Over the years I have been inspired, blessed and honored to participate with individuals on their miraculous recovery from eating disorders, binge eating, overeating, alcohol abuse and white sugar addiction. In the last ten years profound studies on understanding neurotransmitters and cravings have been done on the brain that strongly suggest that eating a diet of nutrient dense Living Foods in combination with a structured Food As Medicine Healing System has the ability to alter brain chemistry and help re-wire the craving brain. Understanding how this is even possible requires that we first explore the neurotransmitters in the brain and how they handle stress.
Our body chemistry is complex. There are over 100 neurotransmitters in the brain that help with inner communication. To keep it simple I’d like to concentrate on the important role of the neurotransmitters ‘dopamine’ and ‘serotonin’. These neurotransmitters are the chemical messengers in the brain that control how we think and feel. They directly affect our mood, how we make decisions, and our ability to handle stress. These two chemicals have different effects on behavior and make us feel sad and anxious or calm and emotionally balanced.
THE YANG AND YIN OF DOPAMINE AND SEROTONIN
> DOPAMINE is a very yang neuro-chemical. It is an excitatory, a motivator. It’s role is to get the job done.
> SEROTONIN is a very yin neuro-chemical. It’s an inhibitor, a grounder. It stabilizes and balances excessive levels of excitatory neuro-chemicals.
In a perfectly balanced body these neurotransmitters orchestrate hunger, craving and satiation like a harmonious symphony.
Deep in the center of the brain lies the limbic system, also known as the ‘reptilian brain’. Other parts of the brain have evolved over time. But this ancient survival part of the brain still performs functions much the same for our species as it has for thousands and thousands of years. The incoming data concerning our internal and external environment, as well as our emotional state, is processed here.
The information is then relayed to the nucleus accumbens. Now what makes the relationship between these two brain centers so important is that, when we are in stress mode, the limbic panics and the nucleus accumbens release dopamine. The amount of dopamine released depends on the intensity of the stressor. The greater the stress, the greater the rise in our dopamine levels.
ELEVATED DOPAMINE LEVELS
As the brain floods with dopamine, we become obsessional and overloaded. Too much dopamine disrupts homeostasis, causing inappropriate hunger and cravings. It is called ‘the gotta have it’ chemical. Elevated dopamine loves excessive shopping and gambling. It is in command when we down a dozen cups of coffee when we’re feeling crazy, six glasses of wine when were feeling unhinged, eat a third helping of food long after we are full or head out into a driving snow storm for a sugar fix.
SEROTONIN THE SUPERPOWER
What stops this craving behavior is it’s sister neurotransmitter, serotonin. 95% of serotonin is made in the intestines. Serotonin constrains dopamine’s actions and gives us a feeling of well being. Serotonin creates bio-balance and is responsible for regulating mood, appetite and sleep. This is Nature’s antidote.
Together, excitatory and inhibitory neurons perform an intricate balancing act to give your body energy and solace when you need it. The Yang and Yin of the universe. An imbalance in either can have effects on mental health, digestion and sleep cycle.
However, if the stress is prolonged and feels inescapable, we can exhaust this delicate system. We can burn through serotonin faster than the body can replenish it. Our serotonin levels can be forced to work at a dysfunctional level, sometimes barely producing any serotonin at all. Over time, if the serotonin landscape is never allowed to return to baseline, it becomes extremely difficult to set and keep long-term goals that require delayed gratification.
Consequently we can remain in a high dopamine state for years, craving and repeating impairing behaviors which create a non-stop loop. An ongoing whirlpool of disconnect. Over the long term this erodes at our self esteem, disturbs our inner peace and keeps us from reaching our ultimate potential….
If you have been living on the emotional edge, you are probably sporting deficient neurotransmitters. To reclaim our Holy Rhythm the first step is to fully understand that rebuilding, repairing and maintaining both neurotransmitters to their highest level requires high level nutrition. Repair is not magic; repair is a conscience effort. Choosing foods that make you proud of yourself can open you up to a new level of awareness and joy.
COACHING YOUR CLIENTS
As nutritional coaches and educators understanding neurotransmitters and cravings allows us to help our clients better understand their craving behaviors and give it over to science. Indulging in certain foods and behaviors contribute to unusually high dopamine concentrations in the body. Certain foods that create a euphoric feeling make us want to repeat the experience when our good sense says enough…..
So, what foods and lifestyle habits increase unhealthy levels of dopamine:
> caffeine
> saturated fat
> processed sugar
> refined carbs
> alcohol
Note: Many addictive drugs like cocaine and amphetamines imitate dopamine. Over time, with their use, the body creates dangerously low levels of dopamine. Want to go deeper? Google dopamine, drug use and susceptibility to Parkinson’s Disease, ADHD, OCD….
USING FOOD AS MEDICINE
Repairing Tanked Transmitters?
Use these Plant-based Foods For Healing:
> Brazil Nuts
> Avocados
> Raw Chocolate
> Kale, Spinach, Broccoli
> Bananas
> Sweet Potatoes
> Raw Almonds
> Beets
> Grapes
> Citrus such as lemons, oranges, limes, grapefruit
THE GIFT
As nutritional coaches and educators this is the gift we can give to our clients: An understanding that the Standard American Diet (SAD) of ultra processed foods is rigged with sugars and fats that make it impossible for the balance of dopamine and serotonin to work in holy harmony. This unnatural diet creates chaos. And chaos is no friend of good health. The body works best when we create order. Eating a vegan organic diet of 80% living foods and 20% healthy cooked foods helps create mental stability, rebuilds and balances neurotransmitters and, best of all, allows us to experience daily self-love and happiness.
Much Love and Support to All Our Efforts to Reclaim Our Precious Health…..
Paula Diana, Founder Of Diet For Living School,
Certified Holistic Nutrition Coach/Cancer Coach and Food as Medicine Educator
#foodasmedicine #selflove #health #serotonin #dopamine #parkinsonsdisease