- boom!

I did some study, because I hadn’t had any emotional trauma, nothing new had occured, and the only changes I’d made was to make my diet healthier.

What I found may not have been the sole cause, but after delving into as much information as I could find, I eventually unearthed information that the medication I was on for my insulin resistance (Metformin, a generic version of the diabetic drug Glucophage) often had the side effect of depression.  I also found that I had most of the symptoms of hypo-thyroidism, and already knew that I had PCOS.

I went to my doctor to get tested for hypo-thyroidism, which turned up negative. But I persisted with more of my theories, and eventually I was allowed to go off of the Metformin. This did not cure my depression, but within one day, my anxiety attacks had stopped completely.

I re-introduced meat into my diet, and began taking b-vitamin supplements on top of a good multi-vitamin. I began going to church again, listening to solid preachers online (such as Joyce Meyers, Gerry Stoltzfoos at FreedomValley.org, and Beth Moore at LProof.org) and reading my Bible daily (think- meditation on something positive?). I also surrounded myself with friends who could support me in the day-to-day, as well as be available during the times that I began to freak out.

Slowly, my life started coming back together.

I dn’t know if this will help anyone else, but please, if the depression seems to be recent and/or struck out of no where, take a look at your medications, recent diet changes, and even life style changes. My doctor didn’t want to do anything but put me on medication, which would have been fine had she bothered to really analyze my situation. Some people and forms of depression can only be helped with these medications. But they’re not all of the answer all of the time.

Legalese: None of this information is intended to diagnose or treat depression, it is for informational use only. Please see your doctor, therapist, and/or specialist if you’re suffering from depression and especially if you’re having suicidal thoughts.

If you found this article on natural remedies for depression to be useful, please check out the rest of my articles on nutrition information.