High candy intake linked to lack of impulse control.

Sugar addiction rewires your brain and affects
the neurotransmitters involved in impulse control.

A study comparing children’s candy intake to conviction of crime in adulthood suggests that there is a link. Children who ate candy daily at age 10 were more likely to have been convicted of crime at age 34 years.  69 % of people convicted of violent crimes at age 34 reported eating candy every day in childhood. In comparison only 42 % of the nonviolent study participants ate candy frequently. The scientists speculate that this correlation may be due to lack of impulse control, as they become used to instant gratification. 

Another explanation is that their brain chemistry suffers from a diet high in candy and low in nutrients; ultimately leading to poor brain functioning in impulsive behavior. The average person eats 153 pounds of sugar a year, which is equivalent to over half a cup a day. The average teenage boy eats twice as much sugar as any other age or sex group. Sugar is one of the major components of our diet, and any relation between sugar and behavior is of major interest. There is a plenty of information on sugar and children. However, much of it is controversial: some research shows that it does cause hyperactivity and aggressiveness. Other research shows that it does not seem to cause abnormal behavior. Research by Alexander Schauss, author of Diet, Crime and Delinquency, shows that when sugar is removed from children’s diet, their school grades go up. 

Basically, sugar cravings are a symptom of an imbalance in your brain chemistry. When you self-medicate on high-sugary foods you experience a short-term relief due to the release of serotonin as well as a spike in blood-sugar levels. Both of which makes us feel good instantly. However, this type of self-medication leads to a gradual nutrient depletion. Once the high of the sugar rush wears off, you will be craving your next fix – you are caught in a vicious cycle. 

There are certain associations with specific neurotransmitter deficiencies and food cravings. 

Here is an overview to determine what you might be lacking based on the symptoms you are experiencing:

Craving                   Symptom                          Brain Chemical               Natural Remedy
Sweet + Caffeine -> Weight + Low Energy->  Dopamine  -> Tyrosine, B12, Ginseng, Green Tea

Fatty Foods   ->  Memory + Attention issue->Acetylcholine -> Choline, Omega-3, B-complex

Carbs + Alcohol ->  Anxiety + Sleep issue -> Serotonin or GABA-> Inositol, NAC, Tryptophan

To pinpoint exactly which vitamins, minerals, amino acids and essential fatty acids that you might be running low on, along with determining the effective dosage for your specific biochemistry type, requires an in-depth diet analysis. However, loading up on some of the most basic nutrients in non-toxic doses is usually always a good idea. 

Always consult your doctor if you are on medication that may interfere with specific supplements.

Reference:

More S. et al: Confectionery consumption in childhood and adult violence. British Journal of Psychiatry. 2009;195(4): 366-7. 

The Biology of Your Cravings.

Cookie Monster is a perfect example of someone

with a low level of serotonin,

 and perhaps also an excess of dopamine,

making for an anxious, aggressive personality type 

of a carb-loving furry friend.

One of the most typical issues I deal with in my work as a medical nutritionist, is helping clients break addictive behaviors around foods - especially high-carb foods. Cravings and out-of-control eating is always, always linked to brain chemistry imbalances, along with a series of other potential triggers that vary depending on genetic blueprint.

If you fail to recognize the underlying biochemistry imbalances, then you will struggle with this for the rest of your life. One thing I can promise you, is that if left untreated, it will only get worse. That is why 95% of all diets fail - they are not balancing your brain- and biochemistry, rather they are worsening the existing biochemistry problem that caused you to gain weight in the first place! Whether it be an imbalance linked to low metabolic rate (your dopaminergic neurotransmitter system), or it be one associated with addictive and binge behavior patters (your serotonergic neurotransmitter system).

Brain chemistry imbalances and triggers are highly individual and can be pin-pointed according to your genotype via specific lab tests, of which I’ll take you through the most relevant to detect what is causing your cravings. Keep in mind, cravings may be due to an isolated factor or multiple imbalances/allergies, and each one needs to be addressed, before they completely vanish. But vanish they will, once you focus on the cause - which is an imbalanced biology, rather than doing the same thing over and over again. White-knuckling it on one fad diet or another, yet you continue to expect a different outcome. Maybe this time, maybe Monday - it is wishful thinking and you know it.

So let’s go over the most common triggers associated with cravings, and why that cookie jar is oh-so appealing in the late hours...(...)

Read the full shenanigans on FoodFacts here.

Natural Prescription For Hormone Balancing.

Change Your Body Set-point.

If you've reached a weight-loss plateau, or even having difficulty losing any weight in spite of monitoring every morsel that passes your lips, you need to change your metabolism and brain chemistry, as these two factors are what will ultimately determine if you are able to keep your body-fat down, get ripped abs and no longer struggle with the munchies. I've said it a million times and I'll say it again: fat-burning has NOTHING to do with willpower, but everything to do with brainpower, and understanding how to harness the power of your brain chemistry and genotype - matching it with the right supplements, amino therapy and dietary strategies for your unique genetic blueprint and brain chemistry wiring.

There are, however, a couple factors that you may not be aware of that are crucial in order to kickstart your body into fat-burning gear:

You can change your metabolism:  A study of sets of twins where one was fat and the other thin found that fat cells in heavier twins underwent metabolic changes that make it more difficult to burn fat.  Physical activity can reverse the effect.

Stress can make you fat: Stressful circumstances can cause cravings for carbohydrate-rich foods. Stress hormones also increase fat storage.

Zac Efron- His physique is not a matter of willpower:
He doesn't stick to a fanatic diet or exercise regime;
it simply flows - because what he is doing,
whether conscious or not about it,
matches his genetic blueprint!

Sleep more to promote weight loss:  Sleep deprivation upsets your hormone balance, triggering a decrease in leptin (a hormone that helps you feel full) and an increase of ghrelin (a hormone that triggers hunger).

Sugar is addictive:  Research has determined that foods people like excite the same parts of the brain that are activated in drug addicts.

Antioxidants are also anti-fat:  Free radicals damage the cells that tell you that you're full. Get rid of them by eating colorful, antioxidant-rich vegetables.

Pine Nut Oil Suppress Appetite: In a paper being presented in an American Physiological Society session at Experimental Biology 2006, "the greatest effect was observed after just 30 minutes, with the 18 women reporting a 29% reduction in "desire to eat" and a 36% drop in "prospective food intake" scores. The experiment found a parallel and significant increase in cholecystokinin (CCK) of 60% and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1) of 25% that remained as long as four hours after ingestion. CCK and GLP1 are appetite suppressors, which "send signals of satiation to the brain diminishing the desire to eat and food intake usually significantly


To determine your genetic blueprint you can sign up online for a metabolic typing session with The Nutrition Doctor here - the web portal will be online in September.

According to New DSM-5 Criteria: YOU're An Addict!

Well, more likely than not the new criteria will open up for future inclusion of disorders that were previously diagnosed as impulse control disorders rather than actual addictions. However, fact remains that a lot of those behaviors, prescription meds and chemicals added to foods these days directly stimulate our dopaminergic neurotransmitter system which is one of the key pathways in your reward system activated by drugs such as coke, speed, meth etc.

And another interesting aspect is that internet, texting etc. stimulate dopamine boosts as well - making for a generation that is used to instant gratification and has a super vulnerable brain chemistry for hard-core drugs; or simply a chronic need for stimulation that goes hand in hand with a low tolerance to pain (emotionally and physically). This makes for the perfect "binge" generation that constantly seek out distractions they can numb out in to avoid feelings (sex, cutting, shopping, drugs, food, gambling, texting, online stimuli, stealing, lying, gaming, hysteria and rage tantrums etc. etc.). And because everyone these days are doing something to manage the everyday pain of life, when you are not content in the skin you are in and the life that YOU ultimately have chosen to live... we have indeed become a nation of addicts - as I see it.

Because everyone's an addict does not make it right - it's a problem, and it's growing as both our environment, food and norms are supporting various addictions that overlap.

Look, I know what you're thinking "Oh come on now! Give me a break! No one's perfect!" That's not the point. The point is, there is a very...very... fine line before something, that we trick ourselves into thinking that we are in control of, gets in control of us. And if you can't go even a week without your drug/behavior of choice, without throwing fits of rage or crying over everything and nothing, there is a problem that is not going to disappear on its own.

Once you stop engaging in your distractions, you'll realize how you really feel about your life... and that is not always pretty.

When you are not happy in the skin you are in without numbing yourself out; it's only a matter of time before you will find yourself controlled by behaviors or substances... where every decision you make depends on whether you will be able to ultimately get your fix... so you only see your friends during "happy hour"... cos if it's not happy hour, you're not happy. Don't get me wrong: I love my Amarone too! But there's a huge difference between "nice to have" and "need to have". And "need to have" is never nice.

And on a side note - Sylvester Stallone's son, Sage, has just been found dead in his LA apartment. Make no mistake: Addiction will kill you - it is a slow suicide. And sometimes, not so slow. You can get the latest details on this on TMZ.



"The fact that binge drinking is so pervasive among college students and other young people indicates not that it is the norm, and therefore OK (not a problem), but that it is a very big problem indeed. Arguing otherwise is like saying that since so many Americans are obese, it needn’t be addressed because it is a cultural norm."

- The Fix

Read more about the controversy about the new diagnosing criteria to be included in the DSM 5 here.

Awakenings.

Living the lie. 

I believe it's human nature to be an addict. 
And I also believe that the temptation to give in to instant gratification makes for an outcome where we tend to gravitate towards ultimately (self)destructive behaviors that we become addicted to by repeating them again and again; reinforcing the reward mechanism and mapping out new paths for pleasure in our brain.

A brain that gets addicted to misery, unnatural highs and extreme lows. Insanity becomes our new sanity. We feel comfortable when we engage in patterns that our brain is used to recognizing and rewarding with a cascade of pleasure chemicals such as endorphins, serotonin, glutamate and dopamine. Every high, every instant gratification, outburst of rage... whatever our shadow is... is followed predictably with a crash. And so we must do it again - and often times in a more extreme manner, as we adapt to drugs and behaviors; dopamine is only stimulated by novelty. We get used to this way of being, and our brain responds with pain whenever we try to change our ingrained behaviors. Because it has no reward system attached to the new (healthier) habits we are trying to develop. Yet, that is.

Addiction is not limited to drugs - it's everything and anything.
Shopping, sex, drugs, alcohol, food, cutting, gambling, Internet and... even something like being a drama queen. You become addicted to the highs and lows, and your constant fits of rage and hysteria... you are actually turned on (unconsciously) by the emotional pornography and manipulative spiel you participate in. When you engage in a fight with someone, your body releases beta-endorphins - our natural painkillers - which are highly addicting. So yes, even "personalities" can be addictive.

Destructive behaviors are tempting for our basic instincts, when we have not become conscious yet. They tap into our shallow desires on a very primitive level. Now I am all for following basic instincts, but you need to be able to be driven on a much deeper level than what feels like s prickling sensation on your skin. Sensations come and go - passion (with reason) remains. But much worse is that when you give into the prickling, tingling sensation on your skin, it typically slits your veins when you least expect it, and leaves scars that often run soul deep.

So how do you know when you are following a shallow temptation?
When you are not selling your soul, you need no legislation or permission from anyone. Because it feels right. When you try to manipulate yourself and others by giving a thousand reasons why something is OK. It's not. It goes against your core beliefs. You can play mind-games with yourself. Distract yourself. Tell yourself you are fine. Everything is fine. Everybody else is doing it.

Wait. What. When did something become right, just because everyone else is doing it? 

Everybody's doing it... is how the worst scenarios in history unfolded.
Your life being no exception to this excuse.

Look yourself in the mirror. Do you recognize yourself? Self-loathing is tied to selling yourself short.
Why is this message so important for me to repeat over and over again - because I know this is the key to unlock every human being's bright light and endless potential. I know how painful it is to be a sleepwalker. And once you wake up, you can't go back to sleep.
All the pain and misery we feel is tied to a longing to connect with ourselves on a soul level. Follow your calling and become you. Become whole. And suddenly life is not that hard anymore.

Life, in fact, is very easy. 

Don't follow the herd as they run off the cliff, because that is essentially what we are doing - look around you - how many are not struggling with some type of destructive behavior to deal with life. AND LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL. It's not that tough, it really isn't - it's all in our minds. And whether we choose to numb ourselves and ignore who we really are.


It is living the lie that is killing us and leads us down a road towards lifestyle diseases due to the suicidal lifestyles we choose to "cope" with the lies we tell ourselves - and others.
I don't have to tell you what's right - you know it. I don't know your truth. I don't know the lies you tell. But anyone who is not a sleepwalker can recognize the pain and suffering in others that are still lost in a haze.
If something makes you smile - just makes you radiate from within - do it, and do it again. Because then it's right. Everything else is tied to lies. You always get that slight metallic aftertaste that you need to wash down with a couple drinks if not. Just a little Anesthesia to take the edge off of your contradicting choices in life.

You numb yourself into unconsciousness.
And with no consciousness we don't think about the long-term consequences. All that matters is here and now. Typically because our choices cause chronic pain we get stuck in a drive for release this very moment, right now... want it now, need it now... nowNOWnow!
Or we will simply go insane. Or so we feel.

Posing for the cameras.
How many drugs does this lie take to sustain.

Feelings.
Of pain, rejection, discomfort in the skin you are in.
And wherever you look, there is a giant billboard screaming with a commercial for whatever "drug" or behavior you engage in; that you are fine. Everything is fine. This is normal. You are normal.
Paris Hilton does it. JLO is doing it. Heck, even your neighbor is doing it.
Do they seem like happy people to you? Why do you think they need all that makeup, botox and designer clothes... to cover up their hollowness inside... this is not rocket science.

Have you looked at how normal people are feeling and living lately?
All the silent screams. All the tears that never dry. All the pretension; the constant legalization of whatever we are doing, it's OK. Distracting yourself. Pretending it's not happening.

Go ahead dive in. Be part of the misery. Sell your soul.

Because that is essentially what you are doing, when you switch off the lights. Drowning in the darkness. 

And yet, if you can recognize any of these thought-patterns, it's too late to turn around, to go back to sleep, because you have seen the cuts... the blood stains on the floor. The vividly red streams cutting into the deep bottomless black that is within every human being.

Once you have awoken from your sleep, there is no escape. All EXITS are locked. You can either swim or drown, but you can't tread water anymore. Knowledge is power, but it comes with responsibility to take action.
You can't know and NOT do: If you've chosen to pull the curtain, you must stand up to whatever sight comes with it. There is no sneak-peaking once the curtain falls.

The first step is to wake up and stop pretending.

However painful that may be.

What's FOOD got to do with your MOOD?

What would Don Draper do?

So, what's your coping mechanism in life?
This sketch is just priceless - it is pure brilliant in portraying how many of us go about our daily life in some way or another, whether we are conscious about it or not, and whatever our "drug" of choice is.

As anyone who has watched an episode of Mad Men knows, Don Draper is the epitome of a civilized addict. His narcissistic behavior and need for control is a direct result of an unstable biochemistry, if he is not engaging in his drugs of choice (cigarettes, alcohol or sex), he is being emotionally abusive.

His inability to handle emotions is why he is succumbing to self-destructive coping mechanisms that temporarily numb him out.

First step in treating someone like Don Draper is to rebalance his biochemistry so that he no longer deals with those ongoing struggles that cause him to be a ticking time-bomb. He is constantly experiencing peaks and dips in his dopaminergic and seratonergic neurotransmitter system based on what he is doing (or temporarily abstaining from doing). And those drastic brain chemical fluctuations would drive anyone up the wall. You can have all the knowledge in the world on how to deal with emotions etc., but if you are fighting against your biology, you stand to lose.


Treating an imbalanced biochemistry should always come first - that enables people to feel comfortable in the skin they're in effortlessly and without needing to spend countless hours at the shrink's going over semi-invented or not childhood traumas that just are not relevant to keep dwelling on when focus should be on letting go of the past and moving forward.

Balance your brain and everything else in life suddenly seems a lot less dramatic.
Addicts create drama because they are about to crawl out of their skin - that is how uncomfortable it feels to be them, and thus creating some outside triggering dramatic event gives them a temporary relief from focusing on their own inner discomfort.

Once inner balance is restored there is no need to create outer chaos.

Get your brain chemistry evaluated here.

Eating breakfast shown to reduce brain signals that when active, lead to reward driven eating behavior.

Check out the texture!
There is nothing better than starting off the day 

licking a bowl clean of ice cream...

 slightly naughty, but it really is good for you! Depending on what I crave, 

I'll top it with berries, shaved dark chocolate, chopped nuts 

or simply drizzle some raw honey over it. 

So. Unbelievably. Good.

New study explains the brain chemical science of what we already know: Eating breakfast in the morning reduced brain activity in the regions associated with motivation and reward, which is also where dopamine is released – a hormone that plays a role in emotional well-being and pleasure. Skipping the most important meal of the day is associated with more snacking and food cravings.

More protein in the morning reduces snacking

Functional MRI (fMRI) was used to look at brain activity related to food motivation and reward. The researchers also measured appetite perceived by the teens, hormonal markers and psychological motivation related to desire to eat.

The adolescents who ate breakfast reported greater satisfaction and less hunger throughout the morning, compared to those who skipped breakfast.

The Nutrition Doctor in The Kitchen is right now making frozen yogurt with just 3 ingredients: Greek yogurt, raw honey and a tiny drop of Amaretto.
When making your own fro-yo, the secret to amazing rich creaminess that just wraps around your tongue like silk is to use 2% Greek yogurt and adding just a drop of liqueur to lower the freezing point and avoid ice crystals. Greek yogurt is a great breakfast choice as it has triple the protein contents of regular, so it satisfies you longer than regular plain yogurt. In the heat of the summer this is one of my breakfast favourites - yes ice cream for breakfast. Rich, creamy... so decadent yet oh-so-good-for you. Lick it, baby!

Reference: Heather J. Leidy et al. "Neural Responses to Visual Food Stimuli After a Normal vs. Higher Protein Breakfast in Breakfast-Skipping Teens: A Pilot fMRI Study”. Obesity (2011) doi:10.1038/oby.2011.108

Lick it! Nature's Viagra: This Valentine's get your SEXY on!

Do you know that your sex drive is an indicator of your overall health?
If your libido is diminishing, then this is simply a symptom of imbalanced hormones and a messed up brain chemistry! Factors that put you at risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes type-2, dementia and other inflammatory based diseases!


Before you resort to Botox in the quest of eternal youth do this...
Yes, your passion in the bedroom affects one of our greatest anti-aging hormones being HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE. This secret-to-eternal-youth hormone helps boost collagen production and keep cellulite at bay. Yes, you heard me... sex may very well be an underestimated cure for cellulite. Cellulite being a major issue for most women when they hit menopause - as their hormones drop, their libido vanishes and their mood fluctuates... just coinciding with those less-than-flattering derriere dimples appearing. It's NOT a coincidence. Hormonal imbalance sets off a major cascade of aging biochemistry reactions in your body!


And no, I am certainly not recommending Viagra here - the side effects are vast and many, and quite frankly, this is a disaster of a drug.


Lick it, baby!
What I am recommending is that you eat these two foods daily for a period of 6 weeks, and watch your sex-drive rise!
Apart from that you hereby have Rx to eat dark, decadent chocolate daily, the health impact of these two natural aphrodisiacs  go far beyond the bedroom, as they help to boost dopamine and serotonin levels, as well as balance your hormones NATURALLY and without any side-effects! 
So yes, lick every drop of that dark chocolate!


The scientific low-down on the two SEXY foods:

The Mayan Super food of the gods...
Dark chocolate contains a high concentration of phenethylamine. This chemical stimulates the nervous system and triggers the release of pleasurable opium-like compounds known as endorphins. It also potentiates the activity of dopamine, the neuro-chemical associated with sexual arousal.


The Incan secret to strong stamina... from the bedroom to the boardroom!
It's called MACA baby! And to be honest I have never seen anything quite as efficient with regard to boosting your sex drive! MACA is a Peruvian root that is one of the few foods that act like an adaptogen (balancing your hormones), support exhausted adrenal glands by lowering cortisol levels. However, dosage is crucial to notice any effect whatsoever; I have found that 1-2 tbsp. daily boosts libido for the majority of my clients dramatically within 6 weeks! Mix it in smoothies, yogurt or add it to flour in recipes when baking.


The taste of SEXY is dark, decadent and delicious...
You can get hold of RAW, high-potency and organic cocoa nibs and MACA here.


Reference: 

Dillinger TL, et al. Food of the gods: cure for humanity? A cultural history of the medicinal and ritual use of chocolate. J. Nutr. 2000 Aug:130(85 Suppl):2057S-72S

Breaking A Bad Habit

Habits are learned slowly but once they are in place they are by their very nature difficult to break. One defining feature of habits is that they are resistant to extinction. Habits are very inflexible; they're very unresponsive when a situation changes. The distinction between behavior driven by a goal and behavior driven by a habit is that goal driven behavior requires thinking. 

However, if you do the goal driven activity often enough, then it becomes an automated habit triggered by circumstances beyond your control.

Dopamine influences both types of behavior,  revving up  the motivational circuits of the brain and strengthening the power of habit. The circuitry operates in roughly parallel loops, with one loop acting as the processing center for motivational information and another focusing on the motor activity associated with habits.

The implications for someone trying to control food intake are obvious. As habits are learned, the brain comes to code whole sequences of behavior as performance units that can be triggered by specific contexts. Cues in the environment become the triggers of predictable and automatic actions.

When it comes to food, we are, in essence, following an eating script that has been written into the circuits of our brains. The more rewarding the food, the stronger the learning experience that creates the automatic behavior (i.e. high sugar/fat foods). That's the danger of habit. 

But habit formation has the potential for good as well. If we can learn to turn all of this around, we can eventually create new habits, ones that motivate us to pursue other, healthier sources of reward.

Contact us to get a brand NEW YOU this year!