HEY THERE!

I’m Chris Bevacqua, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, former Addiction Counsellor

and creator of Good & Healthy Nutrition

I know what it’s like to struggle with addiction, weight, anxiety and confidence

I’ve had challenges with depression, drug use and poor health

During those times, I had nowhere to turn and no one to talk too

I had heard a healthy diet, as well as a meditation practice, could help but I didn’t
know where to start

I took some meditation classes but they weren’t super helpful so I decided to start
out on my own

It was confusing, but once I understood the teaching, everything clicked and my
world changed

I no longer reacted to every emotion I had and I felt the weight of the world drop
from my shoulders

I could finally put down these heavy burdens and worry

I no longer felt chained to my negative thoughts, there was an escape if I wanted
one

By incorporating the principles of this guide into my life, everything changed for
the better

I still use these practices today. They keep me calm and focused whenever life
throws me some negative vibes, and they can do the same for you too

HOW CAN WE HEAL FROM DEPRESSION & ANXIETY?

Healing yourself from the pain and trauma of addiction is the first step in a life
long journey of transformation

Nick came to me with anxiety and health issues. He needed guidance and focus to
get started:

“I asked Chris a question on one of his tweets and boom he immediately sprung
into help mode. I can't explain in words how that made me feel to see that he
genuinely cares and wants what's best for others. Ever since I've started on this
diet/journey with Chris, I've been able to feel freer and feel more calm about what
I'm going through because now I'm equipped with the proper tools and knowledge
to help kick start my fight against my anxiety and obesity. Thank you, Chris, I can't
thank you enough ... I do appreciate the time you took and how attentive you are to
detail. Thank you for giving me a fighting chance.”

Whether you are dealing with laziness, apathy, grief or whatever limiting belief
you’ve chosen to hang on to, healing from poor health, depression and anxiety is
absolutely possible!

Research in this area has been uncovering some staggering and positive finds on
how to change your life.

Dr. Gabor Mate, one of the leading experts on addiction, ties early childhood
trauma and stress to the root cause of addiction

Dr. Mate is famously quoted as saying “not why the addiction, but why the pain?”

Good & Healthy Nutrition – “5 Proven Ways to Heal Depression & Anxiety” 2
Johann Hari, author of the amazing books, “Chasing the Scream” and “Lost
Connections”, is also an advocate of this theory.

In his famous TED talk, “Everything You Know About Addiction is Wrong”, he
states, “the opposite of addiction isn’t sobriety, it’s connection”

You have certain biological needs that have to be addressed, like clean water, food,
warmth and shelter

But you also have psychological needs that are just as important.

You need to feel you belong, that your life has meaning and purpose, you need to
feel people value you and you need to feel you have a stable future

Our modern society is great at making sure a large majority of us have our basic
needs met, but according to Johann Hari, society is doing a worse and worse job at
making sure these psychological needs are met

This is not the only reason, but a key reason, why we’ve seen such a huge increase
in what are being called “deaths of despair”

These are deaths attributed to addiction, depression, suicide, anxiety and loneliness

The latest science and research in this area is telling us we need to be taking a
deeper and longer look at how important social connection is; and how much of a
detriment anxiety, depression and social isolation are, especially in regard to
addictive tendencies

Studies have shown that social anxiety impacts the willingness of people to
participate in treatment as well as how early life stress could make people more
likely to develop depression and therefore addiction

Childhood trauma has been shown to have lasting effects on brain connectivity in
patients with depression

A study from April 2019 states that "This study not only confirms the important
relationship between childhood trauma and major depression, but also links
patients' experiences of childhood trauma with specific functional brain network
abnormalities.”
This means that early childhood trauma can literally alter the brain to the point that
it leads to major depression. We can infer from that it may also lead to addictive
behaviour.

What this all means is that the sole purpose of getting sober isn’t necessarily just
about eliminating drugs and alcohol from your life, but healing the underlying
causes that promoted addictive behaviour in the first place.

Your drinking and drug use are just symptoms of a larger issue, specifically
trauma, stress and fear.

People tell me that anxiety and depression are some of the toughest issues they
deal with in sobriety and that’s not surprising at all

Once the alcohol and drugs are removed from your life, you feel naked and
exposed and the anxiety and depression you were trying to mask are left out in the
open for all to see

In the beginning, most people think that alcohol helps them deal with their anxiety
but overtime it actually creates more anxiety and depression

So, what can we do?

Is it possible to heal yourself of these negative emotions?

Is it possible to reverse this damage and live a happy life again?

The answer is absolutely yes and we’ll look at 5 proven ways to start healing from
anxiety and depression

By putting these lifestyle practices into place, you not only build the skills to deal
with depression and anxiety but start to thrive as they have less and less control
over your life

Good & Healthy Nutrition – “5 Proven Ways to Heal Depression & Anxiety” 4
1. The Gut-Brain Connection

Did you know 90% of Serotonin is created in your gut?

And that Dopamine is increased by certain foods and exercise?

Your physical health is tied directly to your mental health

This is known as the Gut-Brain Connection

Our brain is processing billions of bits of information using special chemical

substances called Neurotransmitters

Neurotransmitters facilitate communication between brain cells. These substances

govern our emotions, memory, mood, sleep and so much more

The main neurotransmitters that affect our lives are Dopamine, Serotonin and
GABA. These are the “feel good” chemicals associated with the reward centers in
our brains. They produce feelings of optimism and enthusiasm.
Neurotransmitters are first created in your gut by amino acids

Amino acids are produced from dietary protein, especially healthy animal protein
like red meat, which is also filled with B-Vitamins and Choline that a healthy brain
needs

Your diet is absolutely connected to your mental health. Let’s look at some
examples that illustrate this

Studies have shown that carrying ten kilograms of excess fat increases the risk of
depression by 17%

Food allergies have been linked to childhood anxiety revealing the bond between
digestive distress and mental health

A recent study examined the link between depression and GI trouble and found
they both come from the same source, low Serotonin

Serotonin is incredibly important to our mental health. It’s been shown that
serotonin deficient brains are more vulnerable to social stress

Unfortunately, years of alcohol abuse have destroyed the way your brain creates
and produces these neurotransmitters and this causes all sorts of anxiety and mood
swings

This is what’s happening during Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome, or PAWS, the
“emotional detox” of sobriety.

Your brain is attempting to rebalance these neurotransmitters, after years of

drinking destabilized them, and now your emotions are on a crazy rollercoaster

Unfortunately, PAWS is where most people will relapse, the stress and negativity
are too much for them to handle

This is why it’s absolutely critical to eat a healthy whole food diet, focused on
quality animal protein, moderate fats and little to no carbohydrates.

A diet rich in fermented foods like Sauerkraut, Miso and Kimchi also adds to a
healthy gut, as does the healing power of bone broth, collagen and protein

Good & Healthy Nutrition – “5 Proven Ways to Heal Depression & Anxiety” 6
ACTION - Your mental health starts in your gut, so feed it the foods it so
desperately craves. When you do this, you can remain positive, cheerful, content
and ready to handle any stress that life throws your way. Eat quality animal
protein, bone broth and as much collagen as you can. It will heal your gut and
create a beautiful home for happy bacteria to live producing ample feel good
neurotransmitters to keep you feeling awesome and cheerful

2. Avoid Sugar

Sugar ties into the gut-brain connection but also deserves its own heading as its
incredible how damaging sugar is

Avoiding sugar in sobriety is essential in avoiding depressive and anxious

moments
Sugar is responsible for common issues of alcohol abuse like fatty liver disease,
type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease but it also causes most of the anxiety and
depression in our lives

Low blood sugar is extremely common in long-term drinkers.

Once you stop drinking, you crave sugary foods to fill this void.

Unfortunately, as your blood sugar spikes up and down so do your emotions. This
is why you might go from feeling angry, depressed, fearful and irritable in the span
of 30 minutes.

Stabilizing your blood sugar is of utmost importance, which is why I preach

avoiding sugar, but especially in the places it likes to hide like refined
carbohydrates, items like cookies, muffins, bagels, bread, pasta, etc.

As you go through Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome, you have to avoid foods that
will spike your blood sugar. If you don’t, your throwing more gasoline on a fire
that has the capacity to burn you out completely

ACTION - Avoiding sugar and processed foods will keep your blood sugar stable
thereby avoiding all of the anxiety and depression that come from poor health.
You’ll also avoid the most common health issues seen in long-term drinkers like
fatty liver, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. When sugar cravings come, eat
protein instead. Its more filling and satisfying and wont spike your blood sugar

Good & Healthy Nutrition – “5 Proven Ways to Heal Depression & Anxiety” 8
3. Exercise

It’s no real surprise that exercise is great for your mental health

Even as far back as ‘99, studies were showing that a brisk 30 minute walk, or light
jogging 3 times a week, were just as effective as relieving depression as standard
medication treatments

Researchers noted that "Almost one-third of depressed patients in general do not

respond to medications, and for others, the medications can cause unwanted side
effects. Exercise should be considered a viable option."

Another study at the Anxiety Research and Treatment Program states, "exercise
has been shown to have tremendous benefits for mental health … the more
therapists who are trained in exercise therapy, the better off patients will be."

Intense exercise increases levels of two major neurotransmitters, GABA and

Glutamate.
When GABA and Glutamate are low, depression is often not far behind but
exercise seems to activates the metabolic pathway that produces these helpful
neurotransmitters

In the largest and most extensive study at the time, researchers analysed 33
thousand adults who had their depression reduced by exercise and found that 12%
of the cases could have been avoided entirely by doing just one hour of physical
activity a week

Just one hour!

It appears that the longer we stay sedentary, sitting at desks, in cars and on
couches, the higher the chance of depression becomes

ACTION - It’s of vital importance to make fitness a priority in your sober life,
especially when anxiety and depression are running rampant thru your head.
Exercise will boost mood, give you better sleep, confidence and energy. Most
importantly, it will heal your brain and balance your neurotransmitters. I highly
recommend lifting weights (resistance training) or a yoga practice

Good & Healthy Nutrition – “5 Proven Ways to Heal Depression & Anxiety” 10
4. Social Connection Matters

Johann Hari documents extensively in his book “Lost Connections” the powerful
healing that happens when former addicts and those with depression and anxiety
get involved in their communities

Not only do those people thrive, so do their communities

Addiction feeds social isolation and loneliness

Loneliness feeds into depression and anxiety

Depression and anxiety feed into addictive behavior

It’s a vicious cycle

We know that conflictive and stressful relationships literally increase our chances
of early death. This is not only applied to close relationships but also to our
neighbors
The Max Planck Institute in Berlin demonstrated that helping others increased life
happiness much more than telling participants to quit smoking or avoiding other
negative practices

Researchers stated, “social relationships and affiliations have powerful effects on

health; loneliness and social isolation have even been associated with increased
mortality. Our analyses further strengthen the notion that investments in social
relationships are an important leverage point for achieving a healthy, long, and
happy life."

Staying isolated and lonely can have horrible effects on the brain.

Harvard University looked at the brain activity of Alzheimer’s patients and found
that the lonelier the person, the more plaque build up they had in their brains.

Social disengagement like low number of social ties, contacts or group activities
were associated with poor brain health, highlighting the extreme importance of
emotional support and being seen as a valuable member of your family and
community

ACTION - Getting involved in your community, helping others and maintaining

positive relationships are essential for good mental health. When negative thoughts
start to arise, get of your head and go help someone else

Good & Healthy Nutrition – “5 Proven Ways to Heal Depression & Anxiety” 12
5. Meditation & Mindfulness

Long-term meditators have been shown to have faster recovery from stress, less
systemic inflammation and generally report positive feelings of calm throughout
the day

One of the main reasons for anxiety and depression is constant negative
rumination, especially about past events

Mindfulness and meditation both seem to help ease this pressure by focusing on
the present and not becoming enmeshed with your negative thought patterns

A study from John Hopkins showed that 30 minutes of daily meditation can
improve symptoms of depression and anxiety

In another study involving Tibetan Monks who practiced a daily meditation around
loving-kindness, found their gamma waves to be at uncharted levels previously
higher than any recorded humans. That’s pretty amazing.
Even more interesting is that mindfulness has been shown to sharply reduce stress
hormones and inflammatory responses in the body making it easier to build
positive responses to life stressors

I often say that sitting in silence saved my life. When my health was suffering and
things looked darkest, I had nowhere to turn so I decided to take a chance with
meditation.

Learning the basics about how to deal with my emotions (“you are not your
feelings”), staying present and grounded as well as studying basic Buddhist
philosophy, turned everything around for me

I was able to handle my constant negative thoughts with breathing techniques, or

by cutting off the thoughts before they even manifested. In doing so, I trained my
brain to counteract its negative thinking with positive thoughts, allowing me to feel
relief and peace for the first time in a long time

ACTION - A meditation or mindfulness practice will bring peace, balance and

good health to your mental state. Start slow, even 5-10 minutes a day will produce
healthy new habits

Good & Healthy Nutrition – “5 Proven Ways to Heal Depression & Anxiety” 14
6. Positive Self Talk (Bonus Practice!)

Dr. Bruce Lipton, author of the amazing book “The Biology of Belief” is quoted as
saying “if we could get your subconscious mind to agree with your conscious mind
about being happy, that’s when your positive thoughts work”

This is the power of positive self-talk. What we believed was once a mental
experiment has been revealed to have incredible effects on our entire physical
being

Did you know that optimism extends your life span by 15% or that learning how to
control your anger is linked to longer life?

Psychologists at Trinity Western have shown that the way you perceive the world
predicts how old you may live. This study proved that people who believe “in a
just world” are much less likely to die than people who believe the world is a
negative depressing place

Addiction, childhood trauma as well as depression and anxiety make it difficult to

create positive thoughts. The addicted mind is constantly self obsessed, especially
about guilt and shame in the past, and has a hard time letting go

When you develop positive self-talk, you can counteract this negative thinking and
start to create a new life story.

Daily affirmation may sound cliché but they do an amazing job of rewiring our
subconscious. In my opinion, one of the main reasons for relapse is that the
conscious mind is committed to sobriety but the subconscious mind isn’t and it’s
running the show

To get both on the same page, you need to fill your head with positive thoughts
about how wonderful, unique and amazing you are. It’s not an easy practice, most
of us have real difficulty exploring positive aspects of ourselves, I know I did and
sometimes still do

But as we deepen this practice, we not only learn how to love ourselves but break
negative thought patterns before they manifest

As we do this, we start to tell a story about our lives where we’re the heroes rather
than the victims.

This is why concentrating on positive feelings during adversity extends life

expectancy. If you can remain positive in the face of stressful events, you will live
longer than those who lose their positive feelings

ACTION - Positive self-talk and affirmations will rewire your brain. When
negative thoughts arise, you’ll have the ability to stop them and replace them with
positive ones instead. A daily practice of retraining your subconscious will keep
anxiety and depression at bay

Good & Healthy Nutrition – “5 Proven Ways to Heal Depression & Anxiety” 16
CONCLUSION:

By understanding and implementing these lifestyle practices, you can significantly

reduce the amount of anxiety and depression in your life

Let’s recap:

• By understanding the gut-brain connection, you now know that a healthy

mind with happy functioning neurotransmitters is first created in the gut. A
healthy whole food diet is key to healing your brain of the damage of
alcohol abuse

• By avoiding sugar, you can heal the most common damage done by alcohol
abuse but most importantly keep yourself away from the emotional distress
of low blood sugar that can further aggravate PAWS

• By adding in weekly exercise, you can instantly boost your mood, sleep
better, feel more energized and be more confident. You also heal your brain
and help regulate neurotransmitter production

• By starting a meditation or mindfulness practice, you’re able to handle tough

emotions, understand you don’t have to claim them as your own and have
the skills to dismantle them. Added bonus, you heal your brain.

• By getting involved in your community and helping others, you instantly

stop negative rumination in its tracks. There’s nothing more joyful than
getting out of your own head and being a support and resource for others
who are struggling.

• By cultivating a practice of positive self talk, you can redirect your brain
away from self obsessing negative thoughts to instead focus on affirmations
and goals that are uplifting and frame yourself as the hero of your story
rather than its victim
START THESE PROVEN PRACTICES TODAY!

There’s no need to “fight” thru your sobriety, or white knuckle the years counting
every day and week that go by

Meetings and support groups are great but they don’t heal the physical and mental
damage done by alcohol, or assist your body in producing positive
neurotransmitters, only YOU can do that

As you develop these habits of healthy eating, exercise, meditation and positive
thinking, your anxiety and depression will reduce or disappear entirely

If traditional methods of recovery, such as 12 step programs or expensive treatment

centres, don’t work with your lifestyle, then my Good & Healthy coaching is for
you

I've got 18 years in recovery. I know how painful and isolating poor health and
addiction can be, so offering a judgment free space to share your story is my top
priority

So whether you’re looking to give up alcohol completely, or just cut back and
maximize your health, I’d love to help

Together, we can create a comprehensive Action Plan that covers food, fitness,
stress management and cultivating a positive mind-set, that will take your sobriety
to newfound heights!

Check out what these former clients had to say:

“A fresh and informative approach to recovery...Chris has done his research and
has the education to back it up and thankfully share it with all of us!
The lessons are easy to follow and give a motivational boost to your day as you
gain valuable knowledge, not only about the physical effects of alcohol use over
time, but how to improve the emotional side of the recovery experience.
The meal guides are such a bonus, as well as the lists of what to shop for! This was
so helpful to me!” – Tara

Good & Healthy Nutrition – “5 Proven Ways to Heal Depression & Anxiety” 18
"The Good and Healthy program provides you with all the tools to not only
manage cravings through diet and lifestyle, but also to understand what is
happening to your body physiologically. It gets you away from trying to manage
cravings through exhausting mental effort, and instead provides a sustainable path
that can be integrated into your life in an accessible way" – Jesse

You’re an individual with a highly individual set of needs and circumstances so

why would a cookie cutter recovery plan work best for you?

Together, we can create a personalized plan that works specifically for you and
your needs while giving you the focus, accountability and direction you need to
kick your life into high gear

I’ll happily receive your DM or email from any of these locations

https://twitter.com/chris_bevacqua
https://www.instagram.com/good_n_healthy/
http://www.goodandhealthynutrition.com
goodnhealthynutrition@gmail.com

I look forward to speaking with you soon!

Happy Healing,
Chris Bevacqua
Resources

1.Social anxiety impacts willingness to participate in addiction treatment

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2671294/

2.Stress in early life could make people more likely to develop depression
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190508113326.htm

3.Childhood trauma has lasting effect on brain connectivity in patients with

depression
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/04/190408161610.htm

4.Excess body fat increases the risk of depression

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/08/190827095100.htm

5.Moody gut often accompanies depression

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190507080148.htm

6.Serotonin deficient brains are vulnerable to social stress

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-02-serotonin-deficient-brains-vulnerable-
social
stress.html?utm_source=TrendMD&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=MedicalX
press_TrendMD_1

7.Food allergies linked to childhood anxiety

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170629134228.htm

8.Anxiety might be alleviated by regulating gut bacteria

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190520190110.htm

9.Transplanting gut bacteria alters depression-related behavior, brain inflammation

in animals
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190506163642.htm

10.Exercise just as effective as medication for treating depression

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/10/991027071931.htm

Good & Healthy Nutrition – “5 Proven Ways to Heal Depression & Anxiety” 20
11.Exercise can substitute effectively as second 'medication' for people with
depression
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110824091522.htm

12.Mental health providers should prescribe exercise more often for depression,
anxiety, research suggests
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100405122311.htm

13.This is your brain on exercise

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160225101241.htm

14.One hour of exercise a week can prevent depression

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/10/171003093953.htm

15.Investing in others makes you happier

https://www.ergo-log.com/investing-in-others-makes-you-happier.html

16.Conflictive and stressful relationships are fatal

https://www.ergo-log.com/conflictive-and-stressful-relationships-are-fatal.html

17.Loneliness leads to first stages of dementia

https://www.ergo-log.com/loneliness-leads-to-first-stages-of-dementia.html

18.Long term meditators have faster recovery from stress

https://www.psypost.org/2019/04/long-term-meditation-practitioners-have-a-faster-
psychophysiological-recovery-from-stress-study-finds-53468

19.Meditation practice may reduce negative emotions in people you interact with
https://www.psypost.org/2019/06/your-meditation-practice-may-reduce-negative-
emotions-in-the-people-you-interact-with-53770

20.Mindfulness appears to diminish depressive symptoms by reducing rumination

https://www.psypost.org/2019/06/mindfulness-appears-to-diminishes-depressive-
symptoms-by-reducing-rumination-53885

21.Meditation for anxiety, depression?

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/01/140106190050.htm
22.Mindfulness meditation training lowers biomarkers of stress response in anxiety
disorder
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170124111354.htm

23.Controling your anger the secret to old age

https://www.ergo-log.com/healthy-old-age-control-your-anger.html

24.Optimism extends lifespan by 15%

https://www.ergo-log.com/optimism-extends-lifespan-by-15-percent.html

25.Positive feelings during adversity extend life expectancy

https://www.ergo-log.com/concentrating-on-positive-feelings-during-adversity-
extends-life-expectancy.html

26.Forgive and live longer

https://www.ergo-log.com/forgive.html

27.Positive emotions extend life expectancy by 10 years

https://www.ergo-log.com/positive-emotions-extend-life-expectancy-by-ten-
years.html

28.Belief in “just world” extends life expectancy

https://www.ergo-log.com/beliefinajustworld.html

Good & Healthy Nutrition – “5 Proven Ways to Heal Depression & Anxiety” 22