When I get a patient facing depression, one of the first things I do — before I run a single test — is ask what they’ve been eating.

And most of the time, the answer to that question tells me everything I need to know — because people who eat garbage usually end up with a mood down in the dumps.

This food-mood connection has been proven time and again. And now, a new study out of Europe on nearly 9,000 people finds that a steady junk-food habit can boost your risk of depression by up to 51 percent.

The two specific categories with the strongest links to depression were fast food like burgers and pizza and processed pastries such as donuts and croissants.

It didn’t take much, either, because the researchers say patients with even a moderate junk habit had a higher risk of depression than those who ate better foods.

The only flaw here is that the consumption levels were tracked using a food frequency questionnaire — a fairly weak form of research that relies on people to recall not only what they ate, but how much and how often they ate it.

And, as you might imagine, people have a tendency to lie on those things to make it seem like they have better habits than they really do.

Still, there’s something to this — because it’s been proven by stronger studies, and it’s not hard to see why. Junk food is completely lacking in the nutrients your body needs to function… especially your brain.

What’s more, empty carbs can cause your sugar levels to fluctuate wildly — elevating your mood briefly, and then bringing it crashing back down.

And let’s not forget that many people have hidden or undiagnosed food sensitivities that cause or worsen depression and other mood disorders — and the ingredients and chemicals used in junk food are often the culprit.

Junk in the diet also creates body fat — and excess body fat can cause your hormones to go haywire. And yes, hormonal imbalances are also a major cause of depression.

I’ve found that any number of supposedly mental disorders can be cured, or at least dramatically improved, through better diet — including depression, anxiety, and ADHD.

From food to drink — I’ve got something brewing next that you definitely want to see. Keep reading!

Everyone’s terrified of trans fats these days, and it’s not hard to see why: They’ve been so vilified that some places are actually banning them.

Must be something to it, right?

There is — because the trans fats that come from hydrogenated vegetable oils are every bit as bad as their reputation, and then some: They’ll up your odds of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, dementia, depression and more.

Avoid them like the plague, and I’ll tell you how in a moment (it’s not as easy as it sounds).

But there’s another type of trans fat — the trans fats found in fresh meats and dairy. And the latest research confirms that not only is this stuff harmless, but you want to go out of your way to get it.

Researchers put 61 women onto a diet rich in these natural trans fats for a month — something the health officials who are issuing blanket trans fat bans would have you believe is a recipe for disaster.

No disaster here.

In fact, according to the study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, these women had no increase in any of the traditional mainstream risk factors for heart problems — including no changes to their levels of LDL cholesterol or triglycerides.

And for a month, they got to eat some actual fresh, natural fats — something more of us could use these days, since natural meats and dairy are some of the healthiest foods around.

Unfortunately, most people don’t get their trans fats from natural meats and dairy. They get them from fast food, snacks and even so-called “healthy” alternatives like margarine.

And spotting these food by checking the nutritional labels isn’t as easy as you might think. Believe it or not food companies are allowed to round small amounts of trans fats down to zero, as if they don’t exist at all.

Meanwhile, all it takes is just a few servings for that little bit to turn into too much — a little supermarket coffee creamer and some margarine each day, for example, and you could actually exceed the recommended daily intake for these deadly fats.

The fact is you can’t trust the “ZERO TRANS FATS” package blurbs or even the nutritional information tables. Go right to the ingredients label instead — and if the product contains any partially hydrogenated vegetable oils at all, put it back.

That’s a sure sign of trans fats — and even if it was truly trans fat free, odds are it’s something you shouldn’t be eating anyway.

And really, let’s get real here; is there anyone who actually likes the taste of margarine?

There are plenty of gimmicks out there that claim they’ll help you to quit smoking — not to mention a couple of risky Big Pharma drugs.

And just about none of them work.

Ever see someone with a nicotine patch on each arm and a cigarette in his hand puffing away? Me too.

The latest research confirms what’s obvious to everyone but him: The patch doesn’t work.

And here’s something else to chew on: Nicotine gums are equally ineffective.

Of 787 smokers who quit in the new study, a third restarted again within two years — and the folks who spent money on patches, gums, inhalers and sprays were just as likely to be among them as those who went cold turkey.

That’s a far cry from the success rate promised when these things were first approved by the FDA, with studies showing they could triple the success rate of quitters.

But it’s right in line with what anyone who’s already tried — and failed — to quit using gums and patches can already tell you. And it’s also right in line with the rest of the research on this, which shows that all the gimmicks in the world can’t deter a determined smoker from his habit.

On the other hand, at least the worst thing that could come from a nicotine patch or gum is another failed attempt at quitting…and hopefully the determination to try even harder next time. (There’s always a next time, right?)

If you turn to meds for help, however, you could find yourself battling something worse than a return of your bad habit. You could even end up in a fight for your life.

As I’ve told you before, Chantix — the most common anti-smoking med — has been linked time and again to bizarre behavior and even suicide…and one recent study found the drug can boost your odds of severe depression or suicide by 800 percent.

If that’s not enough, Chantix has also been linked to violence, hallucinations, paranoia, confusion and weird dreams — and some of the drug’s side effects can actually start after you stop taking it.

All that, and 80 percent of the people who take the drug are back to smoking a year later.

Here’s the “cold” hard truth: There’s one method that’s been proven time and again to work. It’s been used by close to 90 percent of successful quitters…and it won’t even cost you a dime.

It’s cold turkey… and if you’re serious about quitting, put it on the menu tonight.

There’s no two ways about it: When it comes to beating depression, that last thing you want is your doctor’s first choice.

Tell him you’re down in the dumps, and he’ll reach for his prescription pad — but the dirty secret about the depression meds used by some 30 million Americans every year is that they just don’t work.

Too many people have already figured that out the hard way — and now, a new study in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry confirms it’s not just them.

It’s the drugs.

In this one, researchers put sertraline — aka Zoloft — up against both a placebo and a form of psychotherapy. Sixteen weeks later, and there was no statistical difference between any of the three groups.

Some of the patients on Zoloft were even switched to another med, Effexor — and still got no relief.

This shouldn’t surprise anyone, since studies have shown for years how even the most popular antidepressant drugs can’t beat a placebo.

But it did.

“I was surprised by the results,” confessed lead researcher Jacques P. Barber, dean of the Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies at Adelphi University in New York, according to Reuters. “They weren’t what I’d expected.”

I’m not sure what Dr. Barber was expecting, since I tell you all the time about research in which antidepressants fall way short. A study just last month even found that not only do SSRIs get roughly the same response rate as the placebo, but they actually make the depression worse a full fifth of the time.

That’s not the only risk that comes from SSRIs — and it’s not even close to the worst risk. These drugs have been linked to everything from personality changes to sexual dysfunction to death, including death by suicide.

But you don’t have to put your life on the line for a treatment that doesn’t work — because there are real answers out there…answers that can change your life for the better if you’re willing to look.

In many cases, depression is a result of nutritional and hormonal imbalances — something no antidepressant drug in the world can fix. A skilled naturopathic physician, however, can help you find the real source of your depression and correct it without meds.

To find a doctor skilled in natural medicine, you may contact the American College for the Advancement in Medicine at www.acam.org, 949-309-3520, or 1-800-532-3688.

For short-term relief while you look for that solution, you still don’t have to turn to antidepressants. St. John’s wort has matched or even beaten drugs in some studies, and the amino acid SAMe works so well it’s often the first choice in Europe.

You’ll find both of them in any vitamin shop.