“I feel gray, even on a sunny day.”
“I feel like I am moving and thinking in slow motion.”
“I don’t feel hopeful or happy.”
“I can’t focus … I feel stupid.”
A show of hands—do any of those sound familiar? Or, I should say, feel familiar?
It really is true: you are what you eat.
Everything you put on the end of your fork matters! When you eat to improve your health, you actually improve the quality of your life. You see, food directly impacts neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, and these neurotransmitters play a big role in how you feel. Of course, this isn’t always the whole picture. At The Amen Clinics, we are not anti-medication. However, we believe in empowering people with the knowledge of how powerful food is.
I’m the first to admit that making changes to start feeding kids a healthier diet can be challenging. And it’s particularly difficult in a culture where children are constantly exposed to unhealthy foods like “Happy Meals”.
None of that food is high-quality; it’s simply bad for your brain and body. That type of food is not only unhealthy but should have its name changed to “Moody Meals.” There’s nothing happy about kids’ moods crashing soon after that happy lift off.
To get our week off to a great start, I thought we should all get in a great mood. You know the kind of mood that involves the perfect balance of serotonin and dopamine.
Eating the right foods throughout the day can help boost dopamine and stabilize blood sugar, which gives people the ability to make better decisions and not give in to impulses.
In this video, you’ll discover how food, in many instances, can help illuminate the need for medications like antidepressants. The correct foods can also help reduce feelings of negativity, anxiety and depression (in kids and adults alike). Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying, “The best doctor gives the least medicines.” But with so many doctors doling out millions of prescriptions for antidepressants, like Lithium, just trying to find that “best doctor” can put you in a mood.
I once worked with one of the largest drug rehab programs in the country, and saw first hand how people in the treatment program were able to transform their lives just with food. They felt more alive. They got their focus and energy back. They passed their GEDs after failing it three times. Believe it or not, quite often it’s the wrong foods that starts a deadly domino effect for many people in the first place. Eating the wrong foods day in and day out can make some people feel depressed, angry, and moody to the point of not having any self-confidence; a feeling of despair, and nowhere to turn. This leads some of them to drugs, and can open the door to other bad decisions. This is especially true for teenagers. So many parents worry about their children hanging out with the wrong kind of kids who are a bad influence, but the wrong kind of foods can also act as a bad influence.
One Lump Of DDT Or Two In Your Coffee?
I’ll give you the name of one of the most popular artificial sweeteners that was first designed to kill ants, Aspartame also known as Equal. That is what they were trying to make when they came up with that sweetener that is now sitting in your coffee. It still has a molecular structure more related to DDT for killing ants than it does to sugar. Talk about a slow-acting poison! It’ll not only kill your mood, it will kill your chances for true health!
Artificial Sweeteners That Help Curb Sugar Cravings
Sounds like a dream come true. Stevia and Erythritol are two sweeteners I recommend to sweeten your day that not only have zero calories but zero side effects. In many instances, for many people, it’s their diet that makes them the kind of person they are.
Don’t Forget To Keep Those Carb Cravings Under Control
Complex carbs are the ones you want to focus on. Some of my favorites include: squash, sweet potato, quinoa, zucchini, cauliflower, broccoli and kale. The simple carbs are the ones to avoid. They include: rice, pasta, potatoes, sugar, bread and corn. Be sure to give your body what it needs. Remember to always focus on the delicious foods that are healthy and filling.
What kind of a person do you want to be? What kind of a person do you want your child to be?
For more information visit my nutrition page, listen to a podcast or read my books – either The Brain Warrior’s Way* or The Omni Diet*.
(*Get 21% OFF with code TANA21)
