Creating Calm Through Diet

Catherine Guthrie details in her article titled, "Anti-Anxiety Eating", about strategies to reduce stress and increase calm in your life. It has been discovered that one in five Americans suffer from anxiety, and it is likely that that number is higher because many do not seek help. There are certain factors that can contribute to anxiety such as genes, biochemistry, life circumstances, but even eating habits can cause increased anxiety. Particularly foods such as unhealthy fats, sugar, and refined flours can contribute to anxiety. Medications can be beneficial for many people, but they do not treat the root cause of someone's anxiety.

Henry Emmons, MD the author of "The Chemistry of Calm" explains that diet is the only way that we are able to produce neurotransmitters which can help regulate mood. Many neurotransmitters are signaled in the digestive system so it can assist in maintaining brain and gut health. One of the ways to create a calm brain is to stabilize blood sugar levels. Sugar can cause a surge of serotonin, which is often why people may crave sweets when they are stressed. This surge of serotonin can cause a blood sugar crash. It is best to enjoy meals and snacks that are nutrient-dense such as complex carbs, healthy fats, and high-quality protein. Some of these foods include legumes, grains, avocados, vegetables, grassfed meats, beans, or seeds. High-quality protein helps create amino acids, which aid in making serotonin, dopamine, and other neurotransmitters, which can create a calming effect. 

Inflammation can create anxiety so it is important to maintain gut health in order to create more calm. You can create a healthy gut by incorporating probiotic foods like yogurt, kimchi, kefir, kombucha and prebiotic foods such as onions, leeks, aspargus, and garlic. Fats can also be beneficial in modulating calm in the brain, and it is important to have an adequate balance of omega-3s and omega-6 fats. Omega-6 fats are considered more inflammatory, whereas omega-3's help with brain health. Omega-3s include salmon, sardines, nuts, seeds, and dark leafy greens. Henry Emmons explains that caffeine can be harmful if the brain is overly stimulated. It may be best to cut back on caffeine to see how you feel. To find out more ways to keep yourself healthy, please visit our website at www.oxborochiro.com. 

Source: https://experiencelife.com/article/anti-anxiety-eating/

Healthy Fats

In the article titled, “Which Fats Should You Eat?: An Interview With Mark Hyman, MD” he discusses what fats are most beneficial for incorporating into diets. Dr. Hyman states that 35 years of guidelines recommending a low-fat and low-cholesterol diet has finally ended. He states that saturated fat is still getting a bad reputation, but he is hopeful more information can be collected because not all saturated fat is harmful, in his opinion. He states that healthy saturated fats like coconut oil can aid in burning fat, making the brain work better, increasing skin glow and improving cholesterol profiles. Dr. Hyman emphasizes that when including saturated fats, it should be in conjunction with a diet that’s low in refined carbohydrates, sugar and includes omega-3 fats. He states that the saturated fats we eat are different than the saturated fats found in blood. Low-fat and high carbohydrate diets can cause saturated fats to accumulate in the blood and are linked to heart disease. He used to recommend a low-fat diet to his patients but as more research has come out about fat, he started to incorporate it more into his diet. He found that the fat in his diet helped him to become more focused, lose love handles, gain a six pack and helped his brain become sharper. 

Dr. Hyman mentions that when meats are consumed, they should be organic and grassfed. The typical types of meat consumed (grain fed or from feedlots) are more inflammatory.  He states that it is best to eat meat as a “condo-meat”, which means having 75 percent of your meals filled with colorful and nonstarchy vegetables. Refined oils like corn, soy, cottonseed and canola oils can increase the amount of omega-6 fats. When too many omega-6 fats are consumed, they can be linked with inflammatory diseases, mental illness, suicide and even homicide. In general, research has shown there to be a connection with mental health and inflammation in the brain. Dr. Hyman states that the best fats to consume are organic cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil, coconut oil, nuts, seeds, olives, wild fish, avocados, grassfed meats, grassfed butter and ghee.

To find out more ways to keep your family healthy, please visit our website at www.oxborochiro.com

Source: https://experiencelife.com/article/healthy-fats-mark-hyman-interview/