mood

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

Food and Mood: 9 Steps to Calm the Anxious Mind in Boston

February 29, 2012 By Trudy Scott 4 Comments

Please join me for a full 1 day seminar to learn about the powerful connection between food and mental health, and anxiety specifically.

“Food and Mood: 9 Steps to Calm the Anxious Mind, Improve Mood & End Cravings”

I’ll be doing 3 talks in the Boston, MA area in these locations and on these dates:

Tuesday, March 06, 2012 at 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM in Woburn, MA

Wednesday, March 07, 2012 at 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM in Waltham, MA

Thursday, March 08, 2012 at 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM in Dedham, MA

These are PESI seminars and are geared towards mental health professionals and are also open to the public. They are delivered as a live event with Q & A at various times during the presentation. I’ll be covering all the latest research on food and mental health, as well as practical steps for implementing changes.

[Update after the event: go to the PESI site and at the Title, enter Trudy Scott, and hit SEARCH to see all the future events, plus DVD/CDs that are available for purchase.]

Recent 2011 food mood research by Dr Felice Jacka, looked at the eating habits of 5731 Norwegian adult men and women. They found that “those with better quality diets were less likely to be depressed” and that a “higher intake of processed and unhealthy foods was associated with increased anxiety.”

The fee of $79.99 includes course materials.

The 9 steps are 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

Here are book reviews by Dr Winston Chung, child psychiatrist and Mira Dessy, Certified Nutrition Educator

Top 5 Foods That Make You Anxious: call with Connie Bennett

February 27, 2012 By Trudy Scott 10 Comments

Learn about the top 5 foods that make you anxious, 3 nutrients that improve anxiety and 2 simple lifestyle changes. I share all this on a call with Connie Bennett, author of the fabulous book Sugar Shock! How Sweets and Simple Carbs Can Derail Your Life – and How You Can Get Back on Track. You can listen to the interview here.

The Top 5 foods

(1) Caffeine – we self-medicate so we can function. If you quit you may need to address the reasons you are tired: burned out adrenals, low thyroid or anemia
(2) Sugar – depletes us of key nutrients that help with anxiety (zinc, magnesium and chromium) and fills us up so we don’t eat healthy food. It also leads to a roller-coaster of mood swings because it affects blood sugar. It’s very addicting and willpower may not be enough – and the amino acids help so much
(3) Gluten – which is found in wheat, rye, barley, teff, kamut, spelt and oats. Affects digestion and causes “brain allergies” leading to mood problems, including anxiety and depression. At least 80% of my clients feel better mood-wise off gluten
(4) Junk food that is loaded with trans fats, additives, MSG, artificial sweeteners like sucralose, GMOs, wheat
(5) Not getting enough good quality protein – amino acids are building blocks of neurotransmitters. Grass-fed red meat has good levels of omega-3s, zinc, B vitamins and iron. Salmon, sardines and pastured eggs are great sources too

Connie felt better when she quit coffee but then she felt so much better when she also quit sugar….

3 nutrients that reduce anxiety

(1) Tryptophan and 5-HTP help with raising serotonin and balancing brain chemicals – so you’ll feel happy, confident, calm, and have no afternoon/evening cravings. Low serotonin is associated with the type of anxiety that’s your head such as when you have ruminating thoughts
(2) GABA is a calming neurotransmitter and if your levels are good you’ll feel relaxed and not drawn to wine or sugar to calm down.

The amino acids are amazing and help you feel great mood-wise and quit sugar so you won’t feel deprived and won’t have to use will-power.

2 lifestyle changes

(1) Yoga helps to raise GABA levels; get out in nature and go for a walk
(2) Getting enough sleep is big too

Connie’s book Sugar Shock: How Sweets and Simple Carbs Can Derail Your Life – and How You Can Get Back on Track, is really a fabulous resource for all the facts on why sugar is so harmful. As someone who loves research I really appreciate all the excellent references and that she drew from so many experts. Connie’s second book will be coming out soon… Beyond Sugar Shock: The 6-Week Plan to Break Free of Your Sugar Addiction & Get Slimmer, Sexier & Sweeter.

HMN twitter Food Mood party: more on pyroluria and zinc

January 25, 2012 By Trudy Scott Leave a Comment

Do you experience anxiety, social phobia and inner tension that you cover up? Do you have poor dream recall? If yes, then read on.

On January 10^th The Holistic Moms Network invited me to answer questions at their January 10^th 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 added some information on sugar and cravings and I’d like to add to the discussion on zinc.

There are a subset of anxious people who do need higher amounts than the average person. From Mira’s blog “Zinc can be found in beef (grass fed is best), calf liver, venison, spinach, shitake mushrooms, and pumpkin seeds. It’s very important for pregnant women and children to get enough zinc with the addendum that zinc is a trace mineral and we do not need massive doses of it.” I agree, we don’t need massive doses but if you have pyroluria (anxiety, social phobia, inner tension you cover up – here is the complete pyroluria questionnaire) you will benefit from zinc and vitamin B6 supplements (at a minimum).

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

Orange chicken stir-fry recipe and vitamin C for anxiety

January 20, 2012 By Trudy Scott 5 Comments

orange chicken stir fry vitamin C

While we are all aware that citrus fruit is a great source of vitamin C, a little known fact is that a mild to moderate deficiency of vitamin C may be associated with increased nervousness, anxiety and depression. We need all we can to boost mood during the long, dark, dreary and chilly days of winter. In fact, there is evidence of seasonality in anxiety and panic attacks, as there is with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) or “winter blues”, a form of depression caused by the lack of light during the fall and winter months, possibly leading to low serotonin. Together with depression and anxiety, low serotonin can also cause increased carb and sugar cravings. Eating a delicious blood orange (and other winter citrus fruit) will provide a boost of vitamin C and satisfy that desire for something sweet! I like to call these fruits “little spheres of sunshine” you can eat and enjoy to provide mood benefits as well as a boost for the immune system. (If you have a really sweet tooth this info from the HMN twitter party may help).

I encourage you to try and eat organic oranges, tangerines (or “naartjies” as they are called in South Africa) and other citrus fruit. In 2002, at a Great Lakes Regional meeting of the American Chemical Society, it was reported that organically-grown oranges contain up to 30% more vitamin C than those grown conventionally. A 2006 Italian study in the European Journal of Nutrition found that “organic red oranges have a higher phytochemical content (i. e., phenolics, anthocyanins and ascorbic acid)” and antioxidant than conventional oranges.

Here is a recipe for you to try

Orange Chicken Stir-fry

This stir-fry is beautiful, healthy, and delicious, and it’s also easy to make. It’s also simple enough that kids will enjoy it too. I like to start cooking and chop as I go to make life easy. I also pre-boil the chicken pieces so they are easier to chop up and cook quicker. This makes 4 servings and can be served with yummy baked sprouted GABA rice. Ideally all the ingredients are organic but most importantly make sure the peppers are (based on the EWG Dirty Dozen list)

2 T coconut oil for stir-frying

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 thumb-size piece of fresh ginger, sliced thinly

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

3 or 4 carrots, grated or cut into slivers (about a cup)

4 boneless organic or pastured chicken thighs (pre-boiled and chopped)

¼ head of cabbage, finely chopped

1 orange, cut into slices with skin and seeds removed (save the juice and use too)

2 T tamari (wheat-free especially if you are gluten-intolerant)

sea salt and pepper

Heat the coconut oil in a wok and add onion, garlic and ginger, stirring occasionally. While that starts to cook (about 5 minutes), chop the peppers and then add. While that cooks (about 5 minutes), grate the carrots and then add. Keep stirring occasionally. While that all cooks (about 5 minutes) chop the cabbage and add this and the chicken pieces and cook another 5 minutes or so. Add pieces of orange, juice, tamari sauce and spices and cook another 2 minutes. Enjoy!

If orange in your main-course doesn’t appeal to you, serve the orange slices with coconut milk for a delicious dessert, or simply peel and enjoy!

HMN twitter Food Mood party: more on sugar and cravings

January 20, 2012 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 10^th The Holistic Moms Network invited me to answer questions at their January 10^th 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!