Nothing makes me more irritated than seeing memes, articles, and blog posts which marginalize depression with attitude adjustment advice. Depression is not an attitude problem. If it were, depression would vanish when we changed our attitude. Depression is a chronic deficiency of the hormone dopamine, which decreases during winter months when the sun's energy is less direct. Drugs (prescriptions too) and Alcohol are used as a counter measure to depression, because they force the production of various hormones including dopamine. Unfortunately to the dismay of sufferers none of those methods are permanent, nor are they healthy. Healthful alternatives exist which promise some degree of permanence which are just as effective as drugs and alcohol and without the negative health and social consequences. For years I suffered severe depression and generalized anxiety disorder. I no longer suffer either. To permanently remove depression one must restore their endocrine system integrity through diet, as while environmental contributions can worsen or enforce depression the phenomenon is entirely grounded in diet.  I detail how to accomplish this in my book, Fuck Portion Control. 

Here are five easy ways I have found to immediately raise your levels of dopamine. 

6 EASY WAYS TO INTERRUPT DEPRESSION

1.) Taurine Taurine and sugar make good dopamine producing partners. Taurine directly promotes dopamine production, but it increases your metabolic rate so it must be fueled with adequate carbohydrates and protein or else you will get very hungry after taking it. Taurine is normally synthesized by our bodies because there are no significant dietary sources of it in nature, but depressed people have very low levels of taurine in their body and are unable to produce adequate amounts to restore normal dopamine production. Taurine deficiency results in an increase in stress hormones which in turn drains your dopamine levels. Supplementing taurine directly raises dopamine so well that if you take it inconsistently (missing a dose) it can actually cause a slight headache from stress rebound. Taurine will cause a stomach ache if you take too much too soon, and you should start out with a low dose and work your way up to higher doses, pausing when stomachaches occur and resume after they pass (this will stop happening after about a month of use), and never use supplements which contain any form of silica, which many do, which can aggravate the nervous system and increase anxiety and restlessness. Only use silica free Taurine supplement if you choose to do so. 

2.) Caffeine/Coffee Everyone's favorite beverage has its title for a reason—caffeine lowers the hormones which oppose dopamine and directly promotes dopaminergic pathways. The biggest mistake most people make in regard to coffee/caffeine consumption however is to take it on an empty stomach. This can actually worsen depression and anxiety because caffeine ALWAYS increases the metabolic rate, and if there is nothing for your cells to use as fuel it causes a worsening increase in stress hormones. Because adrenaline is made directly from dopamine this then actively drains your dopamine. Coffee/caffeine taken with food has the opposite effect (especially protein and carbs), supercharging your metabolism, and with plenty of calories it makes your cells heal faster and use nutrients more efficiently, powerfully lowering the stress hormones which oppose dopamine. 

3.) Sodium or Lithium. Many studies implicate sodium chloride deficiency in the pathogenesis of depression, and for this reason simply taking more salt in the diet can help boost your metabolic rate and thus your mood. This deficiency occurs because of the loss of sodium from excessive adrenaline production. Lithium is similar to sodium, which is why it has a therapeutic effect on depression, but the good news is you don't have to go to the doctor to get lithium, and supplementing it can have huge benefits. In depression and other mental illness disorders ammonia is often elevated. Ammonia is a natural byproduct of the breakdown of protein during digestion and assimilation, but it also impairs the nervous system and lowers the metabolic rate. In sick people there is more ammonia because the body is unable to detoxify it as quickly as a healthy person. Taking a lithium supplement several times a week can help bind and inactivate any excess ammonia and help ease difficult emotions. 

4.) Banana Peel Crazy, right? Banana peel actually contains a huge amount of dopamine. Unlike drugs or alcohol, which don't contain dopamine but force the body's production of it, banana peel lends you already-made dopamine, and quite a bit of it. This will not only lift your mood, but it spares the materials used to create more dopamine later thus avoiding the causes of chronic deficiency. The best bananas for this are ORGANIC bananas which are not fully ripe. The peel is slightly bitter and a little tough, so it's best blended in with a smoothie. One banana peel can be enough to change your entire outlook from gloomy to sunny for 24 hours. Only use organic bananas, as pesticides can contribute to depression. 

5.) Avoid Wheat The gluten in common wheat is a powerful promoter of inflammation which then causes production stress hormones which oppose dopamine, and its consumption is one of the causes of depression in individuals who are susceptible. You may initially experience pleasure from eating wheat, because of the high starch content, but within a few hours gluten is actively tearing down your dopamine and causing other systemic stress. This can also lead to insomnia and other inflammation related conditions which accompany depression. Replacing wheat consumption with safe grains like einkorn or spelt is the most important way to permanently combat depression and anxiety, as continuing consumption will maintain the condition and even worsen it. You can easily test for yourself the damage that wheat consumption does—Avoid it entirely for one whole week, then note the changes to your body, sleep, and mood after a large meal of it. You won't need any more convincing after such an experiment. Replacing your favorite wheat products with those made of safe grains like einkorn and spelt, which have more delicate, easily digested glutens is an easy and enjoyable way to fix this problem, and a full chapter in my book addresses the issue of wheat and how to have great tasting bread and baked products to avoid the complications caused by common wheat.

6.) Pregnenolone Much of the emotional stress involved in depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses are a practical deficit of beneficial steroids within the body. Unable to create the adequate amounts of cholesterol, sex hormones, and dopamine, the body is resorting to backup modes of energy production. Pregnenolone is the master hormone of the body, and is widely available as a supplement and has no real negative side effects, since it does not directly have hormonal actions but is instead used by the body to create whatever hormones currently in short supply and can help rescue a distressed endocrine system. The one caveat is that if your diet is poor or you engage in metabolism-lowering behaviors like dieting or under-eating, pregnenolone can convert into stress hormones. But if you are taking measures to eat healthy and sufficiently to keeping your blood sugar elevated Pregnenolone will always convert into helpful hormones and help to erase the physical discomfort you may be experiencing. For more on how to raise the metabolic rate, cure depression and many other metabolic conditions such as erectile dysfunction, hair loss, insomnia, etc., you can read my book, Fuck Portion Control, or you can watch my YouTube video on the underlying causes of depression. Depression also often accompanies substance abuse problems, and if you feel this might interest you please read my article Curing Alcoholism and Addiction. You can also read how seasons cause and effect depression or how stressful dietary habits like fasting can ruin your emotional and physical health.

While it is not so easy to accomplish, there is a psychological therapy in my book which helps to alleviate the excessive release of adrenaline in response to stressful stimuli in the environment, which in turn effectively reduces adrenaline production and thus spares and increases levels of dopamine, and is part of the chapter on spirituality, and is probably the most important therapy in my entire book. If you want to permanently get rid of your depression, I highly recommend you get a copy for yourself and start working on it.