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GABA

HMN twitter Food Mood party: more on sugar and cravings

By Trudy Scott 10 Comments

honey sweet tooth sugar addiction

Are you looking for the next “healthy” sweetener and have a sweet tooth? If yes, then read on.

On January 10th The Holistic Moms Network invited me to answer questions at their January 10th Twitter party on Food and Mood. It was a great virtual “event” with really great questions.

A colleague, Mira Dessy, Certified Nutrition Educator and holistic health columnist, provided a great summary of much of the discussion. I’m doing this post to add to it and to clarify a few things…

I think this is a great statement Mira made: “The chat started with a discussion of whether or not folks noticed if there were certain foods that made them anxious or affected their mood. Answers were fairly consistent across the board with responses including sugar, caffeine, gluten, McDonalds, and processed food.” I love that gluten was a hot topic and want to add the possible issue with GMO grains.

But what I’d really like to address the whole sugar discussion. With regards to this statement on Mira’s blog: “Sugar was by far the biggest offender with many participants discussing how difficult it can be to break the sugar habit” and this recommendation which didn’t actually come from me 🙂 “choose lower process sweeteners such as sucanat, evaporated cane juice crystals, honey, molasses, maple syrup”. I believe that if you replace white sugar with equal amounts of any of the above then it’s an issue. Ideally, a moderate amount of fresh fruit should satisfy your desire for something sweet and you shouldn’t have a sweet tooth. And you should not be seeking out the next “healthy” sweetener that comes on the market! If you do, it’s a message that you need to address your diet, nutrient deficiencies, imbalanced brain chemistry or even an addiction, or candida. This may apply whether you’re craving “healthy” sweeteners, stevia or xylitol sugar, or foods with artificial sweeteners. I asked this question “why do u eat sugar – comfort, calming, energy?” and these were some of the responses: “all of the above” and “I’d need to lose both arms to stop myself from eating sugar”. It really doesn’t have to be this way! You can quit and not have to use willpower and not feel deprived!

We didn’t have time to get completely into the individual amino acids (a future Twitter party ??) but they are incredible for stopping cravings in their tracks and improving mood. For example if you eat sugary food to calm down perhaps its low GABA and you may benefit from GABA supplements. Here is a Low GABA questionnaire.

Again, thanks to Mira and read her blog to get the rest of the discussion. And thanks to HMN! Do come to the next HMN twitter party – they are a lot of fun and very informative!

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

Low GABA Questionnaire from The Antianxiety Food Solution

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.