Eat to feel happy
Red beets are rich in the amino acid, betaine. Because it works as a kind of anti-depressant, betaine not only helps dopamine production but also gives your morale an added boost.
Bananas, blueberries, strawberries and prunes all contain an amino acid called tyrosine. Tyrosine prompts dopamine production in your brain.
High in the antioxidant quercitin, apples can prevent neurodegenerative diseases as well as stimulate dopamine.
Folate also helps produce dopamine. Leafy greens, broccoli and cauliflower are all vegetables high in folate. Eating them raw gives you adequate amounts of the nutrient. Lentils, chickpeas, black beans, and papaya also contain folate.
High in amino acids, eating proteins will help trigger dopamine production and stimulate your metabolism. Eggs, fish, poultry and red meat are all rich in protein. Fish has the added benefit of being high in Omega 3 fats, which contributes to brain function. Try to buy organic versions that are free from antibiotics, hormones and pesticides.
Pills versus nature
Q. What have our bodies evolved to recognise, over millennia?
A. Fruits and vegetables.
Q. What have we largely adapted to in more recent times?
A. Cooked food
Q. What have millions of people been taking without access to the full range of data?
A. Statins
“a study of 26,000 people by Ishak Mansi, of the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas, published last year, showed statin users had almost double the risk of developing diabetes. This year, a study from Japan suggested side-effects from statins might also be contributing to heart failure, while another from Michel de Lorgeril, of Grenoble University, analysing all published statin studies since 2006, said statins showed “no benefit” in heart disease prevention and caused “potentially fatal” muscle weakness”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/wellbeing/health-advice/bitter-pillthe-dispute-statins/
Nutrition & Mental Health
The more you follow a Mediterranean diet, the lower your risk of depression. The more you follow a ‘Western’ processed food diet, the higher your risk.https://www.youtube.com/
Remarkable and encouraging trial results. “Effective in reducing aggression in prisoners, slow cognitive decline in the elderly, treat depression, anxiety, stress, autism & ADHD”. Treatment with micronutrients surpasses results from medication and is longer-lasting and improvement is continued.
Slugs and Snails and Puppy-dog tails?
Healthy Pregnancy
Before pregnancy is the time to start planning your baby’s health. A diet rich in folates is very important which is why many foods are now fortified and GPs recommend taking folic acid. Bio-available folates in a natural form are superior however and include many other phyto-nutrients also.
It’s not hard to get folates which our bodies are able to process and absorb. A diet rich in leafy green veg will give you all that’s necessary and is a better source of calcium than dairy products. ‘Vitamins’ are just isolated chemicals which scientists got around to recording before the government at the time decided they needed to be spending their time researching bomb-making instead. Recommended levels are those below which certain illnesses occur; they’re not the levels needed for optimal health. It’s the equivalent of saying an unbroken leg = Olympic fitness. An apple has over 10,000 ingredients. Our cells utilise the various nutrients in a myriad of ways.
Proven weight loss
… and an improvement in insulin resistence.
A double-blind scientific trial involving 30 boys aged 6 – 10 years showed that adding Juice Plus+ fruits and vegetable blends to their diet resulted in fat loss and improved insulin resistence levels.
Showing how increased phyto-nutrients enables the body to shed unnecessary fat
children aged 4 – 21 can get 4 years free supply when their parents order Juice Plus+ Fruits & Vegetables blend or Premium Blend
Research abstract available here:
http://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(12)00049-2/abstract?cc=y=
A Healthy Smile – clinically proven
Abstract
Aim
A double-blind randomized controlled trial to determine whether dietary supplementation with fruit/vegetable/berry juice powder concentrates,
simultaneously with non-surgical periodontal therapy, improved 2-month treatment outcomes.
Methods
Volunteers with chronic periodontitis were randomly assigned to one of three groups: fruit/vegetable (FV), fruit/vegetable/berry (FVB) or placebo. Supplements were taken daily during non-surgical debridement and maintenance and outcomes assessed at 2, 5 and 8 months after completion. Primary outcomes were mean probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment gain, % sites bleeding on probing (% BOP) at 2 months. Adherence and plasma β-carotene were determined.
Results
Sixty-one nutritionally replete (by serum biochemistry) volunteers enrolled and 60 (n = 20 per arm) completed the 2-month review. Clinical outcomes improved in all groups at 2 months, with additional improvement in PPD versus placebo for FV (p < 0.03). Gingival crevicular fluid volumes diminished more in supplement groups than placebo (FVB; p < 0.05) at 2 months, but not at later times. The % BOP (5 months) and cumulative plaque scores (8 months) were lowered more in the FV group (p < 0.05).
Conclusions
Adjunctive juice powder concentrates appear to improve initial pocket depth reductions in nutritionally replete patients, where plasma micronutrient bioavailability is attainable. Definitive multicentre studies in untreated and treated patients are required to ascertain the clinical
significance of such changes.
Full details here:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-051X.2011.01793.x/pdf
Hunger Games
It seems to me we can never give up longing and wishing while we are thoroughly alive. There are certain things we feel to be beautiful and good, and we must hunger after them. George Eliot
I’ve been writing this blog in my head for some time and could probably write an essay on each of the types of hunger I have thought of so far. But that stops me publishing this synopsis, and everybody has their own subjective stomach that feels hunger-emotion in its own particular way.
If you’re not hungry enough to eat an apple you may be:
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bored
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craving a particular substance of food group
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or addicted to one
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comfort eating
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it’s your lunch ‘time’
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emotionally hungry – what do mealtimes mean to you; how did they feature in your family story?
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your blood-sugar levels have dropped
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your stomach is not full. That’s ok – it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to eat.
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satiety – the gut hormone leptin is produced when the bolus of food reaches the small intestine. This can be some time after eating.
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thirsty – when we drink anything except water we confuse our digestive system and many people try to satisfy thirst with tea, coffee or sugary drinks. This reaction may be pre-verbal; programmed by artificial/formula feeding instead of breastfeeding.
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nutrient-deficient
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emotional blackmail/people pleasing – ‘look what I’ve prepared for you’; ‘you must be hungry’ ‘naughty but nice’; ‘don’t get too thin’
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you have to clear your plate; that’s the rule
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you haven’t experienced being a lower weight/slimmer. Better the devil you know?
Would you like help with any of these issues?
Feed me ?