I recently attended a full day lecture called  “Nutritional Perspectives On Neurological Disorders”.  The guy was fantastic.  He was a Dr. from Vermont who was a great speaker, great presenter, and he had great information.  I’m obviously not a neurologist nor anywhere near that field; but there was plenty I could understand and absorb.

Here some interesting tidbits that I learned:

The amount of Serotonin you have in your brain is DIRECTLY related to the amount of Tryptophan you eat.  Directly.  Your highest food sources of Tryptophan are meats, dairy, and nuts and seeds. (it’s in other foods too, pull up a list if you want) YOU NEED PROPER/GOOD DIGESTION TO ACTUALLY GET THE TRYPTOPHAN OUT OF THE FOODS AND USE IT.  (Everything begins in the gut.)

Serotonin is an “inhibitory” neurotransmitter.  That means it has a calming effect.

When people have a hard day or a stressful event and they have INSUFFICIENT serotonin, but their brain wants some,  they will indulge in Carb/Junk Food fests, because processed/refined Carbs give quick doses of Serotonin.

Here’s the kicker: the elevated Serotonin ONLY LASTS BETWEEN 30 AND 60 MINUTES.  It’s not a permanent solution to your stress.  We all know that we can actually feel more stress when the  indulging is over. It’s also not a permanent solution to raising Serotonin.

High levels of Blood Glucose interferes with the chemical pathway of Tryptophan becoming Serotonin. This is NOT a contradictory statement with the above paragraph.  Tryptophan is found in meat, dairy, nuts and seeds.  RWFs!  There’s a chain of events that happens that allows the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin. High levels of BG are primarily from meals/snacks of processed and refined carbs.

Different pathways to Serotonin. One pathway, RWFs and good digestion, actually BUILDS SEROTONIN LEVELS IN YOUR BRAIN,  the other pathway basically gives you a short, temporary dose of Serotonin.  Which sounds better in the long run?

Moving on…You know how we’ve talked often about MSG – Monosodium Glutamate?   It has a couple dozen different, FDA approved names;  it’s an Excito / Neurotoxin, and it’s in at LEAST 70% of ALL processed and refined foods?  Glutamate is an EXCITATORY neurotransmitter.  That means it literally stimulates the neurons in your brain.  A LITTLE bit of this is good and normal, and some RWFs actually contain tiny amounts of glutamate.  Processed/refined foods contain whopper doses.  If you’re eating processed/refined foods all day long, or even a few times a day (or your kids are),   brain neurons are being OVERSTIMULATED to the point of exhaustion, and DEATH.  Let me repeat that :  Glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter present in about 70% of all processed and refined foods, overstimulates brain neurons to the point of death. For me, that’s old news.  One of my kids is epileptic, and I’ve tried hard to steer clear of glutamate – her brain’s excited enough.  Here’s the New News for me:  Brain Neurons Get Addicted To The Stimulation.  They send signals out for more stimulation.  Ever wonder why all the sudden the thought of certain foods pops into your head, and your desire for that food is overwhelming?  That’s the brain neurons – bored and anxious, and wanting their fix.

Moms,  don’t let this happen to your kids.  If they’re already addicted to junk food, they can be UNaddicted.  Don’t buy it, don’t bring it in your home. It will take a little while – a withdraw period – but it will happen.  Our bodies WANT to be normal and healthy. Given a chance, they will be. Eat Real Whole Foods!!!