The document summarizes a presentation about eating for emotional well-being. It discusses how foods like wheat, dairy, soy, sugar and processed foods high in omega-6 fatty acids can act like opiates on the brain and exacerbate mental health issues. It also covers how an unhealthy gut microbiome and nutritional deficiencies can impact neurotransmitter production and mental health. The presentation provides tips for improving diet quality by avoiding these problematic foods and increasing omega-3 fatty acids, while also addressing lifestyle factors like sleep, meal times and identifying underlying health conditions.

1. Anne Baker CN, LE
BioIndividual Nutrition & Lifestyle Change
Nourish Holistic Nutrition
(248) 891-5215 www.nourishholisticnutrition.com

2. Eating for Emotional Well Being
 Reasons for someone taking their own life are complex.
 Most cases involve trigger events such as traumatic
experiences (or near death experiences) that create
unpleasant memories and make daily life seem impossible.
 Depression, anxiety and irrational behaviors also
predominate the affected individual.
 Many suffer from severe chronic pain.
 The focus of my presentation today is a review of
contributing dietary and lifestyle factors which may
exacerbate an at risk individual.
 I hope this information will help you develop additional
support strategies for those at risk.
www.nourishholisticnutrition.com 2

3. Eating for Emotional Well Being
Objectives:
 Expose most common foods that sabotage emotional
wellbeing.
 Explain what happens to the brains of people that have
addictive reactions to these specific, types of foods.
 Present key lifestyle factors that exacerbate
addictive/high risk behaviors.
 Share frequently underdiagnosed heath conditions that
may impede recovery.
 Provide handouts with tips and resources for more
information.
www.nourishholisticnutrition.com 3

4. Eating a
Standard American Diet (SAD)
 Breakfast
 Lunch
 Dinner
Can you guess what’s wrong with these pictures?
www.nourishholisticnutrition.com 4

5. Eating for Emotional Well Being
Standard American Diet (SAD)
 Most SAD calories come from carbohydrates &
gluten containing grains, dairy & sugar
 SAD eaters consume poor quality protein sources
from commercially raised livestock
 Are eating the wrong kind of fats
 These foods are loaded with chemical additive and
pesticides;
 & virtually no vegetables
www.nourishholisticnutrition.com 5

6. Eating for Emotional Well Being
 A SAD diet is full of foods that act as opiates on the
brain. This is especially dangerous for those prone to
high risk behavior, addiction, depression and anxiety.
 Food opiates are heavily concentrated in wheat and
dairy products, especially cow’s milk. Soy is toxic to the
endocrine system and will eventually destroy the thyroid.
 These commonly consumed foods in Western culture
actually contain narcotic properties associated with the
presence of psychoactive chemicals that bind to opioid
receptors in the nervous system.
 Literally thousands of prepared foods contain hidden
sources of these opiates.
 Source: http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/do-hidden-opiates-our-food-explain-food-addictions1
 The Dark Side of Wheat, By Sayer JI, Founder of GreenMed Info.com
www.nourishholisticnutrition.com 6

7. Eating for Emotional Well Being
 Wheat has been linked to over 160 health
conditions.
 Estimates are that 18 million Americans have
gluten sensitivity. That’s 6 times the amount of
Americans who have celiac disease.
 Celiac Disease sufferers are not the only people
that suffer negative health impacts from gluten!
 Undetected gluten sensitivity is a common
contributing factor in many with addictive and
high risk behaviors.
 Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3641836
 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3908912/
 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24689456
 http://www.celiaccentral.org/non-celiac-gluten-sensitivity/
www.nourishholisticnutrition.com 7

8. Eating for Emotional Well Being
Common Symptoms of Gluten Intolerance
 Pain/inflammation - joint paint, muscle
pain, head aches (migraines especially!)
 Neurological and emotional problems -
ADHD, depression, poor concentration, poor
memory, nervousness, anxiety, brain fog,
mood swings, anxiety, panic attacks
 Skin eruptions - acne; rosacea, psoriasis
 Digestive issues - constipation; diarrhea, gas,
nausea, IBS
 Other symptoms: weight loss/gain,
exhaustion, itchy eyes, runny nose, sneezing,
insomnia
www.nourishholisticnutrition.com 8

9. Eating for Emotional Well Being
Low Quality protein
 Commercially raised meats, poultry,
eggs and farmed fish are fed
inflammatory grains high in omega 6
fatty acids.
 These animals are feed predominantly
wheat, corn and soy; crops that are
highly genetically modified.
 GMO’s change the etiology of the GUT.
 Commercial raised animal products are
treated with added antibiotics and
growth hormones that disrupt our
endocrine system.
 Chemical fertilizers & pesticides add to
our toxic load
 Switch to pasture raised; wild caught &
organic.
www.nourishholisticnutrition.com 9

10. Eating for Emotional Well Being
 Fructose (HFCS) used in thousands of
prepared and packaged foods is known
to increase brain levels of endogenous
morphine following ingestion and may
produce metabolic products in the brain
very similar to those produced by
morphine.
 Sugar elicits addictive behaviors through
the modulation of opioid pathways in the
brain.
 Studies done in correctional institutions
show increases in violent & erratic
behavior after consuming foods high in
HFCS.
 See: Potatoes Not Prozac, by Kathleen DesMasions
 Suicide by Sugar by Nancy Appleton
www.nourishholisticnutrition.com 10

11. Eating for Emotional Well Being
Essential fatty acids cannot be made by the body and must be
obtained from out diet!
 Wrong fats the body cannot use: toxic oils used in packaged foods,
prepared products, restaurants like soybean oil, corn oil and canola oil
 These unhealthy oils are also almost 100% GMO products.
 Soy; canola; corn & safflower contain higher Omega 6 fatty acids
 60% of a healthy brain is Omega fats.
 Omega-3 helps the transport of nutrients and “happy chemicals”
(prostaglandins and neurotransmitters) like serotonin and dopamine
in the brain.
 We need both pant based Omega 3 fatty acids and those from fish &
sea vegetables (DHA) but most people with neurological issues
need a higher ratio of DHA to plant based EFA.
www.nourishholisticnutrition.com 11

12. Eating for Emotional Well Being
EFA’s and the lock & key analogy
 Imagine there is an Omega-3 lock
and an Omega-3 key. They
belong together. An Omega-3
lock cannot be opened with any
other key.
 If there is not enough Omega-3
available, many parts of the brain
simply stop working like they
should.
 Avoid toxic fats and include
healthy fats; coconut oils; olive
oil; avocado’s & oil; macadamia
nut & oil; flax seeds & oil;
hempseed & oil; grass fed organic
butter; wild caught cold water
fish & seaweeds for DHA’s
www.nourishholisticnutrition.com 12

13. Eating for Emotional Well Being
We have a second brain in our GUT that has it’s own
nervous system!
GUT Microbiome:
 Tweaking the balance between beneficial and
disease-causing bacteria in an animal's gut can
alter its brain chemistry and lead it to become
either more bold or more anxious….
 Toxic overload in the GUT from bacteria,
environmental pathogens and food opiates
impedes hormone and neurotransmitter
production.
 About 95 % of the body's supply of serotonin,
which influences both mood and GI activity is
made in the GUT: if it’s healthy!
 Remember that anti-depressants are called SSRI’s;
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. These
medications do not help you manufacture more
serotonin!
 Source: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/06/20/gut-brain-connection.aspx
 http://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/09/gut-feeling.aspx
www.nourishholisticnutrition.com 13

14. Eating for Emotional Well Being
Clean up the GUT and the brain can work better
• Improve
detoxification
pathways
• Detect &
eliminate
pathogens
• Rebalance with
friendly bacteria
www.nourishholisticnutrition.com 14

15. Eating for Emotional Well Being
Commonly underdiagnosed contributing health conditions:
 Blood sugar : A1C (measures longer duration than fasting 12
hour test)
 Under or missed diagnosed thyroid disorders : full thyroid
panel
 Hidden food intolerance’s: gluten, dairy, soy, corn & eggs;
most common; (IgG, IgA; ALCAT or Cyrex Lab testing)
 GUT Microbiome: pathogens, yeast, SIBO, h.pylori; & low
beneficial GUT Flora or enzymes (via specialized lab tests)
 Nutritional deficiencies: intracellular measurement methods
most accurate (not done in regular labs panel) to help uncover
neurotransmitter imbalances
www.nourishholisticnutrition.com 15

16. Eating for Emotional Well Being
Lifestyle factors (see handout)
 The body responds to a rhythm:
Establish and maintain a regular
bedtime and wake time.
 Sleep deprivation or poor quality
sleep eventually disrupts natural
cortisol rhythms and hormones.
~There are effective non-pharmaceutical
alternatives.
 Establish and maintain regular
meal times and avoid skipping
meals.
 Helps maintain healthy blood
sugar; prevent mood swings and
improve energy.
www.nourishholisticnutrition.com 16

17. Eating for Emotional Well Being
Thank you!
More information @ my website:
 www.nourishholisticnutrition.com
 My Free Health Resource Guide
 Season it Well! the Outrageously
Delicious Gluten Free Recipe
Collection for the Discerning
Palate
Connect with me here:
 www.linkedin.com/in/nourishnutrition/
 https://www.facebook.com/NourishHolis
ticNutrition
www.nourishholisticnutrition.com 17