Food and mood

60+ Nutritional & Biochemical Causes of Anxiety

May 19, 2015 By Trudy Scott 50 Comments

nutritional causes of anxiety

I shared these 60+ Nutritional & Biochemical Causes of Anxiety on my closing call of the The Anxiety Summit season 3. Since then I’ve kept this list updated as I find additional research, connections and case studies. In conjunction with my book “The Antianxiety Food Solution”, interviews and other blogs, I hope this list will help you put the puzzle pieces together to resolve your anxiety.

Keep in mind it’s not uncommon to have many root causes so if it feels too overwhelming, addressing low serotonin and/or low GABA first, really does help with the overwhelm, fear, anxiety and negativity.

The Foundational Causes from The Antianxiety Food Solution :

Food – real whole food, organic (pesticides may be problematic), quality protein (grass-fed, wild, pastured), healthy fats; avoid junk/processed food with additives/colors/trans fats/GMOs
Sugar – depletes zinc and magnesium and fills us up. We should not feel the need for treats/fruit should satisfy our desire for sweet
Low blood sugar – breakfast/protein/healthy snacks/no coffee
Caffeine/Coffee – even decaf coffee may be an issue. Coffee has high-levels of pesticides, affects blood sugar and affects hormones
Tobacco – depletes key nutrients like zinc, vitamin C
alcohol – depletes key nutrients like zinc, vitamin C
Food sensitivities – gluten (plus glyphosates/roundup affect serotonin/zinc etc), dairy, GAPs, grains
Digestive system – low HCl
Digestive system – Low good bacteria/probiotics
Digestive system – other enzymes are low
Digestive system – candida
Digestive system – parasites
Digestive system – leaky gut
Digestive system – liver/gallbladder issues
Digestive system – SIBO
Brain chemicals/neurotransmitters: low GABA (covered in detail in season 4 of the Anxiety Summit)
Brain chemicals/neurotransmitters: low serotonin
Brain chemicals/neurotransmitters: low endorphins
Brain chemicals/neurotransmitters: low catecholamines (need for coffee/sugar) or high catecholamines. Gut health, what you eat, coffee, gluten all affect the brain chemicals
Pyroluria/social anxiety – zinc, vitamin B6 and EPO (addressing this improves brain chemical imbalances and hormone imbalances)
A need for zinc
A need for vitamin B6
A need for EPO
Toxins/pesticides/plastics/BPA
Medication side-effects/withdrawal (benzos are the worst)
Sex hormones imbalances (especially low progesterone)
Thyroid problems – hyperthyroid/Hashimoto’s thyroiditis can cause anxiety symptoms; low thyroid symptoms – amino acids are not as effective
Adrenals issues: cortisol imbalance can affect how you handle stress, digestion, inflammation; high cortisol can have direct impact on anxiety levels
Low total cholesterol (<150)
Low levels of vitamin D, magnesium, vitamin C
Low levels of vitamin B12
Low levels of folate
Low levels of iron (test ferritin)
Not getting exercise
Not working on stress-reduction (tai chi, meditation, guided imagery, yoga)
Not getting out in nature
Not getting at least 8 hours of sleep

[the above are all covered in great detail in my book The Antianxiety Food Solution ]

Other possible nutritional/biochemical/physical causes of anxiety/depression

Drug-induced nutrient deficiencies (for example: the birth control pill depletes vitamin B6, folate, magnesium)
MVP (mitral valve prolapse) – it feel like the “heart is skipping a beat” (magnesium may help)
Infections – strep can cause OCD/PANDAS/PANS. Also consider: H/Pylori, Lyme disease, clostridia
Heavy metals like mercury or lead. We covered mercury in season 2 – Your hidden mercury burden: A likely root cause of the other root causes of anxiety and mercury/lead detox in season 4 with Dr. John Dempster
Anything that increases inflammation in the body (high CRP is a good clue)
Herbicide/Roundup use in the home/garden
Genetic polymorphisms – MTHFR, COMT, MAOA, GAD – Dr. Ben Lynch is an excellent resource and has shared his expertise on season 2 – Anxiety: Biochemical and genetic predispositionsand season 3 – How Methylfolate can make you Feel Worse and even Cause Anxiety
Apolipoprotein E ?4 (ApoE ?4) gene polymorphism
Other possible hormone issues: high prolactin, low oxytocin
Histamine reaction to certain foods (Yasmina covers this in her interview in season 3: Histamine-containing Foods: their Role in Anxiety, Depression and Schizophrenia )
Oxalates reaction (berries, leafy greens, nuts). A good resource is lowoxalateinfo
SIBO and FODMAPs/fructose malabsorption (affects serotonin levels)
Too much of some nutrients: fish oil, a B complex, tyrosine, folate
Low lithium (impacts GABA levels)
Copper toxicity i.e. high copper and low zinc
EMFs, air pollution, noise pollution, cell phone use, smart meters
Marijuana use – used recreationally or as medical marijuana (Dr. Hyla Cass covers this in season 4 of the Anxiety Summit – cognitive issues, anxiety, psychosis, schizophrenia, social anxiety)
Toxic mold exposure (Dr. Jill Carnahan covers this in season 3)
Fluoride exposure
Poor mouth health
Toxoplasma gondii
Metals/chemicals/drugs in the tap water
Low leptin (signals satiety/fullness) and high ghrelin
Over-the counter drugs, inner ear issues/cochlear damage, light sensitivity (Sharon Heller shared Hidden Causes of Anxiety on season 2)
Physical pain (from an injury)
Gas leaks
Plastics/BPA
Accutane, the acne drug can lead to psychiatric disorders in some people

May 14, 2016 updates after Season 4 of the Anxiety Summit:

66. Leptin resistance, obesity, skinny-fat and high body fat % (Mike Mutzel covers this in season 4 – anxiety, inflammation, microbiome, PTSD, cortisol and HPA axis)

67. Fluoroquinolone antibiotics (Lisa Bloomquist covers this in season 4 – anxiety, psychosis, connective tissue damage, mitochondrial impacts)

68. Low histamine/histapenia/overmethylation or high histamine/histadelia/undermethylation – read more here and the season 4 interview with Dr. William Walsh

69. Lack of community and social connection (James Maskell covers this in season 4)

Note: these causes do not include psychological or physical trauma or abuse (both past and current).

If the idea of 60+ causes feels too overwhelming and scary for you start with the basic food changes and look at the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution. GABA and serotonin support benefits most of my clients. You can see how to do a trial here and find the products I use with my clients here – such as tryptophan and GABA.

Missed this interview or can’t listen live? Or want this and the other great interviews for your learning library? Purchase the MP3s or MP3s + transcripts and listen when it suits you.

You can find your purchasing options here: Anxiety Summit Season 1, Anxiety Summit Season 2, and Anxiety Summit Season 3.

The Anxiety Summit – 60+ Nutritional & Biochemical Causes of Anxiety and Recommended Supplements

May 19, 2015 By Trudy Scott 88 Comments

Trudy Scott, host of The Anxiety Summit, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution presents:

Closing call: 60+ Nutritional & Biochemical Causes of Anxiety and Recommended Supplements

60+ Nutritional/biochemical causes of anxiety and associated solutions
4 degrees/levels of anxiety I see and response to the 60+ causes
The unique ability of the body to heal
Testing I use with my clients and what tests I’d run if everyone had unlimited funds
My recommendations: supplements
My message of hope

I mentioned the speaker blog posts. You can access them all here: The Anxiety Summit Season 3: All the speakers and topics

I also referred back to speakers and topics from season 1 and 2 so here are those links:

The Anxiety Summit Season 2: All the speakers and topics

The Anxiety Summit: All the speakers and topics (this is summit 1)

If the idea of 60+ causes feels too overwhelming and scary for you here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution. Serotonin support in the form of tryptophan or 5-HTP may help

As Dr. Peter Bongiorno said in his interview: Serotonin and Anxiety, Happiness, Digestion and our Hormones

There can be multiple factors involved as to why someone has anxiety. How you’re going to work through these factors successfully is going to be very different for each person.

Here is the list of the 60+ Nutritional/biochemical causes of anxiety. (Just click on this link to see all of them)

Here is the list of supplements: The Antianxiety Food Solution Amino Acid and Pyroluria Supplements (Just click on this link to see all of them)

Here is the: Nutritional testing for figuring out the root cause/s of your anxiety (Just click on this link to see all of them)

If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here: www.theAnxietySummit.com

Missed this interview or can’t listen live? Or want this and the other great interviews for your learning library? Purchase the MP3s or MP3s + transcripts and listen when it suits you.

You can find your purchasing options here: Anxiety Summit Season 1, Anxiety Summit Season 2, and Anxiety Summit Season 3.

The Anxiety Summit – Real Food for Anxiety: Butter, Broth and Beyond

May 9, 2015 By Trudy Scott 34 Comments

Kaayla T. Daniel PhD, CCN, The Naughty Nutritionist®, author of Nourishing Broth, was interviewed on the Anxiety Summit by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

Real Food for Anxiety: Butter, Broth and Beyond

Butter and the “fats of life”
How vegetarian diets can contribute to anxiety and other mental health disorders
Why soy is NOT a health food and why it can contribute to anxiety, ADHD and other mental health challenges
Paleo diet and “nose to tail eating”
Broths help to cure melancholy/depression and help us deal with stress
A simple broth recipe
The component in broth that helps calm the mind and quell anxiety
How broths heal the gut and how this heals our brains

We started with a discussion about the harmful effects of soy:

What I would say for sure is that soy has a disastrous effect on gut health. We all know now that the gut and the brain are very, very connected.

The component in the soy bean that has such a terrible effect on the gut is the trypsin inhibitor or some people would call it protease inhibitors. Trypsin or protease are the enzymes we need to digest protein properly. If we’re inhibiting that process, the fact that soy beans are high in protein is a problem because we’re inhibiting the ability to digest that protein very well. You end up with a lot of digestive distress.

Then the inability to digest the protein and the stress on the pancreas can lead to what we often see with people is pancreatitis.

That’s where you start seeing some of the anxiety problems, for example, because chronic pancreatitis is a long-term progressive inflammatory disease, and it can cause distress including anxiety

We talked about one of my favorite replacements for soy-based energy bars: pemmican. I just call pemmican the energy bar of the twenty first century. It’s just a wonderful snack to have. It’s healthy. It has good fats, and it sustains you. You can purchase pemmican from US Wellness Meats.

Then we talked about broths and glycine:

there’s a lot of different definitions of broth and stock, but basically we’re taking animal bones, and they’re going to come complete with cartilage and some skin. We’re going to make a broth with that. The main ingredients would be those bones plus a good quality water and a little bit of apple cider vinegar or a different kind of vinegar. Actually, any kind of vinegar or perhaps a wine that will help pull the collagen or the gelatin out of the bones and cartilage as well as some of the minerals.

We’re going to have a very, very delicious and rich broth. From that, we can go and make soups and stews. There’s also ways we can do things like start from the beginning with, say, lamb skanks and vegetables and make that into a dish. The point is we’re pulling all the minerals and the cartilage and the marrow from the bones into our diet in terms of a delicious broth, soup, or stew.

we have some science behind it quelling the stress and anxiety too. One of the factors would be there’s some evidence that broth will help us sleep. Now, that’s pretty interesting because broth is actually completely devoid of tryptophan and we think we need tryptophan to sleep well. We do, but broth does contain glycine and glutamine and that can help us sleep

I mentioned that I had found a large amount of research looking at a specific antibiotic called Cycloserine

it’s actually an antibiotic that is used for tuberculosis and is sold under the brand name Seromycin. They discovered that this antibiotic can actually penetrate that central nervous system via the blood brain barrier and is effective for anxiety, social anxiety, phobia, and fear of public speaking. It affects the glycine bonding sites. Wow, if we’ve got this drug that will affect the glycine binding sites, why not just incorporate more glycine into our diets in the way of beautiful broths.

Here is one of the 2015 papers: D-cycloserine augmentation of cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders: an update.

And an older one: Dose-related anxiogenic effect of glycine in the elevated plus maze and in electrodermal activity.

Here are Kaayla’s books:

The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food

Nourishing Broth: An Old-Fashioned Remedy for the Modern World

If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here: www.theAnxietySummit.com

Missed this interview or can’t listen live? Or want this and the other great interviews for your learning library? Purchase the MP3s or MP3s + transcripts and listen when it suits you.

You can find your purchasing options here: Anxiety Summit Season 1, Anxiety Summit Season 2, and Anxiety Summit Season 3.

Anxiety and targeted individual amino acid supplements: a summary

May 8, 2015 By Trudy Scott 58 Comments

woman-looking-evening

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.

This is a collection of past blog posts on the topic of amino acids in preparation for my season 3 interview on the Anxiety Summit: “Pyroluria, Amino Acids and Anxiety: Troubleshooting when you are not getting results”

In season 1 of the Anxiety Summit, I interviewed my hero, Julia Ross, MFT, pioneer in the field of Amino Acid Therapy and the author of best sellers The Mood Cure. The topic was Eliminating Anxiety – Amino Acid Therapy and Adrenal Balancing

I just love this quote from our interview:

On a scale of zero to ten, zero is not an unrealistic goal when it comes to anxiety. It’s really the human potential and GABA and tryptophan give us access to it

And then this was the topic of my interview on season 2 of the Anxiety Summit: Targeted individual amino acids for eliminating anxiety: practical applications

Glutamine: how it’s calming and helps with blood sugar balancing
GABA: how it eases physical tension
Tryptophan: how it eases anxiety in the head/busy ruminations (and when not to use 5-HTP)
DPA and tyrosine: how they help you quit the comfort-eating and coffee
Precautions when using individual amino acids
Factors that make them more effective and factors that make them less effective

My interview on season 3 will be taking a deeper dive in to this last bullet: Factors that make them more effective and factors that make them less effective, and how to troubleshoot when they are not working.

Today I’d love feedback, comments and questions from you. I want to address your questions. I encourage you to read the blog posts I’m linking to below and learn if this is new to you. Or read them and get a recap if you’ve been following me for awhile. And then PLEASE ASK YOUR QUESTIONS in the comments section below.

Here is the Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution. I encourage you to do and see which sections may be an issue for you (or see how much you’ve improved if you’ve been using amino acids)

There are some precautions to be aware of when taking supplemental amino acids. Here are the Amino Acid Precautions

If you are prone to low blood sugar and have adrenal issues glutamine is wonderful: Glutamine for low blood sugar and calming effects

Of course, if you need them, the aminos are also very effective for eliminating emotional eating and comfort eating. I write about this here:

Of course I have to share some great success stories because the amino acids really are amazing:

The Anxiety Summit: amazing amino acids client success with Meme Grant

Meme had anxiety, had panic attacks, didn’t enjoy speaking in public, had insomnia and was an emotional eater. She found answers with the amazing aminos acids and the pyroluria protocol.

No coffee, adrenal support and amino acids: free of anxiety, high energy and great sleep!

The above great client testimonial shows how a few small changes can make the world of difference; that you don’t have to resort to drugs for anxiety or sleep or energy drinks for fatigue! And that you can feel on top on the world!

Unfortunately not everyone responds as expected when using amino acids. Some people

Don’t get any benefits
Get some benefits but they are marginal
Get an adverse reaction and may even feel more anxious
Get benefits that seem to come and go

My troubleshooting interview will be addressing the above scenarios and other related amino acid questions that come up. PLEASE ASK YOUR QUESTIONS in the comments section below.

If you’re not already signed up do join us here: season 3 of The Anxiety Summit

The Anxiety Summit – Sauerkraut for Gut Healing and Reducing Anxiety

May 8, 2015 By Trudy Scott 36 Comments

Summer Bock, Master Fermentationist, was interviewed on the Anxiety Summit by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

Sauerkraut for Gut Healing and Reducing Anxiety

Summer’s journey and recovery from allergies, gut problems, anxiety and panic attacks, and how fermented foods turned things round for her
The good bacteria we get from fermented foods: psychobiotics and anxiety
Sauerkraut: a “promising nutraceutical for the treatment of malnutrition-induced diseases” and how it helps with asthma, IBS and inflammatory bowel disease
The 3 categories of fermented foods: Functional Ferments, Increased Assimilation Ferments and Primarily Preservation Ferments
The history of kefir
How to buy sauerkraut in the store
How to make your own sauerkraut at home and why

Summer discovered that all the symptoms she was having (food and environmental allergies, anxiety and panic attacks, skin problems) were connected to her gut and that she needed probiotics.

With me being a herbalist and purist, I wanted to know how my ancestors did it. If I don’t have probiotics in my diet how do I get them? What is the whole food version of probiotics? It was when I discovered sauerkraut and kefir and all of these fermented foods and started including them in my diet, that’s when I started to see improvements in my health.

Sauerkraut is a whole food version of probiotics. The probiotics are one thing but raw (unpasteurized) sauerkraut also contains lactic acid which serves as a natural antibiotic.

I mentioned my season 2 interview with Dr. Ted Dinan, MD, PhD. Professor of Psychiatry at University College Cork: Microbes in the gut and psychobiotics as a potential treatment for anxiety and depression

we define a psychobiotic as a live organism that, when ingested in adequate amounts, produces a health benefit in patients suffering from psychiatric illness

This is Dr. Dinan’s most recent paper, published April this year: Gut Microbiota: The Conductor in the Orchestra of Immune-Neuroendocrine Communication

We discussed this paper at length: A MINI REVIEW ON THE MICROBIOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF SAUERKRAUT.

Healthy colons of humans contain some beneficial bacteria which feed on digestive wastes, thereby producing lactic acid. Without these beneficial bacteria, the digestive tracts become a thriving zone for pathogenic bacteria and yeasts, resulting in candidiasis. However, it is suggested that the consumption of lacto-fermented sauerkraut could help re-establish lactobacilli.

could be a promising nutraceutical for the treatment of malnutrition-induced diseases. Also, it could be suggested that the consumption of lacto-fermented sauerkraut could help reestablish lactobacilli-opportunistic infective agents equilibrium

lacto-fermented sauerkraut provides an array of lactobacilli probiotics, vitamin C, dietary folates, manganese and pyridoxine

If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here: www.theAnxietySummit.com

Missed this interview or can’t listen live? Or want this and the other great interviews for your learning library? Purchase the MP3s or MP3s + transcripts and listen when it suits you.

You can find your purchasing options here: Anxiety Summit Season 1, Anxiety Summit Season 2, and Anxiety Summit Season 3.

The Anxiety Summit – Your Brain on Food: The Science and Alchemy of Yum for Alleviating Anxiety!

May 6, 2015 By Trudy Scott 18 Comments

Rebecca Katz MS, culinary translator, author of The Healthy Mind Cookbook, was interviewed on the Anxiety Summit by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

Your Brain on Food: The Science and Alchemy of Yum for Alleviating Anxiety!

The wonderful definition of alchemy
Brain boosting ingredients from Rebecca’s culinary pharmacy: lentils, mint, pumpkin seeds, cauliflower, #goodmoodsardines
The tricks to building flavor great taste and flavor
How to make the most of your time in the kitchen
Tips and tricks to feel less overwhelmed in the kitchen and how to prevent recipe reading anxiety
The secret of dollops for yum and why they are like edible makeup

Here are a few snippets from my interview with Rebecca Katz, the queen of yum!

Pumpkin seeds are “nature’s smallest antidepressant next to a snowflake”

Pumpkin seeds are a source of iron which has been shown to boost cognitive performance, especially in women of childbearing years. Iron is also a co-factor for making our neurotransmitters

Parsley and mint are so accessible and eating them “is like eating oxygen”

What we put on the end of our fork does affect our brain

Cooking can be a meditation in motion and stress-relieving project

Sardines are like Prozac in a can

I recently shared the delicious pomegranate olive mint salsa recipe from Rebecca’s new Healthy Mind Cookbook. Here it is on top of the yummy salmon we made!

Here is a new recipe for you…it’s what Rebecca calls My everything drizzle

After interviewing Rebecca I have a new appreciation for mint and parsley and use it way more than I used to! I just love this picture of her with mint – lots of it!

Rebecca and I both LOVE sardines and she mentioned her wonderful source for great quality sardines and other fish: Vital Choice. They are “a trusted source for fast home delivery of the world’s finest wild seafood and organic fare, harvested from healthy, well-managed wild fisheries and farms.”

I have met the founder Randy Hartnell a few times, had him speak on season 2 of the Anxiety Summit, and I love this company and everything that they stand for!

“We capture the fresh-caught quality of fine, sustainably harvested Alaskan salmon and other Alaskan and northwest Pacific seafood by cleaning and flash-freezing it within hours of harvest.

The fisheries that supply most of our seafood are certified sustainable by MSC (look for their blue logo) or the State of Alaska, or are widely considered sustainable.”

After our interview I saw this great picture of Rebecca “in front of the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, after delivering a talk at DHHS for their White House Panel on Alzheimer’s & Dementia. The topic? Food for a Healthy Mind.”

This is just so exciting to hear! Bravo Rebecca! When I asked her about it, this is what she said:

There were 30 members on the panel and standing room only in the room. The talk, which centered around 25 slides of “food porn” was very well received. They even got a chocolate cherry walnut truffle out of the deal. Perhaps what was most touching was a man in his late 50’s with early on set dementia that gave us a look into his world. I felt humbled by the whole experience.

Here are two of her wonderful books:

If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here: www.theAnxietySummit.com

Missed this interview or can’t listen live? Or want this and the other great interviews for your learning library? Purchase the MP3s or MP3s + transcripts and listen when it suits you.

You can find your purchasing options here: Anxiety Summit Season 1, Anxiety Summit Season 2, and Anxiety Summit Season 3.