Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 47:10 — 86.8MB)
Supporting your brain with lifestyle and nutrition pays off.
We all have some anxiety some of the time.
In this interview Jolie Root discusses nutrition and lifestyle to help manage stress and anxiety. There is a lot one can do for themselves when dealing with anxiety. Jolie explains the MIND diet (see below) and the specific nutritional supplements known to help brain function.
- Omega-3
- Magnesium
- GABA
- Phosphatidylserine
- L-Theanine
If you don’t have some anxiety these days, then you haven’t been paying attention. That may actually be a good thing as we seem to be bombarded with things to worry about. Even during normal times we can be anxious about family, finances, health, the weather, the future even. Add to that the stress of the Covid pandemic and anxiety can be overwhelming.
“What’s the difference between stress and anxiety?
There’s a fine line between stress and anxiety. Both are emotional responses, but stress is typically caused by an external trigger. The trigger can be short-term, such as a work deadline or a fight with a loved one or long-term, such as being unable to work, discrimination, or chronic illness. People under stress experience mental and physical symptoms, such as irritability, anger, fatigue, muscle pain, digestive troubles, and difficulty sleeping.
Anxiety, on the other hand, is defined by persistent, excessive worries that don’t go away even in the absence of a stressor. Anxiety leads to a nearly identical set of symptoms as stress: insomnia, difficulty concentrating, fatigue, muscle tension, and irritability.
Both mild stress and mild anxiety respond well to similar coping mechanisms. Physical activity, a nutritious and varied diet, and good sleep hygiene are a good starting point, but there are other coping mechanisms available.” Source: American Psychological Association. CLICK HERE to read the complete article.
The MIND Diet
The Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay diet, or more commonly, the MIND diet, combines the portions of the DASH diet and the Mediterranean diet. Both the DASH diet and the Mediterranean diet have been shown to improve cognition; however, neither were developed to slow neurodegeneration. Therefore, a team at Rush University Medical Center, headed by Martha Clare Morris, worked to create the MIND diet. Like the DASH and Mediterranean diets, the MIND diet emphasizes the intake of fresh fruit, vegetables, and legumes. The MIND diet also includes recommendations for specific foods, like leafy greens and berries, that have been scientifically shown to slow cognitive decline.
Recent research has shown that the MIND diet is more effective at reducing cognitive decline than either the Mediterranean or DASH diets alone. Additional testing has shown that the level of adherence to the MIND diet also impacts the diet’s neuro-protective effects.Wikipedia
It should come as no surprise that nutrition and lifestyle make the difference. It is the foundation of all good health. The more you know, the better choices you will make. Better choices lead to better outcomes.
Jolie Root
Listen to all Jolie Root interviews.
Jolie Root is the Senior Nutritionist/Educator at Carlson Laboratories. She began as a natural products retailer who evolved into a career in education in the health sciences. She is a nutritionist and a nurse. She understands both the science and the practical application of good nutrition for health. Jolie hosts a weekly radio show called Food for Thought heard Fridays at 10 am on AM 1490 WGCH in Connecticut and New York.
Carlson Laboratories
Listen to all Carlson Labs interviews.
Totally Zen promotes calmness, mental clarity, and a healthy mood.* It’s specially formulated with B-complex vitamins, L-theanine, GABA, and other nutrients that help ease occasional nervous tension, stress, moodiness, and fuzzy thinking.*
Carlson Labs produces pure, quality, award-winning vitamins, minerals, fish oils, and other nutritional supplements. The company began with a single vitamin E product in Founder Susan Carlson’s small Chicago apartment and quickly grew to offer the most complete line of all-natural vitamin E supplements in the world.
Today, the next generation of Carlson Labs leads the company—daughters Carilyn Anderson and Kirsten Carlson—and the innovations continue. Carlson Labs now offers more than 200 unique products designed with your family’s unique nutritional needs in mind.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
This has been a very interesting article for me. I have recently had some writing assignments related to diet, mind health, and brain supplements. As I am not a health professional, my research has not been in depth like the research for this article.
Thanks for the insights.