Most of us have days when we feel great: energetic, enthusiastic, clear-headed, content, and well-balanced. We also have those other days when we feel down: sluggish, unmotivated, forgetful, irritable, helpless, and hopeless.
Eat more when you're stressed? You're not alone. Many of us are quick to turn to either sugary foods or highly refined carbohydrates such as bagels or white pasta when the stress hits.
When we feel stressed we seek foods that are going to comfort us immediately, but often times those foods lead to surges and crashes in hormones and blood sugar that increase our susceptibility to new stresses.
But let's stop for a moment and think how food effects our mood. Many people feel fuzzy-headed and sleepy after lunch because the blood sugar levels which rise after we eat, suppress a brain chemical responsible for feeling alert.
On the other hand, when we are really hungry and the blood sugar is low, we are more likely to become impatient, irritable, and angry.
When it comes to the food-mood connection, blood sugar fluctuations are only the beginning. The quality and the quantity of the nutrients available in our food go a long way toward determining our emotional resilience and stability.
Compelling scientific evidence shows that mental health and physical health are absolutely intertwined, and we now understand that the link between mood and nutrition is much stronger than previously thought.
This food/mood connection is thanks to the neurotransmitter we all know as serotonin.
Generally speaking, low levels of serotonin cause us to be more depressed and higher levels make us happier.
The prevention and management of many diseases rely on our genetic individuality, our environment, stress management, and healthy lifestyle habits – and nutrition is the foundation of a healthy body and mind.
Unfortunately, the nutritionally depleted wasteland we call the Standard American Diet is causing widespread nutritional deficiencies, along with an epidemic of anxiety and depression.
Highly processed foods will spike serotonin levels, but then cause the mood and energy to crash. This insulin roller-coaster ride stresses the body and can lead to obesity, diabetes and hypertension.
The solution is simple, and it's NOT more Prozac. Instead, simply eating a diet high in fish, meat, fruits and vegetables, and low in processed foods and added sugar, can help you feel dramatically better. To make this easier, good nutritional and herbal support can also give people their lives back, without the toxicity of psychiatric medications.
Following are the key ones, which I personally take constantly to turbocharge my energy, optimize health, and be a calm and happy soul.
B vitamins and folate - are critical for proper brain function.
Vitamin B1 improves mood, by increasing a brain neurotransmitter called acetylcholine which decreases anxiety and improves memory at the same time. Vitamin B1 deficiency worsens learning disorders in young children and increases aggressive behavior.
VitaminB2 has been associated with decreasing risk of postpartum depression, while also decreasing migraine frequency.
B12 and folic acid have also been shown to be helpful for depression.
Magnesium is critical in hundreds of reactions in the body, and deficiency is present in the majority of Americans. Low magnesium will put the body on a hair trigger for anxiety, as well as for pain.
NAC, which our bodies use to make the critical antioxidant called glutathione, has been shown to be helpful in a wide array of psychological problems.
Vitamin D* deficiency is associated with many autoimmune problems as well as with depression. As this is the "sunshine vitamin," the insane advice to avoid sunshine has triggered an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency.
Another key cause of depression and anxiety is deficiency of omega-3 fish oils.
Got depression? Repeated studies have shown that a special highly absorbed form of curcumin called CuraMed was more effective than antidepressants in head on studies. In addition, instead of the side effects of the medications, curcumin is associated with side benefits, including less pain, optimizing immunity to decrease cancer risk, and likely lower risk of Alzheimer's.
For anxiety, it is not necessary to be addicted to Xanax. A special herbal supplements such as AnxioCalm or ZenRx are good alternatives at restoring calm with no addiction or side effects.
Boost your serotonin levels:
Manage your stress
Exercise, exercise, exercise - it’s free and raises your serotonin levels. No need for drugs!
Eat the right foods! It’s not your fault that you crave the wrong foods. When we are low in serotonin ourr body craves tryptophan, an amino acid that helps serotonin production. Skip the high carb junk and opt for these tryptophan rich foods instead:
Turkey, chicken and seafood are all very high in l-tryptophan, but choose pasture raised poultry and wild caught seafood for the healthiest options
Eggs (pasture raised, organic is ideal)
Nuts – pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts, sunflowers seeds and cashews contain at least 50 mg. of l-tryptophan per 1/4 cup serving
Bananas
Legumes (beans, peas & lentils)
Milk and cheese -full-fat, raw, organic dairy is best
Yogurt - but avoid the high sugar, artificially colored ones
At Rejuvii we offer stress relief drips which will help you to feel calm and relaxed.
This simple regimen can leave you feeling fantastic. It can also safely be combined with mood medications.
It's easy to feel calm and happy—naturally!
If you have any questions or would like to get more information, please call us at 224-372-3747.
