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Twenty percent of Canadians will personally experience a mental illness during their lifetime. Although most mental illnesses begin during adolescence and young adulthood, people of all ages, cultures, educational and income levels experience mental illnesses.

Mental illnesses take many forms, including:

mood disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder, which affect how one feels;
schizophrenia, which affects how one perceives the world;
anxiety disorders which affect how fearful one perceives places, events or situations to be;
personality disorders, which affect how one sees oneself in relation to others; and
eating disorders, such as anorexia or bulimia, which influence how one feels about food and one's body image.

Our chemical rich modern diet with large amounts of processed and packaged foods, saturated fats, artificial colors, flavors and preservatives and an excess of caffeine and alcohol radically changes our internal ecosystem. Considering then that ‘we are what we eat’ it is little wonder that the incidences of depression and mental illness are so widespread in our culture.


Many research studies are now concluding that eating processed foods and manufactured foods, can be related to the onset of depression. In Paul Zane Pilzer's book The Wellness Revolution he states: “It's the food supply that is causing depression and obesity in this country. It's all the refined ingredients that have their nutrition stripped away.” By eating de-natured foods we are not giving our brain the nutrients it needs to achieve a healthy and balanced mental state.

Why is it that people who pursue healthy diets tend to have a positive outlook and outstanding mental health? It's the foods...because the food we eat greatly affects our mental state, and if we eat healing foods, and foods rich in vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients, then we will have healthy mental function.

Source: Sheep Society