What you EAT Matters; A Few Facts You May Not Know
May 7, 2023
Lisa Jackson
Lifestyle
May is mental health awareness month, so I would like to give some simple solutions to make or break your mood. Do you crave caffeine, sugar, carbs and or alcohol? What does this have to do with mood? (click below to watch the video)
Caffeine, sugar, carbs and alcohol all raise glucose in the bloodstream. Glucose raises the hormone insulin (which opens up cells to receive the glucose) which causes a resultant crash in blood sugar which raises cortisol, the stress hormone, in response.
This creates a vicious cycle you may be familiar with. Coffee and pastry for breakfast for instant energy, a crash 2 hours later, needing another coffee or quick fix.This can also exasperate mood swings from high to low. From anxiety to depression.
You may crave sugar, empty processed carbohydrates, or alcohol to self-soothe or self-medicate, but it only perpetuates the problem. See my previous post on when habits become addictions.
You may have heard that Seasonal Affective Disorder, SAD, is the result of low vitamin D (low vitamin D is seen in all autoimmune diseases and cancers too).
BUT, did you know that you need magnesium for conversion of vitamin D in the body?
What lowers magnesium?
You guessed it, sugar, alcohol and stress….
What else interferes with the conversion of vitamin D?
HFCS! High Fructose Corn Syrup. That very cheap, super palatable ingredient in most processed foods and what we call empty carbohydrates. Food that has little to no nutritional value and is made to be addictive!
Having trouble kicking the sugar blues? Is the addiction really strong? You may have an overgrowth of candida albicans in the gastrointestinal tract that is also contributing to intense cravings. You literally have bugs in the gut crying, "feed me, feed me, feed me!" Of course, they are insatiable, so the more you feed them, the more they want.
Other signs of Candida overgrowth may be skin issues like eczema, dandruff or chronic vaginal or urinary tract infections.
What feeds candida?
Sugar, carbs and alcohol.
Speaking of skin, sugar is a common cause of acne. Many teenagers decide to go on the birth control pill to control acne, which of course doesn’t treat the root cause, but to make matters worse, birth control pills completely disrupt your hormones and create greater stress in so many ways.
A very common side effect of birth control pills is anxiety and depression. So, what commonly occurs? Young women are then put on antidepressants or antianxiety pills or pills for insomnia. Why does this happen?
Medications have side effects and can deplete the body of much needed vitamins and nutrients. Birth control pills deplete the body of vitamin B6, which is needed to make your neurotransmitters in the gut, which includes serotonin, dopamine and melatonin. These are the neurotransmitters needed to feel good, to focus and to sleep!
Vitamin B6 is also needed to make taurine, which is so important for the gallbladder to secret bile. Why is this important? You need good bile to break down fats to absorb your fat-soluble vitamins like Vitamin D!
Sugar, alcohol and carbohydrates also deplete your body of chromium, which is needed to balance blood sugar, and selenium, which is needed for your thyroid and good cellular metabolism.
These are common mineral deficiencies found in depression and anxiety. They are also common deficiencies found in obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and infertility.
Do you see how EVERYTHING is Interrelated? How all health begins in the gut, which begins with what you are feeding yourself?
Food is information and can lead to optimal health or dis-ease particularly affecting mental health.
Savvy Secrets, Eat, Think & Thrive….
Stay tuned…next week we will talk about how we think affects our mental health.
Carpe Diem,
Lisa Jackson
