Over the past two years, the effects of the pandemic have left many people searching for something that would help alleviate their stress, anxiety, and mood disorders. In the latest episode of the Homestead Nutrition Podcast, Jean Menegus recounts her experience being led to Daily Essential Nutrients, a highly research-backed alternative for mood and mental health. Difficult personal circumstances during her third pregnancy led Jean to a study out of the University of Canterbury, where she participated in a trial testing Hardy Nutritionals® Daily Essential Nutrients. Jean says it made a huge impact on her psychological, emotional, and physical health.

In this double-blind, placebo-controlled study, some participants were given Hardy’s Daily Essential Nutrients (a micronutrient supplement), while others were given identical placebo capsules. Throughout the study, participants were asked to fill out questionnaires regarding their psychological health periodically, as well as collect stool samples to measure their body’s micronutrient levels. Ultimately, Ph.D. students at the University of Canterbury analyzed the results Daily Essential Nutrients played on participants' overall well-being and health. 

“I think I was on the placebo because after the trial ended, we had a chance to try the actual product, and within the first two weeks of trying it, I felt a huge shift,” Jean recounted in her podcast episode #1 Achieving Mental Wellness Naturally. 

Before starting the micronutrients, she recalls being in a really bad place mentally, potentially due to nutrient depletion during her pregnancy. After beginning the micronutrients, she began to feel motivated and energized, and she says everything felt better.

“Before [taking Daily Essential Nutrients], I had quite a few things going on, and I was quite stressed; that was because of a number of things going on in my life at the time. Then, my whole outlook changed. I felt more positive like my situation wasn’t as bad as it felt before. I felt like I could cope. I felt more resilient to what was going on.” 

Boosting Your Own Pregnancy Experience

By the time Jean discovered Hardy’s Daily Essential Nutrients, she was midway through her third pregnancy. As a health-conscious, nutrient believer herself, she had been aware of what she put into her body and how pregnancy had affected her before. During her second pregnancy, for example, she maintained a vegetarian diet. Halfway through her third, however, she noticed her body wasn’t getting the nutrients it needed to nourish herself and her baby sufficiently and went back to a meat diet – as well as supplementing with Hardy’s micronutrients. 

“I knew my levels of iron and B vitamins were very low. So when I started taking the nutrients, I took more tests to see where my levels were at, especially because I had other pregnancies, and my midwife was very surprised by my B levels. They were so high, and I felt confident in providing all the nutrition my baby needed,” Jean explained. 

After labor, she noticed a difference in temperaments between this baby to the prior two as well. He slept through the night and didn’t cry often.

“To me, it felt like he was very independent. I thought this is either his temperament or it’s the nutrients. But the two pregnancies before him needed a lot of cuddling, rocking, and breastfeeding… and this was right up until the toddler years. I think they’re normal behaviors, but if you don’t have enough of the nutrition you need, you can feel a lot more anxious and like you need a lot more support.”

Now, her child is in preschool, resilient, and has no aggression. With such positive results, she used Daily Essential Nutrients for the entirety of her fourth pregnancy and noticed the same things once again. 

“She has a different temperament which I’ve noticed involves more rocking and cuddling for her to get to sleep, but overall she’s a very happy girl with no problems or attachment anxiety. The children are a lot calmer, and they transition easier.”

Choosing Your Treatment Matters

For work, Jean runs a holistic massage and holistic health clinic, stressing the importance of positive nutrition and making healthy choices for her clients. Often, that includes encouraging the use of Hardy’s Daily Essential Nutrients, now available as a prenatal supplement.

The main hindrance for some, she understands, can be the price. However, after hearing about other users successfully getting financial support to treat their mental health and mood disorders with a natural alternative, she wanted to see what she could do, as well. Unfortunately, at first, the program she applied for rejected her, citing she needed to try medication for the mental disorders she was experiencing first. Then, if her symptoms didn’t subside, they would be open to hearing more about a micronutrient treatment plan. 

“They wanted to take my choice away but then still provide it if their version of an effective treatment didn’t work.”

That’s when Dr. Julia Rucklidge, psychologist and director of the Mental Health and Nutrition Research Group at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, stepped in. Everyone has a right to choose their own treatment plan. If that means bypassing medications which can often cause negative side effects, so be it. With the support of Dr. Rucklidge, Jean was able to get the financial support she needed to continue taking Daily Essential Nutrients every month. 

Commenting on the financial support she was able to qualify for in New Zealand, Jean explains, “What I do in my clinic is I explain to the client that there can be a long review process if they say no. What I’ve found is people getting declined even though they’ve previously been accepted and then having to go through the process again. Some people, if they can’t get this funding, then they’re not able to try it at all, and they have to either take nothing because they don’t want to take a drug, or they have to keep taking the drug that they want to get off of.”

Overall though, the journey has been worth it. Jean has been using Hardy’s micronutrients faithfully since 2019 through multiple major life experiences now – from dips in mental health through two pregnancies and currently, as she pursues formal training in nutrition. 

“I can’t think of a time I’ll ever stop taking them; they’re just so important for my well-being.”

Hardy Nutritionals® has helped thousands of people like Jean Menegus for over a decade. From struggles with mood disorders, ADHD, and mental health, to just needing a boost of help to feel their best self. To listen to the full podcast episode, click here. 

For those unable to qualify for the financial assistance Jean was able to get in New Zealand, Hardy Nutritionals does offer Daily Essential Nutrients at reduced prices for those who qualify.

About Hardy Nutritionals®

Hardy Nutritionals® multivitamin-mineral products are powered by our proprietary NutraTek™ mineral delivery technology, which combines each mineral with specialized organic molecules—just like nature—to optimize absorption and distribution to body cells. Our flagship supplement, Daily Essential Nutrients, is widely considered to be the most research-backed micronutrient treatment.