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Archives for May 2013

Carob Coconut Avocado bites

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¼ cup coconut oil
1 ripe avocado
1 T maple syrup
½ cup carob powder
Pinch sea salt
¾ cup coconut flakes (unsweetened)
¼ cup sesame seeds

Melt the coconut oil on the stove. Remove avocado and mash. Mix in coconut oil and all the ingredients and stir well. Spoon into a glass pan and press flat. Put in the fridge until set and then cut into small bites or squares and serve with fresh blueberries. Yummy!

This recipe was inspired by a recipe of something served at the annual conference of the National Association of Nutrition Professionals. I replaced the cocoa and nibs with carob for those with caffeine issues (some people with anxiety are super-sensitive to the effects of caffeine, even that found in cocoa and chocolate). I also omitted the stevia because it spoils the taste of everything. And I added coconut flakes for crunch and sesame seeds for calcium. 

Funny thing….I love avocado! It’s possibly one of my favorite foods (together with eggs, Brussels sprouts, lamb, coconut and paw paw) and I was excited to try it out in this recipe. But it’s totally lost – no hint of avocado! It seems rather a waste! Do let me know what you think.

Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution

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The targeted use of individual amino acid supplements will balance brain chemistry to alleviate anxiety, fear, worry, panic attacks, and feeling stressed or overwhelmed. They can also be helpful in addressing other problems that contribute to or exacerbate anxiety, such as sugar cravings and addictions. In addition, they can help with depression and insomnia, which often co-occur with anxiety. When you balance your brain chemistry, not only will you alleviate symptoms of anxiety, you’ll also have a great mood, eliminate cravings, sleep well, and have good energy and mental focus.

Worry and anxiety can be a result of low GABA and also low serotonin, so you may check off anxiety in both sections. Low GABA tends to result in a more physical anxiety, while low serotonin tends to result in more anxiety in the head, ruminating thoughts etc.

Low GABA

  • Anxiety and feeling overwhelmed or stressed
  • Feeling worried or fearful
  • Panic attacks
  • Unable to relax or loosen up
  • Stiff or tense muscles
  • Feeling stressed and burned-out
  • Craving carbs, alcohol, or drugs for relaxation and calming

Low Serotonin

  • Anxiety
  • Panic attacks or phobias
  • Feeling worried or fearful
  • Obsessive thoughts or behaviors
  • Perfectionism or being overly controlling
  • Irritability
  • Anxiety that’s worse in winter
  • Winter blues or seasonal affective disorder
  • Negativity or depression
  • Suicidal thoughts
  • Excessive self-criticism
  • Low self-esteem and poor self-confidence
  • PMS or menopausal mood swings
  • Sensitivity to hot weather
  • Hyperactivity
  • Anger or rage
  • Digestive issues
  • Fibromyalgia, temporomandibular joint syndrome, or other pain syndromes
  • Difficulty getting to sleep
  • Insomnia or disturbed sleep
  • Afternoon or evening cravings for carbs, alcohol or drugs

Low Catecholamines

  • Depression and apathy
  • Easily bored
  • Lack of energy
  • Lack of focus
  • Lack of drive and low motivation
  • Attention deficit disorder
  • Procrastination and indecisiveness
  • Craving carbs, alcohol, caffeine, or drugs for energy

Low Endorphins

  • Heightened sensitivity to emotional pain
  • Heightened sensitivity to physical pain
  • Crying or tearing up easily
  • Eating to soothe your mood, or comfort eating
  • Really, really loving certain foods, behaviors, drugs, or alcohol
  • Craving a reward or numbing treat

Low Blood Sugar

  • Crave sugar, starch or alcohol any time during the day
  • Irritable, shaky, headachey – especially if too long between meals
  • Intense cravings for sweets
  • Lightheaded if meals are missed
  • Eating relieves fatigue
  • Agitated, easily upset, nervous

Each of the above sections on specific neurotransmitter or brain chemical imbalances are found in The Antianxiety Food Solution: How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood and End Cravings. They were reprinted from The Mood Cure (2004) with permission from Julia Ross. They do contain some of my own modifications based on my experience with working with many clients.

Individual amino acids are used based on the above questionnaires and the results are profound and often felt within a few minutes:

Amazing Amino Acids for Ending Emotional Eating – No Willpower Required! Really!!

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We start Monday with this live course where I am going to share the five brain chemical imbalances and respective amazing amino acids that can end cravings and emotional eating.

If you have these symptoms, then amino acids may help:

  • LOVING a certain food (do you just LOVE pizza or really LOVE cookies as a reward or to numb!?)
  • wanting caffeine or sugar for a pick me up in the afternoon
  • afternoon or night time cravings for carbs
  • poor sleep
  • feeling anxious and irritable (and wanting sugar/starches/alcohol to calm you down)
  • depression and low self-esteem (and wanting sugar/starch/alcohol for soothing)

Yep, all of those can be caused by a lack of some key amino acids that we either don’t get in our food or don’t get enough of.  I have amazing results with my clients!

I recently participated in the incredible Loving Food Loving Life Emotional Eating telesumit hosted by Aimee Serafini. The participants were so wowed by this new information that Aimee asked me to create a group program that would be affordable AND where participants could all support each other.

I’m going to share exactly what and how much to take and what brands based on your own brain chemical imbalances.  Plus we’ll also talk about diet, breakfast, getting enough protein, meal timing, your adrenals and thyroid, food intolerances and much more!

Here is the complete overview of the course:

  • Five Live Classes covering each of the 5 neurotransmitter deficiency categories (low serotonin, low GABA, low catecholamines, low endorphins and low blood sugar) and recordings for your library after the calls (live class dates are 5pm PT / 8pm ET: Mondays May 13 & 20, Tuesday May 28 (due to holiday), and Mondays June 3 & 10)
  • Bonus Live Q&A call after course to answer questions (Monday, June 17)
  • If you cannot attend the live classes, you will get the recordings to download so you can listen when you have time and refer to them later, plus you can ask questions on Facebook. Please do not let scheduling affect your being able to start getting relief now
  • Amino Acid Precautions questionnaire (to address contraindications)
  • Amino Acid Deficiency questionnaire
  • Food Mood Log – to figure out how food affects you and how you are feeling prior to eating
  • Supplement Sheet for amino acid timings
  • Membership in a private Facebook Group for peer support.  Support is super important and hearing the experiences and questions of other participants will surely be of great benefit
  • A Bonus audio interview with Mira Dessy, Nutrition Educator and Whole Food Advocate: The Pantry Principle, How to Read the label and Know What’s Really in Your Food 

If you’re still on the fence

Are you in or out? 

Aimee and I hope to have you join us (Aimee enrolled for this class too!)  If you would like to enroll in this 6 week live virtual class you can still register here 

[7/8/13 update: this event has concluded and this program is now available as a 6 week homestudy program: The Amazing Amino Acids for Ending Emotional Eating – No Willpower Required! Really!! (Home Study Program – with or without Live Q&A calls) ]

 

Gluten, leaky gut, LPS, anxiety and Dr. Tom O’Bryan at NANP

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Spaghetti and Elbow Macaroni

I’m just back from a great few days at THE best nutrition conference – the annual conference of the National Association of Nutrition Professionals http://www.nanp.org/conference/speakers-sessions/

Dr. Tom O’ Bryan, DC, an expert on gluten, presented the following in his very interesting talk:

  • “One particularly detrimental consequence of increased intestinal permeability” (or leaky gut) caused by gluten sensitivity or celiac disease “is the translocation of bacteria (e.g., E. Coli) and bacterial products (lipopolysaccharides or LPS) also known as endotoxin which creates a proinflammatory environment and increases the oxidative stress burden in the enteric nervous system”
  • “Even minute doses of microbes within the gastrointestinal tract, levels that do not trigger an immune response, are capable of influencing neurotransmission in the paraventricular hypothalamus, the central nucleus of the amygdala and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. All three of these regions are involved in the processing of emotions related to anxiety and mood.”
  • “It is suggested that patients with” depression “should be checked for leaky gut by means of the IgM and IgA panel used in the present study and accordingly should be treated for leaky gut”.

In summary, gluten sensitivity or celiac disease can lead to leaky gut which can in turn allow endotoxins called lipopolysaccharides/LPS to relocate into the blood stream. This causes inflammation, oxidative damage, neurotransmitter deficiencies and depression and anxiety.

The study above, refers to depression, however, research also shows that LPS plays a role in stress and anxiety too.

Dr. O’Bryan also discussed the role that LPS plays in rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune and musculoskeletal disorders.

Dr. O’Bryan recommends IgG food intolerance testing to identify leaky gut (if you show up with food intolerances to many foods then leaky gut may be an issue) and then to first heal the gut.

These foods will need to be eliminated for at least 3 months and then added back slowly and one at a time.  Many people are surprised to find out that they have issues with seemingly healthy foods like salmon, green beans, peas, strawberries, almonds etc.  Of course, eliminating gluten goes without saying. This is the approach that I use with my clients and is part of the holistic approach that must be used when someone has any mood or physical health problem.

He also talked about LPS antibody testing from Cyrex labs and I look forward to learning more about this.

It was a really great conference, with locally sourced gluten-free meals included in registration! I am gluten-sensitive and it was such a pleasant change to be able to attend a conference and know that what I’m eating won’t affect me!

All the presentations were recorded and will be available for purchase from NANP next month.