pumpkin seeds

Help! I’m worried all the time! Soothe with supplements and tame worry with food!

April 20, 2018 By Trudy Scott 3 Comments

Some of my simple tips for worry were shared in the April edition of Women’s World so here they are for you to enjoy in case you didn’t see them in the magazine. I’m quite chuffed to see it’s for a piece called “Ask America’s Ultimate Experts.”

I share tips about the benefits of a B- complex vitamin (for adrenal support), vitamin B6 (especially for PMS-type anxiety and worry, the calming amino acid called GABA, plus the mood-boosting and calming benefits of a grass-fed burger (loaded with zinc, iron and omega-3s) and pumpkin seeds as a snack (because they’re rich in both tryptophan and zinc)

Here are my tips from the article:

#1 Soothe with supplements

Here are some supporting articles and research for some of the above tips. A good B- complex vitamin for adrenal support has been shown to minimize psychological stress after a natural disaster and vitamin B6 (or pyridoxine) helps with PMS-type anxiety and worry.

A paper titled Pyridoxine in the treatment of premenstrual syndrome: a retrospective survey in 630 patients, reports the following results:

The daily doses of pyridoxine hydrochloride varied from 40 to 100 mg early in the study and from 120 to 200 mg in the later period of the investigations. The response to treatment was recorded as good (no significant residual complaints) in 40 per cent or more of patients taking 100-150 mg pyridoxine daily and in 60 per cent of patients treated with 160-200 mg daily. Together with partial response (useful benefit but still some significant complaints), the positive effect of the treatment increased to 65-68 per cent and 70-88 per cent respectively. No symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy were reported

The calming amino acid called GABA helps with the physical-tension and stiff-and-tense-muscles type of anxiety and helps with worry and inhibition of unwanted thoughts.

#2 Tame worry with foods

Professor Felice Jacka, nutritional psychiatry researcher, discusses the mood-boosting and calming benefits of grass-fed beef (loaded with zinc, iron and omega-3s) on our Anxiety Summit interview: The Research – Food to prevent and treat anxiety and depression?

Pumpkin seeds are rich in tryptophan and zinc and research shows that a functional food made from these seeds actually helps with social anxiety.

Here are a few minor discrepancies in the above sections:

In #1 dopamine is not a calming brain chemical but instead it’s stimulating and helps with focus and motivation. The B vitamin mentioned contain folic acid whereas methyl folate is the preferred choice.
In #2 the GABA product recommended is 500mg and I find starting much lower is a more effective approach with my clients.

#3 Cue calm – open a worry window

Opening a worry window is a new approach for me and I’d love to hear if it helps you now or has helped you in the past.

Anti-anxiety gummies and low serotonin

Ali Miller, RD, shares a recipe for anti-anxiety gummies (you can see it in the PDF) and I love that it includes coconut water, ginger and turmeric. I’d replace the cup of orange juice (which is high in sugar) with water and use 2 tablespoons instead. Be sure to watch that these gelatin gummies don’t make your anxiety (or depression or sleep worse). It’s a small amount of gelatin but if you’re eating a lot of them and you’re prone to low serotonin, this may be a problem for you. I write about this in a blog post here – Collagen and gelatin lower serotonin: does this increase your anxiety and depression? If it does cause an adverse reaction it doesn’t mean you can’t eat them, instead it simply means you may need to take tryptophan when eating them (if low serotonin is the issue.

If you’d like a PDF of the article you can grab a copy here.

I’d love to hear if any of these approaches have helped you or your clients/patients. Keep in mind that it’s a fun article that is by no means comprehensive in terms of addressing all the possible root causes of anxiety.

The Anxiety Summit: coffee, chocolate, fish, water and more

June 21, 2014 By Trudy Scott 41 Comments

This is day 14 of the Anxiety Summit and the final wrap up call by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.

Anxiety: coffee, chocolate, fish, water and more – and where to go next

the anxiety-provoking effects of coffee! and what about chocolate?
the bad-mood effects of gluten
wild fish, water, pumpkin seeds and laughter to boost your mood and calm you down
questions answered ( a few from the blog and facebook page)
what you can get out of the summit, resources and where to go next

This is the great quote by Jamie Oliver (I saw it on Josh Friedman’s super Facebook page):

Homicide is 0.8% of deaths. Diet-related disease is over 60%. But no-one talks about it

We’re talking about it! And we’re being heard! There obviously a big need for this information – as of the end of the 13^th day of the summit we have officially reached just over 10,000 people!

This is the cover of Time magazine: Eat Butter. Scientists labeled fat the enemy. Why they were wrong. About time ! (no pun intended)

For decades, it has been the most vilified nutrient in the American diet. But new science reveals fat isn’t what’s hurting our health”

Here is the blog post that has the video of Angie trying the DPA/Endorphigen for low endorphins. She calls it a miracle, no longer desired chocolate and felt euphoric!

amazing nutrient DPA (d-phenylalanine) or Endorphigen. It is SO effective if you’re low in endorphins! Just watch Angie’s reaction when she sampled some….she actually called it a miracle! – See more at: https://www.everywomanover29.com/blog/end-emotional-eating-no-willpower/#sthash.ocYcUhhQ.dpuf

This is the blog post that mentions the research on how water affects serotonin and dopamine levels, thereby affecting your anxiety levels.

Based on the food mood research done by Dr. Felice Jacka and the results I see when my female clients add back red meat into their diets I am a proponent of grass-fed red meat. You can read some of Dr Jacka’s findings and information about our interview here. Be sure to check out the comments in this blog – I mention other research on grass-fed red meat and mood,

In line with this we have the new Anxiety Summit quote:

Sugar is the most abused anxiety drug

Grass-fed red meat is the most underutilized antianxiety food

~ Trudy Scott, host of The Anxiety Summit and author of The Antianxiety Food Solution

This is from the editorial called Nutrition and Psychiatry in the American Journal of Psychiatry. It was published when Dr. Jacka’s Western diet/traditional diet study was published in 2010.

It is both compelling and daunting to consider that dietary intervention at an individual or population level could reduce rates of psychiatric disorders. There are exciting implications for clinical care, public health, and research”

I always say “yes compelling but not daunting with what we know” and with we’ve learned on the Anxiety Summit.

~~If you are not already registered for the Anxiety Summit you can get live access to the speakers of the day here www.theAnxietySummit.com~~

UPDATE: the summit concluded on Tues 6/24 – season 2 of The Anxiety Summit will be in November 2014. If you’d like to be on the notification list just sign up here www.theAnxietySummit.com

Missed this interview or can’t listen live? Or want this and the other great interviews for your learning library? Purchase the MP3s or MP3s + transcripts + interview highlights and listen when it suits you

How to get a great night’s sleep

August 31, 2012 By Trudy Scott 26 Comments

“A 2009 poll by the National Sleep Foundation found that only 28 percent of those surveyed regularly got eight hours or more of sleep a night. The average was around six and a half hours on weekdays and seven on weekends. Those who slept less than eight hours a night typically had mood problems, including worry and anxiety, ate more sugar and unhealthy food and drank more caffeinated beverages!”

~ Trudy Scott, The Antianxiety Food Solution

It’s amazing how many people don’t get enough sleep and there is so much we can do from a nutritional point of view to change this. Here are six things to consider:

One of the first things I think about when a client can’t sleep is low serotonin. Low serotonin symptoms include insomnia, depression, negativity, worry and anxiety, irritability, PMS and afternoon and evening cravings. And low serotonin can be boosted with tryptophan, taken as a supplement and/or in food sources.
Research has actually shown that a medical or functional food made with pumpkin seeds improved sleep, due to the good sources of tryptophan and zinc. In another study this same functional food was also shown to reduce anxiety and social phobia.Pumpkin seeds can be soaked in water overnight and then lightly roasted with olive oil, sea salt, pepper, turmeric and ginger. Food-wise, pumpkin seeds are a favorite of mine for a healthy snack and my clients love them. Here is an blog post that discusses the benefits of soaked nuts and a roasted pumpkin seed recipe
When tryptophan is taken as a supplement, some is converted to serotonin and some to melatonin. Melatonin is fabulous for resetting your circadian rhythm so your sleep cycle gets back to normal. If taking tryptophan doesn’t quite get you sleeping through the night then taking additional melatonin may help. Sublingual melatonin helps you fall asleep and the timed-release form helps you stay asleep.
Other factors that should be considered when sleep is an issue: low blood sugar, addressing low serotonin levels, addressing low GABA levels, checking for parasites and dysbiosis, and making sure you don’t have high cortisol.
Other nutrients that may be helpful: vitamin B6 (which helps improve mood and reduce anxiety too), zinc (which is also important for skin health, reducing anxiety, improving mood, helping with blood sugar balance and PMS), and magnesium (which is also calming).
Of course, it also helps to use a comfortable soft eye patch to keep the room dark and to use earplugs to keep things quiet. Also, keep clock radios and cell phones away from your head and don’t use an electric blanket! Having a warm bath with essential oil of lavender is also a great help to help you wind down at the end of a hectic day.

Try some of the above tips and get those eight hours of sleep and you’ll have less mood problems, experience less worry and anxiety, eat less (or no) sugar and unhealthy food and drink less (or no) caffeinated beverages! Sweet dreams!