Women's health

Low GABA Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution

December 10, 2011 By Trudy Scott 16 Comments

This questionnaire will help you identify whether you may have low levels of GABA. Check off any of the symptoms below that apply to you:

Anxiety and feeling overwhelmed

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

If you checked off 3 or more symptoms, you may have low GABA levels.

You may benefit from taking a supplement containing GABA. GABA is the most important calming neurotransmitter, and is also an amino acid. Low levels of GABA are associated with anxiety, agitation, stress, and poor sleep. If you have sufficient GABA, you’ll feel relaxed and stress free. You won’t have anxiety or panic attacks, and you won’t eat sugary foods or other starchy foods or feel like you need a glass of wine in an effort to calm down.

Try some yoga, which has been shown to raise GABA levels. It’s also important to do whatever you can to reduce stress in your life. In addition to yoga, try tai chi, meditation, taking walks outdoors in a peaceful environment or taking a vacation.

It’s amazing how many women tolerate low-grade anxiety. I’m working with a client at the moment, who came to me because she has low energy and arthritis. It turns out, based on the Low GABA Questionnaire, she has low grade anxiety and stiff/tense muscles. Based on her Low Serotinin Questionnaire she also has mild depression, imposter syndrome and negative self-talk. When I asked why these were not on her list of health objectives, she said they were just so much a part of her everyday life, that she really didn’t think there was anything she could do about it. I’m pleased to report that there is plenty we can do and did do and she is feeling a LOT better after a few short weeks!

Worry and anxiety can be a result of low GABA and also low serotonin, so you may check off anxiety in both this questionnaire and the Low Serotonin Questionnaire. I’ll address this in a future post.

This questionnaire is taken from chapter 6 of 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.

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!

GABA and more for pain relief and anxiety

September 30, 2011 By Trudy Scott 2 Comments

Low levels of some neurotransmitters, which are made by the body from amino acids, can contribute to chronic pain. Low gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels can result in stiff/tense and painful muscles, anxiety and feelings of being overwhelmed. Other neurotransmitters related to pain are low serotonin and low endorphins.

I have many clients who see major improvements in pain levels – when they address low neurotransmitters. In fact one client was able to stop two pain medications when he added GABA and so many people benefit from DPA (d-phenylalanine). And the added bonus is that GABA also helps with anxiety and overwhelm and DPA helps with sadness and comfort eating.

This and much more can be found in a great article called NATURAL WAYS OF DEALING WITH CHRONIC PAIN and written by Lisa Moretti. She featured my tips on neurotransmitters and some other wonderful resources from other experts. It was published in the October issue of Max Sports and Fitness.

In her introduction, Lisa reminds us that “According to a 2011report by the Institutes of Medicine of the National Academies, 116 million Americans live with chronic pain – more than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined. But many of us aren’t looking to just mask the pain by interfering pharmaceutically with our body’s pain signaling system. We want to get to the bottom of it and fix it!

Continuing “We asked experts, athletes and those who have experienced personal, pain-alleviating success for their advice about natural fixes for chronic pain. They have a myriad of suggestions for you.”

You can read about these approaches and more: gluten, acupuncture, eating real food (yay!), meditation, rolfing, proteolytic enzymes, the herbs White Willow and Devil’s Claw, MSM and arnica – all of which I have seen work with different people over the years. We are all unique and have to figure out what the root cause of our pain is and address it.

You can read the full article here

http://www.maxsportsandfitness.com/article/2011/9/natural-ways-of-dealing-with-chronic-pain.html

Women more prone to anxiety and depression: author and speaker Trudy Scott shares the powerful positive effects of food on mood at HMN conference

September 26, 2011 By Trudy Scott Leave a Comment

hmn natural living conference

“Anxiety affects over 40 million adults in the United States. Recent research from the American Psychological Association and published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, reports that more women than men are diagnosed with mood and anxiety disorders. The authors suggest environmental stressors may be a worthwhile focus for gender differences research.

Trudy Scott, food mood expert, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution: How the Foods You Eat Can Help You Calm Your Anxious Mind, Improve Your Mood & End Cravings, and President of the National Association of Nutrition Professionals comments: “There is a relationship between food and mood that many people are unaware of, and making the wrong food choice could certainly be considered an environmental stressor.” Scott, who has a nutrition practice with a focus on Food, Mood and Women’s Health sees great success with her clients every single day: “Food and nutrients are very powerful and can dramatically improve anxiety and other mood disorders. Two examples are gluten and caffeine removal for many anxious women.”

This is all taken from a press release for the 2011 Natural Living Conference on October 1, 2011 in Irvine, CA. The conference is hosted by Holistic Moms Network (HMN) and I’m honored to be one of the speakers.

Date: Saturday October 1, 2011
2011 Natural Living Conference – Holistic Parenting: Mind, Body, and Spirit
Irvine, CA

My talk is Food & Mood: 9 Steps to Calm Your Anxious Mind, and will address real food, sugar, digestion, caffeine, gluten, brain chemicals, pyroluria and lifestyle factors.

The other great speakers and topics include:

Robyn O’Brien, Author, Activist, and Concerned Mom presenting The Unhealthy Truth About Our Food http://www.allergykidsfoundation.org/

Mayim Bialik, Actress, Author, and Holistic Mom presenting Parenting by Intuition:From Hollywood to Holistic Mom

Making an Informed Vaccination Choice with Dr. Lauren Feder

The Smart Mama’s Guide to Non Toxic Living with Jennifer Taggart

Happiness Is An Inside Job with Jennifer Waldburger

Learn more and register here http://www.holisticmoms.org/category/news-events/natural-living-conference/

And continuing with the press release….

An editorial by Dr. Marlene Freeman, MD, in the American Journal of Psychiatry offered a very powerful comment on recent food-mood research. “It is both compelling and daunting to consider that dietaryintervention at an individual or population level could reducerates of psychiatric disorders.” Scott adds: “While I agree that dietary intervention is compelling, I don’t feel it is daunting. We simply need to teach people how to eat real food again. And the great thing is that these changes, in addition to reducing anxiety and depression, will also reduce obesity, heart disease, cancer and arthritis, and improve overall health.”

According to Dr Felice N. Jacka, PhD, research fellow at the University of Melbourne in Australia, Scott “offers a wealth of useful information for those who would like to try dietary and other lifestyle changes in order to improve their mental health”.

Scott will one of many excellent speakers providing resources to women at the 2011 Natural Living Conference on October 1, 2011 in Irvine, CA. The conference is hosted by Holistic Moms Network (HMN), a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization connecting parents who are interested in holistic health and green living. Scott’s talk is Food & Mood: 9 Steps to Calm Your Anxious Mind and there will be signed copies of the new book available for purchase after the talk. Learn more and register for the conference here http://www.holisticmoms.org/category/news-events/natural-living-conference/

The Antianxiety Food Solution is now available in major books stores, at Amazon and via www.antianxietyfoodsolution.com.

You can find the official press release document here https://www.everywomanover29.com/media.html

Deliciously refreshing ginger water kefir recipe

September 16, 2011 By Trudy Scott 6 Comments

Drink fermented beverages – they contain probiotics or good bacteria and are great for your digestion! Studies also show that probiotics help when you are depressed or anxious. Kombucha is one example and another great one is water kefir. And you can actually make them at home. I have to say water kefir is my favorite when it comes to home-made because it’s so quick and simple.

Here you go

Dissolve 1/3 cup sugar with filtered warm water in a clean one quart glass jar. I like to use turbinado or rapadura because they are not stripped of all their nutrients.
Add water kefir grains (about 1 to 2 tablespoons)
Add something to provide some flavor – I like ginger so I add 5-10 slices of freshly peeled ginger. Another option is a few mint leaves.
Place in spot out of direct sunlight.
Cover jar with a clean dish towel.
Let sit for 24 hours to 30 hours or to your taste. If you aren’t sure how it should taste, try some from someone else’s batch or buy a bottle of plain kombucha…it should taste similar to cider but less sweet. The length of time will differ depending on the room temperature too and will take less time when it’s warmer.
Strain water kefir grains from liquid and discard ginger or mint leaves
Transfer liquid to another one quart glass jar and save in the fridge to start drinking
Rinse grains and start over for an unlimited supply of delicious and nourishing water kefir loaded with probiotics or good bacteria!

A few other things

Don’t worry about the sugar as it’s mostly used up during the fermentation process
Your kefir grains will actually start to grow so you can share them with friends – getting from grains from a friend is a good way to get started
The grains sort of look like very baby cauliflower florets and should be kept cool when not being used