food

Anxiety nation: why are so many of us ill-at-ease

May 1, 2014 By Trudy Scott 12 Comments

Anxiety nation – this is what we are!

I recently received a call from a school in New York City asking me to present to the parents of the autistic children who go to the school. The school director said the biggest issue their kids face is …anxiety and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder).

“For a condition that affects so many of us, there is very little agreement about what anxiety actually is. Is it a physiological condition, best treated with medication, or psychological – the product of repressed trauma, as a Freudian might suggest?

Is it a cultural construct, a reaction to today’s anomic society, or a more fundamental spiritual and philosophical reflection of what it means to be human?

For most sufferers, the most pressing concern is whether drugs work, and if therapy is a good idea.”

This is an excerpt from a recent article with this same title on newstatesman.com – you can read the whole article here.

The author also states:

“The most recent nationwide survey, which took place in 2007, found that three million people in the UK have an anxiety disorder.

About 7 per cent of UK adults are on antidepressants (often prescribed for anxiety, too) and one in seven will take benzodiazepines such as Xanax in any one year.

Mental health charities warn that our anxiety levels are creeping even higher”

Something is NOT working, both in the UK, here in the USA and in other developed countries – it’s time to be open to more than only medications and therapy.

I’d like to suggest that we rather look at the beneficial effects of real whole food and nutrients (like zinc and GABA and tryptophan) and exercise and yoga and nature.

Here are a few examples:

Low blood sugar can result in anxiety
Good levels of zinc and vitamin B6 can help many anxious introverts not feel anxious in social settings
Red meat is good (provided it’s grass-fed) and coffee is not – listen to an audio interview on these topics

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. – See more at: https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/low-gaba-questionnaire-anxiety/#sthash.UI3XqHNv.dpuf

Read more 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, on Amazon and via www.antianxietyfoodsolution.com

Anxiety: food based solutions with Trudy Scott on The Randy and Christa show

April 25, 2014 By Trudy Scott 7 Comments

I met Christa Orrechio at a conference earlier this year and was thrilled to be invited to speak on The Randy and Christa show. They are doing a fabulous job getting the wellness message out into the world! I also love how they have such fun doing this show!

During my segment we talked about the following:

Why read my book The Antianxiety Food Solution: if you’re stressed, have panic attacks, fears, phobias and even sugar cravings
“80-90% of my clients do better off gluten”
My client who went gluten-free: her eczema cleared up and she felt calmer
Amino acid supplements (like GABA and tryptophan) help you break the gluten addiction/craving
Low serotonin causes anxiety, sadness, excessive worry in the head, depression, afternoon and evening cravings, PMS, winter blues and sleep problems (see the whole questionnaire here)
Tryptophan (500mg is the starting dose) midafternoon and evening raises serotonin so you’ll feel calmer, hopeful and optimistic
Some people may do better on 5-HTP but it can raise cortisol levels
Too much of the amino acids can have a reverse effect – use what you need. You may need less than the starting dose
The amino acids are a short-term approach – you also need to be addressing diet and low blood sugar etc
Low GABA causes physical tension and anxiety (Randy finds GABA helps him sleep)
Caffeine is a problem for many people with anxiety – give it up! If it doesn’t make you anxious make sure it’s organic
Zinc and vitamin B6 are important for making GABA and serotonin
A good source of zinc and B6 is red meat. It’s also a good source of iron and omega-3s (as much omega3-s as salmon!). Of course it does need to be grass-fed!
The starting dose for vitamin B6 is 100mg
Magnesium is a calming mineral
Sign up for your free report “5 Simple Steps to Reduce Anxiety Now“

Be sure to listen to Randy and Christa when I drop off as they continue the discussion (12:30 minutes).

Regarding the red meat discussion they had a bit later, I’d like to add that I find many of my clients with mood issues – both anxiety and depression – do better with more red meat than just once or twice a week. Having it every day is just fine! As Christa said, it has all the amino acids to make our neurotransmitters/brain chemicals.

Christa Orecchio is a clinical and holistic nutritionist, and founder of The Whole Journey, a nutrition practice and informational website. She is on a mission to help as many people as possible to heal by addressing the root cause (and not just the symptom) of why they don’t feel good and concurrently teaches people how to use food as their medicine to heal their bodies so they can ultimately live a thriving, vibrant life.

Christa has a TV show on FOX in San Diego called “Food as Medicine” and is the co-host of her own nationally syndicated health talk show “The Randy and Christa Show”.

9 Steps to Calm the Anxious Mind: Nourishing Hope Support Club

February 21, 2014 By Trudy Scott 8 Comments

The Nourishing Hope Support Club is led by nutritionist Julie Matthews and created to help support families of children with autism and ADHD to understand how to apply food and nutrition choices based on each child’s individual biochemistry. She has extensive experience on how food compounds such as salicylates, oxalates, glutamates, and food proteins affect learning, mood and health.

Once a month, Julie discusses emerging research, shares her clinical experience, answers your questions, and interviews special guests. These monthly talks help parents learn to make the most of food and supplement choices, identify possible pitfalls, and stay on track toward improving the health and learning potential of their child. Each month brings content-specific learning topics about how various special diets (gluten-free, GAPS, Paleo), nutrition concepts, and supplements help children with ADHD, autism, sensory processing disorders, and learning and developmental delays.

I am pleased to announce that, this month, I will be the guest presenter on the Nourishing Hope Support Club with Julie Matthews. I will be speaking on “Food and Mood: 9 Steps to Calm the Anxious Mind.”

Guest Speaker: Trudy Scott, Certified Nutritionist
February 26th, 5:00 pm, PST

There is much recent evidence supporting the powerful food-mood connection and there are some very exciting recent studies that support this for both anxiety disorders, stress and other mood disorders. I use a comprehensive 9 step approach with my clients to help them overcome their anxiety, depression, emotional eating and sugar cravings. It is, of course, customized to their unique biochemistry, and includes:

Real whole traditional food, including quality grass-fed red meat and 4 unique antianxiety food solutions
Why and how to quit sugar with no willpower required and how to control blood sugar swings
The effects of caffeine
The importance of optimal digestion
The bad-mood effects of gluten
How to balance brain chemistry with individual amino acids to improve mood and stop cravings in their tracks
How to correct social anxiety / pyroluria with zinc and vitamin B6
The effects of other nutrients (such as low vitamin D), hormones and medications
Simple lifestyle changes that include sleep, exercise and yoga

In preparation for the call, I shared some of the recent research with Julie:

There is a growing body of evidence supporting the very powerful connection between food and mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression. Dr. Felice Jacka, is an Australian researcher who is one of the lead researchers on food and mental health.

In this 2010 study in The American Journal of Psychiatry, lead author Dr. Jacka, found that a “western” diet of processed or fried foods, refined grains, sugary products, and beer was associated with a higher risk of anxiety and depression in women. The “traditional” diet or real whole food diet was associated with a lower risk of anxiety and depression. This real whole food diet did include grass-fed red meat and she believes following the recommended weekly intake of red meat could boost our mental health.

Dr. Felice Jacka is also the lead author in a 2011 PLoS One paper that found that diet quality in adolescents was associated with a lower risk of mental health issues. They found that “improvements in diet quality were mirrored by improvements in mental health over the follow-up period, while deteriorating diet quality was associated with poorer psychological functioning.” The author stated that this “study highlights the importance of diet in adolescence and its potential role in modifying mental health over the life course.”

You can read the rest of the article here on the Nourishing Hope site.

I hope you can join us! I’ve known Julie for years and admire her immensely. She is truly a trailblazer in the world of nutrition for autism, ADHD, and other developmental delays.

Here is her bio: Julie Matthews is a Certified Nutrition Consultant specializing in autism spectrum disorders. She provides dietary guidance backed by scientific research and applied clinical experience. Her award winning book, Nourishing Hope for Autism, has helped people around the world to make food and nutrition choices that aid the health, learning, and behavior of those with autism, ADHD, and other developmental delays. She presents at leading autism conferences in the US and abroad, and is the Nutrition Editor of the Autism File magazine. She is on the advisory boards of the US Autism & Asperger Association and Autism Nutrition Research Center. Julie has a private nutrition practice in San Francisco, California, and supports families and clinicians from around the world. Visit http://NourishingHope.com

To learn more about the Nourishing Hope Support Club and join the call, visit: http://nourishinghope.com/support-club/

Pinkwashing for the cure (ridiculous!) or green for prevention?

October 21, 2013 By Trudy Scott 30 Comments

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and creating breast cancer awareness is great BUT this pinkwashing is ridiculous!

A California based organization shares what pinkwashing is:

Breast Cancer Action coined the term pinkwashing as part of our Think BeforeYou Pink® campaign. Pinkwasher: (pink’-wah-sher) noun. A company or organization that claims to care about breast cancer by promoting a pink ribbon product, but at the same time produces, manufactures and/or sells products that are linked to the disease.

Sarah Pope, the Healthy Home Economist doesn’t mince her words in her blog post “Komen (NOT) for the Cure: for the Cure: The Complete and Utter Pinkwashing of America” and nor should she. She says things like “pink propaganda”, “media stupidity”, “zombie like hypnosis that comes over people with regard to supporting the marketing bonanza” and “Breast Cancer Industry Month.” As far as I’m concerned she is spot on and this pinkwashing is ridiculous and totally out of hand! Do read her blog post above: she shares some shocking facts about Komen, saying they don’t want a cure because “Pinkwashing is far too lucrative.”

I am, quite frankly, flabbergasted by the whole commercialism of it. Also, so many of the products that have been “pinked” are part of the cancer problem in the first place.

Like sugary foods and fast food! You’re kidding me! Coke and cancer awareness!? What about cancer-causing toxins in makeup!?

The title of this paper says it all: Cancer is a Preventable Disease that Requires Major Lifestyle Changes

“Only 5–10% of all cancer cases can be attributed to genetic defects, whereas the remaining 90–95% have their roots in the environment and lifestyle. The lifestyle factors include cigarette smoking, diet (fried foods, red meat), alcohol, sun exposure, environmental pollutants, infections, stress, obesity, and physical inactivity.”

Here are some great resources that help with some of these lifestyle factors:

Helyane Waldman’s book “The Whole-Food Guide for Breast Cancer Survivors: A Nutritional Approach to Preventing Recurrence”
Rebecca Katz’s “The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen: Nourishing, Big-Flavor Recipes for Cancer Treatment and Recovery”
Mira Dessy’s book “The Pantry Principle: how to read the label and understand what’s really in your food”
Good quality grass-fed red meat from US Wellness Meats, instead of poor quality feed-lot meat
Good quality wild salmon and other healthy fish from Vital Choice, instead of farmed fish
Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Guide to Cosmetics and their guides to healthy cleaning products and GMOs, pesticides on produce and much more. As well as cancer, we know about the bad effects of pesticides on anxiety and depression. I also encourage you to take action: sign Breast Cancer Action’s petition to end pinkwashing once and for all via strong chemical regulations.

How about a green ribbon instead of a pink ribbon!? And please, let’s call it Breast Cancer Prevention and have a Race for Prevention instead of a Race for the Cure!

Which do you choose – pinkwashing for the cure or green for prevention?

Salmon Pate Recipe for Summer

May 29, 2012 By Trudy Scott 9 Comments

2 small cans of wild Alaskan pink salmon (totaling 12oz/340g)
1T gelatin
½ cup chicken stock, heated (home-made is best)
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 t lemon juice
4 small onions, finely chopped
½ cup fresh raw cream
Sea salt and pepper

Mix gelatin with hot chicken stock. In a blender, blend the following: gelatin/stock, undrained salmon, onions, mayonnaise, lemon juice and seasoning. Add cream and stir. Pour into lightly oiled fish molds (use one large or 3 small fish molds). Refrigerate and tip onto the serving plate just before eating. Serve with rice crackers, whole-grain wheat crackers (if tolerated) and fresh veggies like chopped carrots, zucchini, mushrooms and celery.

I’d like to give credit to Suzy for this wonderful recipe (which I have modified slightly). She is an old friend of mine and I’m so thrilled that we just reconnected on Facebook after being out of touch for 20 years! I was so impressed when she served it at a dinner party in Johannesburg, South Africa, a LONG time ago. In fact, everything Suzy served at dinner parties was amazing! Here’s to sitting down together at a dinner party in the near future!

May you enjoy this and other wonderful food with your friends and family!

Low blood sugar can result in anxiety

March 12, 2012 By Trudy Scott 29 Comments

Signs of low blood sugar may include:

Anxiety, irritability, agitation, nervousness
Shaky between meals or when you skip a meal
Poor memory, focus and fatigue
Intense sweet craving at various times of the day
Feeling stressed and overwhelmed
Waking in the night (low blood sugar is one of many causes of insomnia)

When you have stable blood sugar, you will feel grounded, experience less overwhelm and stress, feel less anxious and have no cravings – if your cravings are blood sugar related (cravings can also be due to yeast, low serotonin, low endorphins, low catecholamines and low GABA)

Simple dietary changes to help stabilize your blood sugar

1. Eat enough protein

Eat at least 20-25g (4oz or palm-sized portions) of good quality protein at each meal
Grassfed beef, lamb, wild fish, pastured chicken, turkey and eggs, dairy (if it’s not an issue for you), legumes
This is not negotiable – you must eat breakfast every day! And within an hour of waking
If you can’t quite give up your coffee make sure to eat breakfast first
Make sure to include protein at breakfast! (egg, fish, chicken sausage, cheese/yogurt, even dinner for breakfast)
Substitute packaged cereals with real oatmeal, buckwheat & other grains and add nuts, seeds, coconut, butter, yogurt or kefir or a scoop of whey protein
Smoothies are good too – use fruit like berries and banana, use water as your base, add 1/3 cup full-fat coconut milk, 20g whey protein powder (other optional additions: green powder or freshly juiced greens, yogurt or kefir, nut butters, freshly ground flax seeds)

2. Eat 3 meals and 2 snacks

Protein, fat and carbohydrate at each meal and snack.
Lunch example: protein= Beef, lamb, fish, chicken, turkey, legumes fat=butter, olive oil, avocado; carbohydrate = starchy veggie like sweet potato or brown rice
Meal ideas: meat and veggies, salad and protein, veggie soup with protein, lentil soup
Snack ideas: boiled egg; crackers and hummus; fruit and a few nuts; crackers and cheese; raw carrots/zucchini and cream cheese
Always carry some nuts with you for emergencies! Pumpkin seeds are a great choice.

Thanks to Elizabeth E for her recent comment on Amazon (this is an excerpt):

“I just recently finished reading this book and am grateful for such a great resource! I’ve already begun employing some of the suggestions laid out and they are helping. For example, I am making sure to include more protein in my breakfast and it’s definitely helping my anxiety!”

There are nutrients that help with blood sugar control: the amino acid glutamine, and zinc and chromium. These will be addressed in a later blog post.

All of this and much more is covered in great detail in 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