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Food, Mood and Women's Health – Be your healthiest, look and feel great!

Archives for March 2012

Natural remedies for a cold, flu and sore throat

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On my recent food-mood trip to Boston, I was able to keep going for three days despite the fact that I had picked up a bug or two!  I had a slight sore throat before leaving and the long flight and time change didn’t help. It was also a pretty demanding 3 days of all-day presenting on Food and Mood: 9 Steps to Calm the Anxious Mind, Improve Mood & End Cravings.  Each day I lectured for about 7 hours and had about an hour of Q&A time answering questions. I really thought I might lose my voice by the end of day two but these natural remedies for colds, flu and sore throats really saved the day!

  • Vitamin D (5000IU), which has important antimicrobial properties
  • Vitamin C (1000mg 4 x day) and Zinc (30mg), both of which help with the common cold
  • Boiron Cold Calm, a homeopathic product that is amazing for cold symptoms
  • Boiron Oscillococcinum, a homeopathic product that is amazing for flu symptoms
  • Boiron Roxalia, a homeopathic product for hoarseness/voice strain. I love Boiron Cold Calm and Oscillococcinum and always have some on hand, especially when travelling. The Roxalia product was new to me but worked wonders for all the talking and I think should be a standard for speakers and singers! You can check out all the Boiron products here. Another favorite is the Arnica cream which I used on my aching feet (all that standing!)
  • I drank warm herbal tea all day. I had a jug of hot water up near the podium and enjoyed sipping on Throat Coat!
  • I also gargled twice a day with a few drops of tea tree oil diluted in warm water
  • And another new one for me was Manuka lozenges – lozenges made from pure manuka New Zealand honey, very soothing on the throat and with great anti-bacterial properties. This is a keeper too!

I did of course also make sure to eat well, drink plenty of filtered water and get a good night’s sleep. I hope you can benefit from some of these wonderful natural remedies too.

Total cholesterol that is too low: anxiety and depression in women

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If your total cholesterol level is too low, you’re at increased risk for anxiety, depression, and even suicide, as well as increased risk of strokes, cancer, digestive diseases and respiratory diseases.

A study by Suarez in 1999 in Psychosomatic Medicine found a relationship between low cholesterol and increased anxiety and depression in women. And in a 2008 paper in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry it was reported that when total cholesterol is less than 160 mg/dl (milligrams per decililter), there may be an increased risk of suicide.

An interesting 1992 editorial in the journal Circulation reported that these same levels were also associated with increased risk of death from strokes, cancer, and digestive and respiratory diseases. In addition, this editoral emphasizes that, among women, there is no association between high blood cholesterol and cardiovascular deaths.

Dr Mark Hyman, MD is one of my favorite integrative physicians and he writes extensively on cholesterol and why it may not be the cause of heart disease.  He talks about the importance of ratios (total cholesterol to HDL and triglycerides to HDL) and considering additional testing if you’re concerned about heart disease: NMR Lipid Profile to look at particle sizes, Hemoglobin A1c, Cardio C-reactive protein for inflammation, Homocysteine, Fibrinogen, Lipoprotein (a) and others.

Low total cholesterol is a topic that I address in The Antianxiety Food Solution: How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood and End Cravings, available in major books stores, at Amazon and via www.antianxietyfoodsolution.com.  It is just one of many factors that need to be considered for anxiety and mood issues.

Low blood sugar can result in anxiety

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Signs of low blood sugar may include:

  • Anxiety, irritability, agitation, nervousness
  • Shaky between meals or when you skip a meal
  • Poor memory, focus and fatigue
  • Intense sweet craving at various times of the day
  • Feeling stressed and overwhelmed
  • Waking in the night (low blood sugar is one of many causes of insomnia)

When you have stable blood sugar, you will feel grounded, experience less overwhelm and stress, feel less anxious and have no cravings – if your cravings are blood sugar related (cravings can also be due to yeast, low serotonin, low endorphins, low catecholamines and low GABA)

Simple dietary changes to help stabilize your blood sugar

1.     Eat enough protein

  • Eat at least 20-25g (4oz or palm-sized portions) of good quality protein at each meal
  • Grassfed beef, lamb, wild fish, pastured chicken, turkey and eggs, dairy (if it’s not an issue for you), legumes
  • This is not negotiable – you must eat breakfast every day! And within an hour of waking
  • If you can’t quite give up your coffee make sure to eat breakfast first
  • Make sure to include protein at breakfast! (egg, fish, chicken sausage, cheese/yogurt, even dinner for breakfast)
  • Substitute packaged cereals with real oatmeal, buckwheat & other grains and add nuts, seeds, coconut, butter, yogurt or kefir or a scoop of whey protein
  • Smoothies are good too – use fruit like berries and banana, use water as your base, add 1/3 cup full-fat coconut milk, 20g whey protein powder (other optional additions: green powder or freshly juiced greens, yogurt or kefir, nut butters, freshly ground flax seeds)

2.     Eat 3 meals and 2 snacks

  • Protein, fat and carbohydrate at each meal and snack.
  • Lunch example: protein= Beef, lamb, fish, chicken, turkey, legumes fat=butter, olive oil, avocado; carbohydrate = starchy veggie like sweet potato or brown rice
  • Meal ideas: meat and veggies, salad and protein, veggie soup with protein, lentil soup
  • Snack ideas: boiled egg; crackers and hummus; fruit and a few nuts; crackers and cheese; raw carrots/zucchini and cream cheese
  • Always carry some nuts with you for emergencies! Pumpkin seeds are a great choice.

Thanks to Elizabeth E for her recent comment on Amazon (this is an excerpt):

“I just recently finished reading this book and am grateful for such a great resource! I’ve already begun employing some of the suggestions laid out and they are helping. For example, I am making sure to include more protein in my breakfast and it’s definitely helping my anxiety!”

There are nutrients that help with blood sugar control: the amino acid glutamine, and zinc and chromium. These will be addressed in a later blog post.

All of this and much more is covered in great detail in The Antianxiety Food Solution: How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood and End Cravings, now available in major books stores, at Amazon and via www.antianxietyfoodsolution.com

Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup

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Lentils are a good source of protein, fiber and complex carbohydrates, and they are packed with nutrients. They provide folic acid and tryptophan, and are also an important source of iron, especially for menstruating women, whose iron needs are greater. Eating lentils with foods rich in vitamin C, such as tomatoes, green peppers, broccoli and citrus fruits helps the body absorb iron more efficiently. The soluble fiber found in lentils is good for the digestive system, lowers cholesterol and decreases insulin requirements for people with diabetes. It will also help keep blood sugar levels stable if you are prone to low blood sugar (and low blood sugar can leave you feeling anxious and stressed with poor focus).

Lentils are also quick and easy to prepare since they don’t require soaking. They are also versatile and can be made into a soup or stew or loaf, and can even be sprouted.

Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup

1T butter or coconut oil 1 cup red lentils, rinsed
5 cups vegetable stock 2 sweet potatoes or yams
2 chopped onions 1 chopped green pepper
2 chopped garlic cloves 2 T apple cider vinegar
1 t ground coriander 1 t ground cumin
½ t chilli powder (optional) 1T chopped fresh ginger
Chopped cilantro 2 tomatoes or 1 can tomatoes

Heat the butter and sauté the garlic, ginger and onion. Add the spices (coriander, chilli, cumin). Stir in stock and lentils, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and bring to boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. Blend in a food processor until smooth. Add vinegar and stir well. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve. Enjoy!

California lobby days by NANP – follow up from CA AB575

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Sacramento State Capitol
Sacramento State Capitol

The recent California lobby days were very successful and we feel we have made some great connections and started to build some excellent relationships. Nicole Hodson (NANP Executive Director), Julie Spero (President of NANP) and I went to the Capitol in Sacramento with lobbyist Randy Pollack. It was a whirl-wind tour of meetings over 2 days, with 16 women and men of the CA Assembly and Senate along with their staff members.

There is no new or pending legislation so it was a meet and greet. We met for about 15 minutes in each office and let them get to know what we as nutrition professionals do for our clients. Each of us talked about the health issues we work with and how we benefit our clients – demonstrating real world health issues being addressed through whole food nutrition. Nicole talked about the benefits of diet for ADHD, Julie about diabetes and diet and I spoke about the powerful impact diet has on anxiety and depression.  Nicole also talked about the National Association of Nutrition Professionals / NANP  and the board exam. Randy introduced the Alliance for Natural Health and other nutrition professionals, talked about AB575 (the CA bill introduced and defeated in 2011) and our concerns around the language that would prevent us from doing invaluable work for the people who need it most.  We also made sure they understood that the majority of dietitians tend to work in institutional settings such as hospitals, prisons and schools, while nutritionists tend to serve the individual. We also talked about consumer choice.

Some highlights

  • We met with Mary Hayashi, the Assemblywoman who introduced AB575 in 2011. We believe her Republican counterparts on the committee were opposed to AB575 and that they also received negative pressure from the Nurses Association.
  • Assemblywoman Fiona Ma is a champion of many health causes like Hepatitis B and Diabetes. She has invited us to attend an upcoming ‘Women in Government’ event and is interested in using us as a resource for health related speakers and articles. We have invited her to our annual NANP conference, along with Assemblyman Jerry Hill, whose district includes the city of Millbrae where our conference will be held
  • We met with Jazmin Hicks, a senate fellow in Senator Vargus’ office who authored a paper on “Policy on preventative health rather than palliative health”
  • We met Assemblywoman Butler who banned BPA in bay bottles
  • Senator Emerson’s office is reviewing a gluten-free bill for the department of public health and we had a long discussion with staff members while waiting for our meeting
  • We had some healthy (no pun intended!) discussions with various well-read and informed legislators and staff members about the importance of breakfast, gluten intolerance, the effects of diet on rheumatoid arthritis, the connection between gluten and autism, diet and ADHD and horrible hospital food

We very much appreciate the support of ANH and the fact that they hired a lobbyist. All in all an excellent and informative two days!