Striving4Zen

Omega-3 deficiency can have an adverse effect on the mood. The body inefficiently synthesizes DHA, so we need dietary DHA from sources like oily fish. It offers a rich source of omega-3s—especially preformed EPA and DHA, the most neurologically active forms of omega-3s. Awareness of omega-3 benefits is growing; there was a 5% increase in awareness of the importance of omega-3s in brain health (from 17% to 22%) between 2006 and 2007. Omega 3s have been shown to improve the mood of menopausal and perimenopausal women, too, according to a February 2009 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

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Labels: DHA, EPA, food and mood, mood, Omega-3s, Omega-3s fish oil, study

Just like what you eat can influence how you feel, how you feel can influence the quality of nourishment that you gain from the foods that you eat. The following are some of the ways in which mood and nourishment are interrelated.

When you feel stressed a cascade of different stress hormones (including glucocorticoids) can be released. These chemical messengers have modulating effects upon a variety of body systems that can impact nourishment. All of us feel stressed at certain moments, but if this stress has become an ongoing, chronic part of our life, the impact on our nourishment can become problematic.

Nutrient depletion and blood sugar regulation

One of the outcomes of chronically increased glucocorticoid levels is potential depletion of certain nutrients, including zinc, potassium, and B-complex vitamins. What this means is that if you experience chronic stress, you will want to pay special attention to these nutrients in your diet. Stress hormones, if excessively secreted over a prolonged period of time, can interfere with the functioning of insulin and promote insulin resistance. Stress can create blood sugar imbalances that have a host of outcomes upon the body, including reducing the ability of cells to be nourished by the glucose provided in the diet.

Having low moods, or experiencing depression, may also impact nourishment. Chronic depression is associated with a variety of nutrient deficiencies, including that of vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folate, choline, protein, and omega-3 fatty acids. A person experiencing ongoing depression would want to take special steps to adjust his or her meal plan in relationship to these particular nutrients.

Benefits of a relaxing meal

In addition to looking at how mood affects nourishment from a biochemical perspective, you can also look at this question from the perspective of personal experience. Think about a recent meal that you ate while being stressed, angry, or anxious. Now think about a meal that you ate when you were relaxed, peaceful, and happy. Chances are in the latter experience you felt better, more vitalized, and more nourished from the foods you were eating and were therefore enjoying the true fulfillment and nourishment from those foods. Remember that your mood is something you don't just experience on an emotional and psychological level, but something that also takes places in your muscles, nervous system, and circulatory system. All of those body components impact your digestion and nourishment.

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Labels: depression, digestion, food and mood, Holistic Health, insulin, living holistically, nutrients, stress

What To Eat When…

You’re Stressed

Modern life is a big, boiling cauldron of anxiety stew, and we get a heaping helping every day. Whether you’re talking to your boss about a promotion, talking to your spouse about the credit cards bills, or talking to your kids about a streak of bad behavior, there’s always a stress-soaked moment around the corner. So calm yourself quick with these natural nerve-settlers.

Eat This:

1 cup of low-fat yogurt; 2 tbsp of nuts
Scientists in Slovakia gave people 3 grams each of two amino acids—lysine and arginine—or a placebo and asked them to deliver a speech. Blood measurements of stress hormones revealed that the amino acid—fortified guys were half as anxious during and after the speech as those who took the placebo. Yogurt is one of the best food sources of lysine and nuts pack tons of arginine.

Red Bell Peppers
Researchers at the University of Alabama fed rats 200 milligrams of vitamin C twice a day and found that it nearly stopped the secretion of stress hormones. Add half a sliced red bell pepper to a salad or sandwich; calorie for calorie, no single food gives you more vitamin C.

A Cup of Peppermint Tea
The scent of peppermint helps you focus and boosts performance, according to researchers. In another study, they found that peppermint makes drivers more alert and less anxious.

A Handful of Sesame Seeds
Stress Hormones can deplete your body’s supply of magnesium, reducing your abilities and increasing your risk of developing high blood pressure. Sesame seeds are packed with this essential mineral.

Not That!

A Can of Soda
A study from the American Journal of Public Health found that people who drink 2 ½ cans of soda daily are three time more likely to be depressed and anxious, compared with those who drink fewer.

You’re Sad

Watch enough TV advertising and you begin to think the only answer to a bad mood is a bottle of pills. Wrong! Your next meal can have as dramatic an impact on your mood as your next prescription refill. So the next time you have a gnawing feeling that something’s amiss, try gnawing on one of these.

Eat This:
An arugula or spinach salad
Leafy greens—arugula, chard, spinach—are rich sources of B vitamins, which are part of the assembly line that manufactures feel-good hormones such as serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. In fact, according to a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, a lack of B6 can cause nervousness, irritability and even depression.

Tuna Sashimi or Grilled Salmon
A study in Finland found that people who eat more fish are 31% less likely to suffer from depression. And skip sweet, simple carbs (like the rice with you sushi)—the inevitable sugar crash can deepen depression.

1 tbsp of Ground Flaxseed Daily
Flax is the best source of alpha-linoleic acid, or ALA—a healthy fat that improves the working of the cerebral cortex, the area of the brain that processes sensory information, including that of pleasure. To meet your quota, sprinkle it on salads or mix it into a smoothie or shake.

Not That!
White Chocolate
White chocolate isn’t technically chocolate, since it contains no cocoa solids. That means it also lacks the ability to stimulate the euphoria-inducing chemicals that real chocolate does, especially serotonin. If you’re going to grab some chocolate, darker is better; more cacao means more happy chemicals and less sugar, which will eventually pull you down.

Excerpted from Eat This, Not That by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding. Rodale Books, 2007.

Labels: David Zinczenko, Eat This, eating healthy, food and mood, healthy eating, men's health, new book, Not That