What Made You Soooo Cranky?

Recently, a patient came in to see me with this story:

“I had food at an Easter dinner that I don't normally have.  After eating the white potato, the bread and the pie for dessert, I felt awful.  It seemed what made me feel awful was the food, or was that my imagination?”

No, it was not your imagination; it was the food.  Yes, life events can make us cranky, unhappy, and even depressed.  But very important, and little recognized is that the food we eat has a powerful effect on our behavior and our mood.  The reason, is that our neurotransmitters (those proteins that make our nervous system function) are made from food.

  Here are six steps to a consistent, happy mood:

           1.  Avoid the “bad-mood foods"  

• White sugar , white flour, high fructose corn syrup (found in sodas)
• Vegetable oils like soy, corn, safflower, canola, cottonseed, peanut, safflower, sesame, margarine, hydrogenated fats (trans fats) 
• Soy unless it is fermented like tempeh or miso (not tofu) 

     2.  Avoid hypoglycemia; be sure to eat breakfast and don’t skip meals

    3.  Eat plenty of protein and omega-3 fats  

         4.  Saturated fats are good for you; butter, palm kernel oil, coconut oil 

         5.  Eat according to your metabolic type  

    6.  Ask Dr. Somner about testing you for: 

• Hormone imbalance (menopause, andropause, hypothyroidism)
• Adrenal fatigue 
• Food allergies 
• Leaky gut syndrome

Probably the most widely known neurotransmitter is serotonin and its role in depression is widely advertised.  What is not so widely known is that some foods promote the formation of neurotransmitters and some foods oppose the formation of neurotransmitters.  What follows is a list of common neurotransmitters, their function, what foods they are made from and what foods they are opposed by.

Serotonin

• Function->positive, confident, flexible and easy going
• How made ->Tryptophan->Serotonin (95% of serotonin is formed in the gut, not the brain)
• Foods high in serotonin: game meat (venison, buffalo, elk), eggs, dairy products, grass-fed animals, healthy fat
• Foods that oppose formation: stimulants like caffeine, ephedra (found in over the counter medications), aspartame, skipped meals, sugar and white flour 
• Conditions that can lead to depletion: inherited deficiency, heart disease, chronic medical conditions, medications, insufficient exposure to the sun, low serum vitamin D levels, and adrenal fatigue 

Catecholamines (Dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine)

• Function->energized, upbeat and alert
  
• Howmade:phenylalanine->typrosine->L-DOPA->dopamine->norepinephrine->epinephrine
• Foods high in catecholamines:  salmon, eggs, cottage cheese, seafood, meat, dairy foods 
• Foods that oppose formation: caffeine, soy, high carbohydrate diets, sugar and white flour 
• Conditions that lead to depletion: hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue, hormonal imbalance, genetic inheritance of deficiency

  GABA

• Function->relaxed and stress free
• How made: glutamate->GABA
• Foods high in GABA -> meat, almonds, dairy, seeds, nuts, butyrate from butter
• Foods that oppose GABA formation: sugar, caffeine, white flourC
• Conditions that lead to deficiency: genetic inheritance of low levels, adrenal fatigue

Endorphins

• Function->cozy feelings of comfort, pleasure and euphoria
• How made->many complicated processes and made by many different cells of the body including immune cells, the pituitary, the hypothalamus and the adrenal glandsF
• Foods high in endorphins: chocolate, big consistent supply of fish, eggs, cottage cheese, chicken
• Foods that oppose formation: sugar, white flour, vegetable oils
• Conditions that lead to deficiency: genetic inheritance of low levels, food allergies

Here are six steps to a consistent, happy mood:

1.  Avoid the “bad-mood foods" 

• White sugar , white flour, high fructose corn syrup (found in sodas)
• Vegetable oils like soy, corn, safflower, canola, cottonseed, peanut, safflower, sesame, margarine, hydrogenated fats (trans fats) 
• Soy unless it is fermented like tempeh or miso (not tofu)
  

2.  Avoid hypoglycemia; be sure to eat breakfast and don’t skip meals

3.  Eat plenty of protein and omega-3 fats

4.  Saturated fats are good for you; butter, palm kernel oil, coconut oil

5.  Eat according to your metabolic type

6.  Ask Dr. Somner about testing you for:

• Hormone imbalance (menopause, andropause, hypothyroidism)
• Adrenal fatigue 
• Food allergies 
• Leaky gut syndrome 

Some helpful hints if you are addicted to the “white stuff” white sugar and white flour:

1. Zinc deficiency.  Many people are zinc deficient and replacing it may help you like your veggies.  Try a 50 mg zinc capsule daily for a month and see if you like your veggies.

2. To help with sugar cravings resulting from blood sugar drop try: L-glutamine 500-1500 mg in AM, midmorning and midafternoon. You may also try chromium 200 mg at breakfast, lunch , dinner and bedtime and under your tongue at the time of craving.

3.  Balance your thyroid, hormones and adrenal glands and treat any food allergies or gut infections such as Candid or parasites

4.   Eat according to your metabolic type