Real whole food

New Year resolutions for a great mood all year

January 7, 2012 By Trudy Scott 10 Comments

veggie garden trudy scott

It’s a new year and I wish you all the very best with abundant health and happiness, zero stress and anxiety and much success in all areas of your life. Here are my resolutions for you so you can have a great mood all year long.

Whatever your health goals are, make it all about getting healthy – the end result will be better quality of life and a better mood. Weight loss may be at the top of the list for many of you. If you want to lose weight, don’t go for quick fad diets but rather eat real whole food and address nutritional deficiencies and biochemical imbalances. Just one example: burned out adrenals can lead to weight loss resistance as well as sleep problems and an inability to handle stress, leading to increased anxiety.

Always, eat real whole food – make some changes, fine-tune things, try something new each week or a new recipe (like this delicious cabbage caraway recipe). Find an Asian or Indian market and explore and have fun – I found fresh guavas one time!
Plant a garden – flowers give you joy and pleasure, veggies give you joy and pleasure and real whole food, and herbs do the same. If you don’t have space for a garden, grow something on your balcony or kitchen window sill or find a community garden
Laugh a lot! Watch comedy shows and movies, take up a new fun hobby, get out and ride a bike, play with the kids (or nieces and nephews). A few years ago we learned to windsurf and we have such fun and laugh so much doing it!
Get out in nature! We were recently in Yosemite and as usual, the grandeur and beauty of being in nature just takes your breath away and just leaves you feeling so relaxed, calm and totally inspired and ready for anything and everything!
Exercise for the joy of it and not because you feel you have to! Take up windsurfing, play tennis, ride a bike, get back into dancing – whatever grabs you, do it!
Don’t tolerate how you feel and don’t tolerate unpleasant things in your life – you deserve a wonderful and happy life. Get help if you need it – work with a nutritionist, holistic health professional, life coach or business coach.
Educate yourself about healthy living and be a savvy consumer. Read books, attend workshops, follower bloggers and follow legislation. The Alliance for Natural Health is a great resource.
Value the love and support of your family, friends and community

Happy new year to you! I hope our paths cross and I’d love to hear some of your resolutions for 2012.

Folic acid for anxiety, depression & preventing birth defects

January 7, 2012 By Trudy Scott 9 Comments

January 8 through 14th is National Folic Acid Awareness Week and I would like to bring awareness to how important folic acid is for our mood.

Of course, we also need to raise awareness that adequate folic acid intake is important for the prevention of birth defects and this is well covered here http://folicacidinfo.org/.

Back to mood…folic acid and vitamin B₁₂ are B vitamins that are important for depression, and given the links between anxiety and depression, they may also be helpful for anxiety. They also support heart health, which is important if you suffer from anxiety or panic attacks, which stress the heart.

A 2009 study found that supplementing with 800 mcg of folic acid, 500 mcg of vitamin B₁₂ (cyanocobalamin), and only 3mg of vitamin B₆ daily for six months improved the general well-being of people with celiac disease, while also helping with anxiety and depression. I have found this to be true for those with gluten intolerance too.

You also need to watch your alcohol consumption. Many of the nutrients depleted by alcohol are important for preventing anxiety: zinc, vitamin C, magnesium, fatty acids, antioxidants, and the stress-busting B vitamins, such as B₆ (pyridoxine), B₁ (thiamine), and folic acid.

Smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke also result in nutrient depletions: vitamin C, vitamin E, folic acid, and vitamin B_{1 .}

There are a number of foods that are a great source of folic acid: leafy green vegetables such as spinach and turnip greens, legumes and eggs. I’m not a big fan of the grain products that are fortified with folic acid because they are typically processed foods and because of the gluten mood connection.

Liver is another excellent source of folic acid, and vitamin A, vitamin B₁₂, and other B vitamins, and, of course, iron and protein. Nutrient dense and very healing, organ meats and have been considered a valuable food by many cultures for centuries. If you have unfond memories of beef liver, try liver pate, chicken or lamb liver. You can also freeze liver, then grate it and add it to dishes like meat loaf.

Whenever I do a workshop, I ask folks to raise their hands if they ate liver as a child and most of the time, the majority raise their hands. Then I ask who still eats liver and I usually have one to four people raise their hands! Grandma and mom did know what they were doing! I encourage you to try some liver this week!

Much of this information relating to anxiety and mood and food (and so much more) is covered 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

Carob Cinnamon Delight instead of coffee – a calming hot beverage

December 23, 2011 By Trudy Scott 34 Comments

hot drink recipe trudy scott

Carob is a delicious alternative to coffee or hot chocolate as it doesn’t contain caffeine. It has a definite chocolate-like flavor and is something I recommend to my clients who may be looking for a healthier alternative or who can’t tolerate coffee or chocolate. Carob is originally from the eastern Mediterranean region, Northern Africa and the western part of Asia. Ceratonia siliqua or carob is also known as locust bean gum.

Consider trying carob if you are anxious and stressed. There are a subset of those with anxiety who are more prone to the anxiety-provoking effects of coffee and some very sensitive people may even find the caffeine in chocolate to be too stimulating.

In fact a 2002 study found that carob may actually have calming effects. It is also antioxidant rich, contains the polyphenol gallic acid which has been shown to help metabolic syndrome, it has been shown to lower total and LDL cholesterol, it has chemoprotective properties and helps with digestion.

Here is a recipe for a delicious beverage you can make using carob powder:

Carob Cinnamon Delight al la Trudy

¾ cup of boiling water

1 Tablespoon carob powder

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Coconut milk (full-fat) or fresh raw cream (if you can tolerate dairy)

Boil the water, add carob and cinnamon and top up with coconut milk (or cream), stir and enjoy! The carob tends to settle a bit so you’ll probably need to stir it again when you’re half way through drinking it.

If you are going to give up coffee it’s good to have some alternative beverages on hand You could try delicious herbal teas (such as licorice, lemon-ginger, and mint), coffee substitutes such as Dandy Blend, rooibos or green rooibos (herbal teas from South Africa that appears to have health benefits similar to those of green tea), or one of my favorites – carob!

I’d love to get your feedback on how you enjoyed this and any variations you’ve tried.

Enjoy!

P.S. Check out my book The Antianxiety Food Solution: How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood, and End Cravings for other calming tips.

Winter blues, SAD, holiday stress and sugar

November 25, 2011 By Trudy Scott 19 Comments

gift stress solution food anxiety

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or “winter blues” is a form of depression most often associated with the lack of light during the fall and winter months. It is very common and may be associated with low serotonin levels. We often associate low serotonin with depression, however low serotonin can also be associated with: anxiety, excessive worry and feeling overly stressed. There’s evidence of seasonality in anxiety and panic attacks, just as there is with seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Another common sign of low serotonin is increased carbohydrate cravings, especially during the afternoon or evening.

Does this sound like you during the December holidays: Blah? Depressed for no reason? Stressed? Overwhelmed? Anxious? Eating tons of carbs and sugary foods? Perhaps it’s not only the stress of the holidays but is made worse by low serotonin?!

For many of my clients who are prone to having their serotonin levels decline in the winter months, if they don’t the following approaches to raise serotonin they end up with worsening depression and anxiety, and increased afternoon and evening sugar cravings.

So here are some tips to feel great during the holidays:

use light therapy, using a full-spectrum lamp
address any deficiency of vitamin D as there is evidence that it may improve seasonal anxiety and depression
moderate exercise raises serotonin levels and relieves anxiety and depression, so it’s important to get some exercise during the winter months – join the gym or ideally do something outdoors like skiing.
the amino acids tryptophan and 5-HTP, taken in supplement form are tremendously powerful for raising serotonin levels – dramatically improving depression and anxiety, and stopping those afternoon and evening cravings. If you are taking a SSRI, it’s important to work with your doctor before taking tryptophan and 5-HTP
eat real whole foods with good quality protein
eat to avoid blood sugar swings
avoid junk foods and sugar (made easier by doing all of the above!)
stay hydrated and drink enough water even if it is cold – research shows its helps to boost neurotransmitters levels

Check out some great holiday gift ideas to help with all of the above.

I live in the Sacramento area and from November onwards it’s pretty gloomy and grey. I personally feel much better mood-wise during winter when I am out telemark snow-skiing on the weekends – which appears to a combination of the exercise and being out in the bright white snow!

Holiday Gift Ideas: Antianxiety Food Solution, SpinGym & healthy food

November 25, 2011 By Trudy Scott 20 Comments

trudy scott and SpinGym — Here I am with the Forbes Riley and the SpinGym at SHINE 2011!

Here are some wonderful holiday gift ideas to help you handle the stress, anxiety, overwhelm, winter blues and sugar cravings that typically go along with the holidays!

The first gift idea is The Antianxiety Food Solution – How the Foods You Eat Can Help you Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood and End Cravings (June 2011) by yours truly (Trudy Scott, Food-Mood expert and certified nutritionist, and President of the National Association of Nutrition Professionals). Yes, I’m biased but I’m also on a mission to help women like you make the connection between food and mood and I want you to feel on top of the world always!

Buy one for yourself if you don’t already have one and buy one for each of your friends and family members. I’d love to hear how you enjoyed it! It’s available in major book stores, on Amazon and via www.antianxietyfoodsolution.com. You can read reviews here: Dr Winston Chung https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/antianxiety-food-solution-review-by-dr-winston-chung/ and Chef Rachel https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/chef-rachel-review-of-the-antianxiety-food-solution/.

The second gift idea is a Spin-gym www.spingym.com It’s an awesome workout for the arms and upper body, is a ton of fun and the brainchild of Forbes Riley. We met recently at Ali Brown’s SHINE event and her enthusiasm and passion for helping women be superfit and healthy is just awesome! I bought one and LOVE LOVE LOVE it! The picture here is me getting a demo from Forbes at the SHINE event. All I can say is: “Wow! What an incredible workout!!!” Please do let me know how much you love yours.

And the final gift ideas are food gifts or vouchers from Vital Choice and US Wellness Meats. Vital Choice offers wild, sustainable and delicious salmon, other seafood and healthy goodies. US Wellness Meats offers mail order grassfed meat and other wonderful products like pemmican! They support family farms, sustainable farming and humane practices. [Disclosure: These are my affiliate links but I use and truly love the products from US Wellness Meats and Vital Choice. I recommend them to my clients and readers because they are so great.]

So wrapping up: a book with all the facts and information so you can be educated and informed, a SpinGym to get some fun exercise and some delicious real whole food! Great combo for you and a friend! Enjoy!

Cabbage Caraway recipe: simple and yet so nutritious

November 11, 2011 By Trudy Scott 11 Comments

Cabbage is a cruciferous vegetable that is delicious, is easy to prepare and very versatile and has some incredible health benefits – and is just beautiful to look at! So here is a simple and yet nutritious cabbage recipe and some reasons why you may want to eat some today. Enjoy!

Tasty caraway cabbage

1 cabbage finely sliced
Butter (about half a stick)
Caraway seeds (2 to 4 tablespoons)
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Steam the chopped cabbage in a large soup pot with colander – steam for about 5-7 minutes until the cabbage is soft but not too soggy. Tip into a large serving casserole dish and add butter and spices. Mix to cover the cabbage and serve warm. Enjoy!

I always make extra when I cook, so left-over can be used for lunch the next day. Lightly steam (not microwave!) left-overs for a minute or two or serve cold with a nice salad dressing.

Cabbage is on the Environmental Working Group’s Clean 15 list https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/ewg-2011-dirty-dozen-apples-celery-strawberries/ meaning it is low in pesticides so buying cabbage organic is not imperative if you can’t find organic.

And here are some of the reasons to inspire you to make cabbage (other than the delicious taste of course!)

Cabbage is well-known for their powerful role in cancer prevention. In a study from Poland, 4 cabbage servings per week showed reduced breast cancer risk
Cabbage is a great source of antioxidants such as vitamin C and beta-carotene
Cabbage is anti-inflammatory
Cabbage is important for digestive health (cabbage juice actually heals ulcers)
Cabbage is great source of fiber
Cabbage, as sauerkraut, is a great source of probiotics

And caraway seeds have a delicious anise-like flavor (you may recognize the taste from rye bread) and they too contain antioxidants, are a source of fiber, support the digestive system and are actually calming.

I personally love cabbage and love it with caraway seeds! It’s one of my favorite veggies – cabbage and Brussel sprouts which are in the same family. Of course cabbage is mentioned in my book The Antianxiety Food Solution www.antianxietyfoodsolution.com, as part of a real whole foods diet. And sauerkraut, which is made from cabbage, is just one of the many great mood foods I talk about on my Fox40 interview https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/foods-for-your-moods-fox-40-anxiety/ Time for some cabbage and caraway seeds!? Enjoy!