Wellness Works!

Help for Depression - in Your Kitchen!

With the colder days upon us, many people tend to feel blue or mildly depressed during the fall and winter months. For many others, those feelings can be present all year long. If you suffer from mild to moderate depression or just have been feeling a little down lately - turning to your kitchen may be a saving grace.

Countless studies have shown the affects of certain foods on our mood, as it relates to our blood sugar and serotonin (feel good hormone) levels, among many other parameters. Today I wanted to share 3 major foods to avoid and 2 supplements to include in the battle against the blues.

What to Avoid:
Alcohol - Although it may feel like it soothes the pain and sorrow, it does just the opposite. Despite popular belief that alcohol is a 'pick-me-up' - with many people using alcohol to relax and in social settings, its actually a known sedative. It has been shown that people who use alcohol often tend to have more frequent mood swings and is not a positive coping strategy.

Caffeine-  A twin study of 3600 people showed that higher caffeine intakes were linked to higher rates  of depression. Although caffeine is a stimulant - it is a short-term effect which is followed by a 'crash'. (many people know and experience this feeling on a daily basis!) - Those ups and downs in our moods and energy levels can disrupt the normal function of various hormones, causing depressive feelings.

Simple Sugars - Refined carbohydrates (cakes, cookies, candies) and the like can cause a rollercoaster in one's blood sugar levels and can lead to the same 'crash and burn' feeling as well (and what's worse is that often people are having caffeine and sugar together - be it in their coffee or as a snack - yes, those Tim Hortons lovers!). When we do feel that 'sugar low' - we often run back to satisfy not only the craving but also the energy and mood low we feel.

Avoiding these three foods can significantly change the way you feel in a very short period of time.

Now, what can we put IN to our bodies to also help us feel good? Simple - two things: Fish oil & Vitamin D.

Fish Oils - Increasing your consumption of fatty fish (ie. wild salmon) can help increase our EPA/DHA  levels (those are the powerful essential fatty acids within the Omega 3 fish). Even easier, use a high-quality (I stress the word QUALITY here) Omega 3 fish oil on a daily basis. A good minimum yield for EPA/DHA is 360/240mg respectively. Personally, I prefer higher.

Vitamin D - So much talk right now about Vitamin D and I am so happy its getting the attention it deserves. Vitamin D has been named the miracle vitamin and for many good reasons. When it comes to depression, it has certainly has been shown to affect mood and overall well-being. Not to mention cancer-fighting properties! Especially if you're South Asian AND living in Canada - darker skin = less Vitamin D conversion and Canada = no sun for many months! As such, we all should be on some form of Vitamin D supplementation. 1000 IU is a good daily dose in my opinion. Can very depending on each person.

Adding those two supplements will bring a world of benefits not only to your mental well-being but also to your physical well-being in virtually every system in the body! Now that is news that will make all of your cells smile :)

Getting Sick...The Wake-up Call!

It's been an interesting week for me - I've come down with a pretty heavy cough and cold and although I  am one to profess that I never get sick, this season I was bitten by the bug. And while the process of recovery has been slow and, in my opinion, moving at a snail's pace, its given me some time to reflect on the situation and really come to see things in a new perspective.

It's so wonderous how Life really does know what you need and when you need it most. This year has been a blessing and I have been busy with many new endeavours - I am truly grateful. However, the busyness of the last few months had been taking its toll on me - and despite my efforts to eat well, exercise, take my supplements and relax/de-stress on a daily basis, it's been a tough balancing act (one that I know everyone can relate to!) I had that little voice in my head telling me 'be careful - you're exceeding your limit. This is exhausting and you're taking on too much'. Consciously, I knew that. For the past few months I've been saying to myself, come January, I will be reprioritizing and readjusting my work-life balance. But Life had plans for me sooner than the new year.

With the fall season comes the inevitable string of people who fall victim to the cold/flu season and luckily for me, I'd always evaded it - except this season. As a result, I had no choice but to slow down and really do NOTHING. For someone like myself (who I'm sure many can relate to) - an over-achiever, type A, busy body, this is a VERY difficult thing to do! However, I've had no choice but to really just do nothing, be patient and wait. And the most amazing thing happened...

After the frustration faded, I began to realize that this cough/cold was actually the answer to what I needed - Time. Time to slow down, time to do nothing. Time to put things into perspective. Time to realize that not everything is a priority. Time to actually 'not think' and to 'just be'. So that is what this week's blog is on - appreciating the time we have with ourselves.

So often, we are running at break-neck speed through this race of life, trying to get it all 'done' and I must admit, I am fully guilty of it - even the things in life that are meant to bring balance and peace became an item on a 'to do' list instead of a joy. Not good. So what have I learned from this bout of the cold? I've learned that taking time to just be, isn't going to destroy life. Everything will get done, in its due time (as the saying goes!) It's nice to simply sit, relax, enjoy a book and not worry about what I could/would/should be doing. Sometimes Life needs to take you to the other side of the spectrum (not doing anything vs. trying to do everything!) so that we gain some perspective on what life is really all about.

So I'm happy to say I'm thankful for this rather unpleasant cough/cold and  overall yuckness I'm feeling (gotta love the blog world - yuckness can actually pass as a word!). If you too are suffering right now with a bout of the cold or flu, take this time to re-shift and re-adjust your perspective on life and see if you've been living on one side of the spectrum. This may be a sign that its time to slow down and just be.

The Alligator Pear - The Avocado!

Many people who are 'fat-phobic' tend to write-off some very valuable foods of the earth because of their known fat content. Before I get too far into the whole 'fat controvery' - let me just keep it simple and say this: some fats are good for you! Yes, yes indeed! The fat in a donut is NOT the same as the fats in almonds, for instance. On some level, we all know this, right?! Which brings me to my blog of the week - a wonderful food known as the "alligator pear," or more commonly known as the avocado! This fruit (yes its a fruit because it has a seed!) is a nutrition powerhouse and yes, it has FAT! But... its the healthy, monounsaturated fat that you body needs to perform functions, build molecules and overall thrive. In fact, monounsaturated fat has been shown to lower cholesterol! Yes, certain fats are heart healthy! Avocados are available year-round and can be enjoyed atop a salad or as a spread or the classic, guacamole. Here are some quick nutritional facts: 1 medium sized 200gm avocado contains 322 calories, 30g of fat, 7g carbohydrates and 4g of protein. So yes, its not something that will be a staple of your meal - it an 'accessory' on your plate - a toss of avocado cubes or a few scoopes is more than enough. And yes, because it is higher in fat you definitely want to watch your portions. Everything in moderation. But we certainly don't need to run from it when we see it in the grocery aisle in fear of blowing up after eating a serving of guacamole!                (its the chips you're dipping into it - that's more my concern!!) Let's also not forget, avocados contain 20 vitamin and minerals, including high levels of potassium, folate and fiber. Potassium in particular, can help reduce the risk of high blood pressure (I've blogged about this before if you remember!), heart disease or stroke. Folate also helps reduce heart attacks and helps protect against neural tube defects for pregnant women. And fiber - we all need that for colon health! Here are some easy ways to incorporate avocados into your diet: as Guacamole (with whole grain, low fat tortilla chips or veggie slices) chopped into cubes to toss into a salad as a spread (vs. Mayo) as an addition to a cream (low-fat) based soup (blended in) or as a garnish with some slices Any way you slice it, the alligator pear is a great addition to a healthy diet!