Clearly, the crucial ingredient for me is "3) Adequate Vitamin D3" -- this treatment proved to be the most effective for me. I suffered from Seasonal Affective Disorder (depression) for decades. Several years ago I began daily blue-light therapy each morning with very positive results, but I felt I was treating symptoms, not root cause, because I still had ongoing chronic anxiety issues and recurrence of depression. In June 2008 I began daily Vitamin D3 supplementation @ 4,000 IU/day along with frequent full sun exposure without burning. In the Fall of 2008 I increased my D3 intake to 6,000 IU/day and I started weekly 10 minute sessions in a tanning booth (for UVB exposure). By December 2008 my 25(OH)D blood level was above 50 ng/ml, and for the first time in my life I was on my way to being free of depression symptoms for the entire Winter! Recommended reading: http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/depression.shtml | In my experience, you must get above 50 ng/ml blood level to realize the mental health benefit of Vitamin D3. Most physicians are working with obsolete information about Vitamin D and will not consider 30-50 ng/ml 25(OH)D as deficient. Ask to see your blood test results yourself! Also note that some tests measure in moles per milliliter -- get your results reported in nanograms per milliliter. * "Eat Real Food" to me means no unhealthy processed foods, especially food made with trans fats http://www.drz.org/asp/nl/NL_Hydrogenated_Oils_10.10.05.htm My #1 diet priority is ZERO trans fat and other processed ingredients -- but I'll warn you this is not easy to do because to accomplish this you must stop eating in nearly all restaurants and stop buying most of the food products available in a typical grocery store. If you only change one thing about your diet, eliminate trans fats. I also believe that staying away from refined (white) sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and white flour may also be just as important. Eat fruits and veggies high in anti-oxidants. The goal here is to reduce inflammation. My experience with this has been quite positive. Eliminating trans fats (and junk food in general) allows me to eat delicious foods without starving myself, while also achieving my weight loss goal. It was not easy changing what I eat but it was worth it! Also, I don't eat commercial beef anymore, but I do eat grass-fed (true pastured) beef from local farmers I trust. I've enjoyed both the physical and mental health benefits of improved nutrition since before I started to take Vitamin D3 and it was making a big difference then and continues today. I recommend http://ultramind.com/epidemic_depression.php for more about the role of nutrition in brain health -- it works for me! See also http://goodschoolfood.org/ (Important note: trans-fats may interfere with how your body metabolizes Vitamin D.) The most important lesson I've learned is DON'T GIVE UP! Keep a journal of your treatments, diet and mood. Depending how deficient you are (and, unless you live in the tropics or you spend much of your time outdoors, chances are high that you are deficient), Vitamin D3 supplementation can take months to have a full beneficial affect. Beneficial changes in diet may not affect you for days or weeks. It took me YEARS to find these treatments that work for me. Three more points: 1) If I had expected anything I tried to have an immediate affect I probably would have given up and still be sick, and 2) if I had not taken responsibility for my own health and I had listened blindly to the doctors, I would definitely still be sick, and 3) keep a journal of everything  you eat -- I noticed a correlation with consumption of processed foods and depressed mood.