Get happier, naturally

Argan Oil is a product that adds a sense of luxury to life. It’s important to bring these rituals in when we’re feeling low. At All I Need, we’re working to build a set of natural solutions for life’s problems, ones that are multi-functional and straight from the earth.

One of the trickiest, most universal problems is mood, especially depression. It’s common all around the world to take an antidepressant and stay on it for years at a time out of fear getting off of it or not knowing other solutions. Unfortunately, they often come with hidden side effects that burden you with new issues in the future, if not in the present. If you’re interested in transitioning off a medication for mood, or just want to improve your mood naturally, here are a few tips from our team to you.

Take an amino acid

Amino acids work differently on different people. Most people respond well to 5 HTP. Take amino acid L-Tryptophan with complex B-Vitamins, first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, and just drink water for a half hour. Consider adding tyrosine (which can be very energizing) and l-phenylalanine. The brain uses L-Tryptophan to create serotonin by converting it into 5 HTP with the help of Vitamin B3. The brain uses 5 HTP along with Vitamin B-6 to convert into serotonin. If you’ve taken an SSRI for depression, try 5-HTP or tryptophan. If you take an SNRI, try tyrosine, DLPA or l-phenylalanine along with 5 HTP or Tryptophan if needed. (Tryptophan is like chocolate, minus the calories!)

Fill your diet with healthy fats

If you’ve ever considered yourself someone with a tendency for depression, it would be a mistake to have a low-fat diet. To correct mood, start consuming large amounts of healthy fats: wild salmon, grass fed beef, avocados, fish oil, coconut oil, and grass fed butter. These ingredients create pleasure in your brain that is noticeable often within days. The reason is that your brain is mostly made up of fatty acids. Because we’re argan oil fanatics, we must mention: you can add argan oil to your diet. Ideally look for roasted argan oil and don’t heat it!

Eat whole, unprocessed foods

Avoid anything that could last a long time on the shelf. Even at home, start to gear yourself toward simpler, less time consuming recipes. Opt for a bowl of grains with avocado, salmon and spinach on top. Opt away from homemade pizza dough or crackers. Eat an apple for a snack. Hard-boiled eggs. Simplify a bit, and try to choose less complex food combinations - even among the healthy ones- that have a lower impact on your blood sugar (so, rice, beans and avocado, versus, creamy kale salad with Parmesan cheese, dried cranberries and apples.

Check for food allergies

Elimination diets take a lot of discipline (too much so far for me), but they’re really the cream of the crop when it comes to understanding your body’s allergies. To do them, eliminate all the possible triggers (in order of importance, these might be: gluten, dairy, coffee, nuts, alcohol, soy, legumes, nightshades) for 2 weeks to a month. Then add them in one at a time, noting any symptoms that arise.

Aim to eliminate sugars

Sugar depletes your body of Vitamin B and other nutrients needed for mental wellness.

Eat the highest quality of vegetables you can

And a lot of them. Go to the grocery store that only sells organic, pick up $20 worth of only living things, and bring them back to your home to start there. With your appetite and cravings re-arranging and normalizing, you’ll be surprised how far a small basket of fresh, seasonal, local, nutrient-dense produce will last you, and how well it will make you feel as you combine them creatively with other healthy food sources in your cabinet.

Get a little more sun

Or start taking Vitamin D. Take a short jog or walk in the park. If you’re not motivated enough for exercise, tell yourself you’ll jog two minutes and that you can stop after that. See what happens after those two minutes, knowing everything is fair game.