MAKING TURKEY STOCK OR BONE BROTH

Bone broth is something your grandmother (at least your great-grandmother) made religiously. It was used to treat every kind of sickness as well as a base (stock) for adding vegetables and grains to make soups and stews. Simmering the bones leaches out beneficial nutrients like calcium, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus – all playing an important role in counteracting depression and anxiety!

SELENIUM – A Micro-Nutrient with a Mega-Impact!...

Selenium improves the immune system against bacterial and viral infections, against cancer cells and herpes virus, cold sores, and shingles. It also regulates cholesterol and benefits the skin during healing from burn injuries. Selenium contributes to healthy skin and shampoo containing selenium can alleviate dandruff problems. Selenium also plays an important role in preventing and decreasing depression and anxiety. There has probably been more research on selenium and its relationship to depression and anxiety than any other nutrient. Back in 1991, Benton & Cook’s study, “The impact of selenium supplementation on mood” published in Biological Psychiatry showed a strong correlation between depressive symptoms and selenium in 50 British subjects. In their double-blind study, subjects received either a placebo or 100 mcg selenium daily. A food frequency questionnaire was used to estimate the intake of selenium in the diet. The subjects consuming the highest amounts of selenium had the highest elevation of mood and lower anxiety. The lower the level of selenium in the diet the more reports of anxiety, depression, and tiredness, which were all reversed following 5 weeks of selenium therapy. Ongoing studies have continued to confirm that lower dietary selenium intakes are associated with an increased risk of depression. SELENIUM PREVENTS POST-PARTUM DEPRESSION Recently, researchers at the University of Calgary in Canada studied 475 pregnant women to see if selenium played a role in preventing postpartum depression. They found that prenatal supplementation with selenium decreased the risk of postpartum depression. A 2011 study of 166 pregnant women in Iran reached the same conclusion; selenium supplementation during pregnancy significantly decreased the risk of postpartum depression. While selenium supplementation reduces the risk of depression, deficiencies in vitamin D, zinc, and selenium all contribute to the development of postpartum depression. SELENIUM IMPROVES DEPRESSION AMONG THE ELDERLY Selenium has improved depressive symptoms among the elderly living in nursing and residential homes. This is very good news since it is estimated that one third of older people in elderly care facilities have significant symptoms of depression, although I suspect that number is actually higher. Since the elderly are no longer able to cook for themselves, they are at the mercy of the facilities for their meals. It is too often the case that dietary regimens in institutions of all kinds are woefully lacking in nutrients necessary for good mental health. A BRAZIL NUT A DAY KEEPS DEPRESSION AWAY Adequate selenium levels are crucial for the prevention of depression and anxiety. Consuming the recommended amount of selenium has been demonstrated to relieve depression and anxiety caused by major life stressors. Numerous studies have supported its effectiveness at preventing postpartum depression...

THE “LOW-DOWN” ON “LOW-CARB”...

  Because “Low-Carb” is one of the buzzwords for diets currently, it is important to understand a few things about what carbohydrates are and how they work. The brain needs carbohydrates to function properly. One of the very important functions of carbohydrates is in assisting the amino acid tryptophan to enter the brain from the bloodstream, allowing it to be converted to serotonin. Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that regulates our moods. The only way we can produce serotonin is by eating tryptophan, which is found in foods containing good quality protein. Low serotonin levels have been associated with depression. If we are not consuming enough carbohydrate, the brain is not able to access enough of the tryptophan we are eating in our food, which can result in low serotonin levels and depression. There are three types of carbohydrates: Starch, Sugar, and Fiber. STARCH Starchy foods include: Potatoes Wheat Corn Rice Pasta Cereals Bread Crackers FIBER Fiber is found naturally in the plants, nuts and seeds that we eat. Meat and dairy products do not contain fiber. Fiber comes in two types: Soluble and Insoluble. Both types are very important for digestion, and prevention of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and constipation. Some foods contain only one type and some foods, like fruit, usually contain both. Soluble fibers attract water and form a gel, which slows down digestion. Soluble fiber delays the emptying of your stomach and makes you feel full, which helps control weight. Slower stomach emptying may also affect blood sugar levels and have a beneficial effect on insulin sensitivity, which may help control diabetes. Soluble fibers can also help lower LDL (“bad”) blood cholesterol by interfering with the absorption of dietary cholesterol. Sources of soluble fiber include: Oatmeal Lentils Apples Oranges Pears Oat bran Strawberries Nuts Flaxseeds Beans Split peas Blueberries Psyllium Cucumbers Celery Carrots Insoluble Fiber is considered gut-healthy fiber because it has a laxative effect and adds bulk to the diet, helping prevent constipation. These fibers do not dissolve in water, so they pass through the gastrointestinal tract relatively intact, and speed up the passage of food and waste through your gut. Insoluble fibers are mainly found in whole grains and vegetables. Sources of insoluble fiber include:  Whole grains Wheat bran Corn bran Seeds Nuts Barley Couscous Brown rice Bulgur Zucchini Celery Broccoli Cabbage Onions Tomatoes Carrots Cucumbers Green beans Dark leafy green vegetables Raisins Grapes Fruit Root vegetable skins (such as beets, turnips, potatoes)  SUGAR Sugar is the third form of carbohydrate and includes several different types. The more common types are sucrose, glucose (also...

3 SURPRISING THINGS ABOUT CALCIUM

CALCIUM DEFICIENCY IS STRONGLY LINKED TO DEPRESSION Most of us know that calcium is important for strong teeth and bones. Your heart, muscles and nerves also need calcium to function properly. One thing that may come as a surprise is that calcium is important for regulating our mood. Calcium is one of Nature’s sedatives with calming and relaxing effects. It has recently been shown to be significantly more effective than acetaminophen in long-term pain reduction in orthodontic treatment. So, in addition to relaxation and stress relief, calcium also provides relief from pain. People who have depression and anxiety have been found to be deficient in calcium. A negative association was found in middle-aged Korean women between dietary intake of calcium and depression; the less calcium they consumed in their diets, the more depressed they were. YOU NEED FAT TO ABSORB CALCIUM Calcium needs to be consumed along with fat in order to be utilized by the body. One of the consequences of “low fat” diets is the body can’t use the calcium from fat-free foods. For instance, while cow’s milk is a good source of calcium, the calcium in skim milk is essentially wasted unless you add some other source of fat at the same time. If, along with your skim milk, you ate a piece of toast with butter, you would be able to absorb and use the calcium. But in the absence of fat, no matter how much calcium is listed on the label, you aren’t getting any of it! It’s better to drink milk with at least 1% milkfat to utilize the calcium. CALCIUM ISN’T ONLY IN DAIRY PRODUCTS Of course milk and cheese are excellent sources of calcium but so are dark leafy greens like kale, turnip greens and collards. Almonds are also high in calcium, making almond milk a good alternative to cow’s milk for calcium. Almonds and almond milk also naturally contain fat so the calcium is readily available. A variety of fruits are also good sources of calcium including oranges and strawberries. An adult needs around 1000 mg of calcium each day. I include dark leafy greens in my diet every day, either in green smoothies in the morning, salad at lunch, or cooked greens with dinner or all three! I include a teaspoon of flax oil with my greens, in my smoothies, salad dressing and squirted directly on cooked greens to insure good calcium absorption and a powerpunch of omega 3’s! Flax oil has a sweet, nutty taste and is the perfect compliment to dark leafy greens. Sauteing dark green leafy...