My experience: how the Lion Diet helped my lifelong depression
I was put on antidepressants at a young age. Severe depression runs in my family — my dad realized what it was and saw it early in me. There seems to be a genetic component, but it is controllable by diet.
I was on antidepressants for over a decade. They probably saved my life. My depression began lifting on a very low-carb diet (meat and greens). After I stopped taking SSRIs (I'd taken them for 11 years), I had SSRI withdrawal and was extremely sensitive and depressed with any carbs. The only thing that lessened the neurological damage and withdrawal I was having from SSRIs was the Lion Diet. My full story is here.
How long does it take until depression and anxiety begin to subside?
It depends.
- If you haven't taken psychiatric medication, depression and anxiety should subside or improve within the first 6 weeks of the Lion Diet. Sometimes within the first few weeks.
- If you've taken medications for it (e.g. SSRIs), it might take longer.
- It's hard to say with less restrictive diets — sometimes people feel massively better cutting gluten and dairy, but sometimes their depression doesn't change by doing that.
My (Mikhaila Fuller's) own timeline on the Lion Diet:
- After 2 weeks, I stopped crying in the morning.
- After 6 weeks, my depression lifted.
- About 5 months for the anxiety to lift.
- My SSRI withdrawal lifted after 2.5 years — but after 5 months on the diet, I was functional.
With serious withdrawal or damage, full recovery can take a few years. More on the timeline here.
What does depression actually feel like? (And is what I'm experiencing depression or just life?)
If you've never had severe depression, here's what it was like for me:
- Whenever I was walking anywhere, especially at night, I'd feel like I was going to get jumped. Someone behind me would suddenly grab me. Extremely on edge.
- I felt like I was mourning. Every bit of happiness would just be sucked back down into a tar pit of black. I'd laugh, then immediate unhappiness.
- I was so angry. Slow people walking down the block, someone who doesn't use their signal light, talking in the library — irate.
- I was irritable at people I love. It was the people closest to me that irritated me the most.
- Depression pushes you away from the people you are closest to. It makes you more of a downer to be around.
- Panic attacks felt like my body was out of control — heart racing, breathing hard to control, hands shaking.
- Worrying about unlikely situations that, in my head, seemed totally probable.
- A constant pit in my stomach.
- My shoulders were always raised up, ready for an attack. It would take a lot of energy to straighten up and relax them.
If you see yourself worrying about things you probably shouldn't really worry about, crying over things you probably shouldn't be crying over, or getting mad at people you love — that's depression and anxiety, not life. It feels more like everyone just becomes more annoying; it doesn't feel like it's you at all.
Losing my dog a few years ago was way easier than being depressed. Being depressed feels like there's a poison in your soul that you're trapped with forever. It's because there is poison in you. But it's not forever. Full post here.
Why an elimination diet helps depression
Inflammatory foods — especially the ones you have IgG reactions to — can trigger depressive episodes that are indistinguishable from "regular" depression. I can't stress this enough: if you suffer from mental problems at all, an IgG food test is worth doing. Reintroducing a food that triggers an IgG reaction is god awful, and it's not as obvious until you start messing around with diet.
My depression used to be pretty much the same year-round, worsening slowly as the days got darker and peaking in early January. When I started messing around with food, the depression would go away and come back worse than before when I messed up. I didn't do the IgG testing before I started changing my diet, and it was a huge mistake. This is avoidable if you pay attention to the IgG foods.
The Lion Diet works because it eliminates virtually every common inflammatory trigger — gluten, dairy, eggs, nuts, plants, seasonings, sweeteners, oils — leaving you with just ruminant meat and salt. Once the inflammation drops, the mood symptoms usually follow within weeks.
If you're currently on psychiatric medication, READ THIS FIRST
⚠️ Warning to people on psych medications: If you take a psych med, especially at higher doses for a longer period of time, getting off them can be extremely difficult and very scary and dangerous if you do it rapidly. You can become sensitive to light, sound, touch, temperature, and seriously sensitive to inflammatory foods.
The good news: the Lion Diet will help this, and the neurological damage will go away with time. Once psych med withdrawal is over, you'll be able to eat other foods without as severe depressive reactions from inflammatory foods.
Critical safety points:
- Do NOT suddenly stop psych meds. Many people are able to slowly wean off the medication while on the diet with minimal symptoms using hyperbolic tapering.
- Do NOT listen to a physician that thinks you can taper over a 2–4 week period. It can be very dangerous.
- If your doctor is not familiar with hyperbolic tapering, research it thoroughly and prepare yourself.
- If you're taking antidepressants and they're working: keep taking them until you feel like the depression/anxiety is gone, then start tapering. Don't stop first.
I made prescribed-harm.com to arm people with information about psych med injury and withdrawal. Don't let the website spook you. If you use this diet, make your environment non-toxic, and do a hyperbolic taper, withdrawal can generally be avoided.
Full how-to guide for reducing psych med withdrawal symptoms here.
5-HTP and natural alternatives
If you suffer from anxiety or depression but it's fairly manageable (or you can survive without antidepressants), I highly recommend 5-HTP. Take it with food. Do not take 5-HTP if you're on an antidepressant — it can cause serotonin syndrome in a very unpleasant way. I figured that out the hard way.
5-HTP works on serotonin. Some people with anxiety find it makes them more irritable — their out-of-whack neurotransmitter wasn't serotonin. If it makes you worse, stop.
Full post on antidepressants — natural and otherwise.
Success stories from the Lion Diet community
I'm not the only one. From our success stories:
- Jessica, 39 — 104 days on the diet. Resolved major depressive disorder, IBS, arthritis, insomnia, chronic anxiety and panic disorder, bipolar disorder, postmenopausal depression. Read her story.
- Jacian, 21 — 2 months on the diet. Resolved anxiety, brain fog, depression, feeling of constant stress, plus 16 lbs of weight loss. Read his story.
- James, 48 — Resolved OCD and anxiety issues. Read his story.
- Christine, 27 — Anxiety, depression, plus 100 lbs of weight loss. Read her story.
How to start
If you suspect depression, anxiety, or mood instability might be driven by food: read the Get Started guide. It covers what to eat, what to avoid, what to expect in the first few weeks, supplements, and how to transition off other foods.
If you're currently on psychiatric medication, please read the psych med withdrawal guide before you make any changes — do not stop or rapidly taper your medication.
Frequently asked questions
Without prior medication: usually 2–6 weeks. With prior psychiatric medication, it can take 5 months to several years for full recovery. Most people feel some lifting in the first month. More detail.How long does it take until depression and anxiety begin to subside?
For people with severe depression, anxiety, or autoimmune symptoms, the Lion Diet (ruminant meat + salt + water only) is the safer starting point because it removes the most common inflammatory triggers. Broader carnivore (which can include poultry, eggs, dairy) can still trigger symptoms in highly reactive people. More detail.Should I go full carnivore or do the Lion Diet?
Yes — start the diet while still on the medication. The diet helps reduce withdrawal symptoms when you eventually taper. Do not stop the medication or rapidly taper before starting the diet. Read the SSRI / psych med warnings.I'm on an SSRI — can I start the Lion Diet right away?
If you're 6+ weeks in and not seeing improvement, the most common causes are: (1) hidden ingredient contamination — eating out, processed seasonings, supplements; (2) untreated psych med withdrawal; (3) water-damaged environment (mold/biotoxins) — see the Get Started guide on environmental cleanup; (4) the depression has a different driver (e.g. thyroid, hormone, sleep disorder) that needs medical evaluation. More detail.What if the diet isn't helping my depression?
This is not medical advice. The Lion Diet helped me and a lot of other people, but every body is different. If you're suffering with depression severe enough to consider self-harm, please reach out to a mental health professional or a crisis line in your country. The diet can be done alongside therapy and medication.