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

Zinc, turmeric and tryptophan for brain health and mood

By Trudy Scott 33 Comments

Boys Telling Secrets

So much can be done using the amazing healing power of foods and nutrients when it comes to brain health and mood. I truly believe this holistic health approach is the way to go because it gets back to basics and addresses the root causes of issues instead of the using the band-aid approach. The added bonus is that this approach also improves focus, skin health, digestion, heart health and more.

Here are just some of my top nutrients for a healthy brain and great mood!

Zinc is one of the top nutrient deficiencies I see with my clients.

Zinc is a key nutrient for the prevention of anxiety and depression, especially the type of social anxiety called pyroluria. Here is the pyroluria questionnaire: https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/pyroluria-questionnaire-from-the-antianxiety-food-solution/ It’s also been shown to be beneficial for sleep, cognitive function and for healing from traumatic brain injury. Zinc is also an important co-factor in making the neurotransmitters GABA and serotonin.

Turmeric is an uncommon yet powerful supplement

Research shows that turmeric has “promising cardioprotective and anti-inflammatory properties”. We often see inflammation and brain/mood problems go hand in hand. Inflammation produces cytokines which activate the IDO enzyme, degrading tryptophan and leading to less serotonin and less melatonin. This can result in increased depression and anxiety, poor sleep and poor focus. A new randomized, controlled clinical trial published in the journal Phytotherapy Research has confirmed that the primary polyphenol in turmeric known as curcumin is both safe and effective in treating serious states of depression. One study even found that turmeric benefited 3 patients with Alzheimer’s disease and reduced symptoms of irritability, agitation, anxiety, and apathy.

Tryptophan is an amazing amino acid

It promotes sleep and improves depression, anxiety, panic, worry and OCD /obsessive compulsive symptoms in people who have low serotonin. I have my clients do this questionnaire so we can figure out which deficiency they have https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/amino-acids-mood-questionnaire-from-the-antianxiety-food-solution/ Although there isn’t a great deal of research on this amino acid and “the evidence base is significantly larger for depression than for anxiety disorder”, tryptophan is recognized as an add-on for when someone is on medications. I see so much success using tryptophan with my clients that I wish it was the first choice before anti-depressants!

I’d like to share some recent success I’ve seen with tryptophan. I’ve been having the most amazingly rewarding sessions with a young man (and his mom). During our first session, an in-office trial of 100mg of chewable tryptophan reduced his worry, sadness and very busy thoughts from a 7/8/9 out of 10, to a 3 out of 10 within 5-10 minutes. He said “my head feels different…good different…I’m thinking happy things”. He started to smile a lot. He also has a repetitive behavior which went from 7/8 out of 10, to a 5 out of 10. Tryptophan is known for reducing OCD but it wasn’t quite enough and we have had to add inositol too. I know the amazing amino acids work wonders but I’m always thrilled when I see them in action changing lives. And most of all, I’m so pleased his mom decided to go this route first instead of having him take medications. We are simply addressing nutritional deficiencies like low serotonin and low zinc [he did also need zinc].

What supplements have you found to be beneficial for your brain health, anxiety or depression? 

Healthy travel food ideas when you have food sensitivities

By Trudy Scott 30 Comments

food-when-traveling

What do I take when I travel? How difficult is it to eat on the road and still be healthy and still avoid getting zapped?

I’m heading to Palm Springs, CA for a 3 day biz/nutrition event with a nice twist! JJ Virgin, nutrition and fitness expert extraordinaire and author of the New York Times # 1 best-selling book The Virgin Diet is hosting a 2 day mastermind with integrative doctors and nutritionists.

Even if I am going to an event run by an expert in food sensitivities – and JJ certainly fits that bill (her book discusses 7 common food sensitivities that are holding us hostage) – I’m still wary of hotel kitchens.

Why? Well, when I get zapped it’s bad! I got zapped last Sunday with organic spices from the health store. I should have known better and not purchased spices that didn’t say gluten-free on the label. Anyway, I used rosemary and garlic on some roast chicken. And boy, did it do a number on me! It affected my sleep, I had stomach cramps, I was drained on Monday, and Tuesday was brain-fog day. On Wednesday I had a really bad headache. I had to really dig deep to do all the prep-work for JJ’s event.

So I’m not taking any chances these 3 days. Here is the healthy food that I have with me:

  • A few packets of bison grass fed jerky. I bought these packets from US Wellness Meats
  • Four pemmican bars/sticks. These are THE energy bars of the 21st century and have a divine melt-in-the-mouth-like-chocolate texture. The ingredients…wait for it… beef fat, grass-fed jerky, sea salt and a hint of cranberry. They were used by Native Americans, the early traders in the USA and even the Boers in South Africa. They are also from US Wellness Meats
  • I need something green, so I have kale chips. I would have made my own but ran out of time so bought some gluten-free bags.
  • More green and some minerals, so I have a few bags of roasted seaweed snacks
  • Apples. I always have apples with me!
  • A bag of prunes for the fiber. Flying dries me and blocks me up!
  • I’m also drinking extra water today. I found a nice Brita water bottle that is BPA-free and has a built in filter. Very cool!
  • I have enough boiled eggs for 2 a day – a good protein for the start of each day! To keep me focused and clear.
  • I need something red. I have home-made sun dried tomatoes. I got SO many tomatoes in my CSA box this week and my friend Donna came around with even more, so I had to do something with them and drying them was perfect. I did them in the oven and will share the recipe and pictures later.
  • A few cans of sardines. I love my sardines and always travel with them
  • Soaked roasted pumpkin seeds. I also always travel with something like this.
  • And finally a bag of Go Raw Ginger Snaps – not too sweet and with a nice hint of ginger

What do you think? Crazy or well-prepared? I’d love to hear if you have food sensitivities and what you take when you travel.

Using Essential Oils to Survive and Thrive with Anxiety and Depression

By Trudy Scott 13 Comments

lavender

Essential oils can be a powerful addition to help relieve your anxiety, stress, depression and other mood disorders.  There is much research supporting the use of aromatherapy as we can see from this summary in a 2013 paper:  

“Molecular medical research on aromatherapy has been steadily increasing for use as an adjuvant therapy in managing psychiatric disorders and to examine its therapeutic mechanisms. Most studies, as well as clinically applied experience, have indicated that various essential oils, such as lavender, lemon and bergamot can help to relieve stress, anxiety, depression and other mood disorders. Most notably, inhalation of essential oils can communicate signals to the olfactory system and stimulate the brain to exert neurotransmitters (e.g. serotonin and dopamine) thereby further regulating mood.”

Today, I’m sharing a guest post on how to use essential oils, written by AnnaLaura Brown:

As anyone who suffers from anxiety and depression knows, it’s really hard on your life and can make it difficult to live a normal life. The drugs that are often prescribed can help but in many cases they don’t completely fix the problem and the side effects can make your health and the rest of your life even worse. So what can you do? While there are a variety of available options, essential oils have been proven to be a great natural solution. Essential oils are extracted from plants and because they are not a synthetic drug they have virtually no side effects. That said as with all products that are a form of medicine if you are currently taking drugs, then you want to talk with your doctor before you begin using essential oils.

Here are some tips to help you survive and thrive with anxiety and depression while using essential oils.

  1. If you are not on drugs now, don’t start using them and begin using essential oils instead.
  2. If you are on drugs now, talk with your doctor about your desire to gradually stop using them and work out a program to get off them over time and to begin using essential oils.
  3. Start slowly by trying one essential oil at a time. Identify your biggest health problem that you suffer with as a result of your anxiety and depression. For example, if you have problems sleeping, then you should start by using an oil that will help you sleep better. The best oil for this is lavender.
  4. Keep using that same oil for at least 2 weeks before you try another one.
  5. Take the time to do some research and to learn about different essential oils and how they are used for anxiety, depression and to help with moods. For example, citrus oils such as lemon, and orange can help uplift the moods of a lot of people. There are several books written on using oils for moods so you can probably find one with a lot of details at your local library or bookstore.
  6. Experiment with different ways of using oils. The most common ways that people use them are by either rubbing a few drops on the bottoms of your feet or your wrists, or by putting a few drops with some water into a diffuser or humidifier. You will want to try both ways and see which way works the best for you.
  7. Work on improving other aspects of your life so that you can live a more balanced life overall.
  8. Keep small amounts of the oils with you at all times so that if you start to feel depressed or anxious you can rub a little bit or smell the bottle to get some relief.

AnnaLaura Brown is passionate about helping others discover the power of essential oils for health and wellness. She personally discovered the oils while suffering from asthma and was able to get rid of her inhalers and use essential oils instead. In the past 2 years she has helped lots of people discover the power of essential oils for a variety of health and wellness uses. Grab your free copy of her report 50 ways to use essential oils at Health and Wealth with Oils.

Overcome your fear of public speaking

By Trudy Scott 25 Comments

overcome fear of public speaking

Whether you believe the statistic that more people fear public speaking than they do death (41% vs 19%) or the 2011 Gallup poll that has fear of public speaking at 41% and fear of snakes at 50%, that is still a large number of fearful people when it comes to speaking on stage!

I love to do presentations and am never fearful when I get on stage and speak in front of audiences but it wasn’t always like this. I used to have to really force myself and push through the fear, I felt terribly uncomfortable and almost breathless. I also used to hate networking events and mingling. Then I discovered that I have pyroluria (see the pyroluria questionnaire here), a genetic condition that leads to anxiety, inner tension and feeling uncomfortable in crowds. By adding a few key nutrients – zinc, vitamin B6 and evening primrose oil – my pyroluric symptoms are completely in check, hence my calm in the face of speaking in public. I speak nationally about The Antianxiety Food Solution and always joke that I am Ms Antianxiety! I also have a new-found love of networking and meeting people!

Sontine is a client of mine who made diet changes, lifestyle changes like walking and added the key nutrients like zinc and vitamin B6 (and a few others) and found she too had no more fear of public speaking – and she actually started to really enjoy it! She also started to sleep well and had good energy. She was skeptical that this was possible for her but curiosity got the better of her and she’s so pleased with the results.

Here is Sontine’s story in her own words:

The first time I heard Trudy telling her personal story about anxiety and nutrition, I thought ‘that’s a really unique situation’. I believed it worked for her but that it was ‘just one in a million…it’s not going to work for most people and it’s not going to work for me’

After working with Trudy for 3 months I’ve had amazing changes:

  • From exhausted to normal healthy energy
  • Anxiety has decreased
  • Mood and blood sugar has stabilized
  • Sleeping better
  • Completely lost my fear of public speaking which has plagued me my whole life! I was so terrified I avoided it as much as possible. Now I am not nervous and I enjoy it! It’s been amazing for me!

Sontine is also a busy mom with a busy job – like many of us are – but she made time to go for an evening walk with her young daughter and husband [we recorded this in December last year, hence the reference to Christmas lights] and says that such a small thing makes all the difference in how she feels. We know how beneficial exercise is for both mood and sleep

PS. I also added GABA, removed caffeine and removed gluten from my diet. Each person is unique and you will have to find your own unique nutritional approach.

So how are you when it comes to public speaking?  And what do you do to stay calm?

If you’re fearful could pyroluria also be your problem?

Do you perhaps have clients who hate and fear public speaking?

Smile and laugh to de-stress, calm down and boost your mood

By Trudy Scott 15 Comments

 laughter

My biggest stress-relief and mood-boosting tip is to smile and laugh! It is one of the many things I encourage my clients to do! And I personally love a good comedy and opportunity to smile and laugh! I almost feel like I need my “fix” of laughter by the end of the day. It really relaxes me, boosts my mood and helps me sleep better.

I was further inspired to make a commitment to laugh each day when I read all the research supporting the many and varied health benefits. Many days I’ll just take a break and engage in spontaneous laughter for no reason at all – just the act of laughing leaves me feeling SO good. I do food-mood presentations around the country and typically end my talks with a laugher session with the audience! It’s a great hit and they leave my talk feeling great!

A 2012 research paper in Physiological Science actually showed that if you smile, you feel less stressed. Also in a 1999 study, “Personality traits such as warmth, calmness, extroversion, and low anxiety were closely related to an attractive smile.”

Laughter falls into a similar category as smiling and is wonderful for improving mood and reducing anxiety and stress and pain. This 2012 paper. showed that laughter “is associated with feelings of wellbeing” and improved mood, likely related to “the release of endorphins.” The release of endorphins also reduced pain levels.

Recent research also shows that the “combination of a laughter and exercise program might have physiological and psychological health benefits for the elderly”. Laughter may also “be an effective strategy to motivate the elderly to participate in physical activity.”

Laughter is actually good for the heart as indicated by the title of a 2009 paper: “The effect of mirthful laughter on the human cardiovascular system.”

Here are some things to make you chuckle: a fun post I did awhile ago about a wonderfully funny and romantic blog called The Musings of a Romantic Comedy Girl and a video of a laughing baby. Enjoy!

And of course, the added bonus: if you eat foods that raise serotonin (like grass-fed read meat and wild fish like salmon), you’ll be happier and more inclined to smile too – and feel even less anxious and less stressed. Tryptophan or 5-HTP will help boost your serotonin levels and are wonderful if you do have low serotonin. You can check for low serotonin levels using this Amino Acids Mood Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution. 

Carob Coconut Avocado bites

By Trudy Scott 15 Comments

carob-coconut-bites

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.