Serotonin For Serenity

Serotonin is the brain chemical that allows you to experience pleasure and feel good about yourself. When your serotonin levels are strong, you feel alive and excited about taking on new challenges. At night, serotonin allows the brain to recharge and rebalance as you experience deep, restful sleep, so every morning you begin with a fresh start. That's why I equate balanced serotonin to complete serenity. And when your brain is balanced and refreshed, you'll even find it a whole lot easier to lose weight.

Yet as we get older, serotonin levels begin to wane. You may notice that your mood is the first aspect of your overall health that has changed. While dopamine and GABA deficiencies affect our emotional life, serotonin deficiencies are markedly different, and even more pronounced. Instead of feeling fatigued (low dopamine) or anxious (low GABA), without serotonin we don't feel much of anything. That's why the stereotypical aged person is often portrayed as crotchety or withdrawn. This is an example of someone who has burned out their serotonin.

Both sleep disturbances and depression are associated with low serotonin levels, and therefore influence weight gain. Emotional upheavals can subliminally lead you to self-medicate through food, fostering specific food cravings that when satisfied, can temporarily change your mood. For example, have you ever told anyone "I eat when I'm depressed"? If so, think about the foods you choose when you are in a funk. If you are low in serotonin, chances are very good that you are a "salty snack" binger: simple carbs and salty foods actually provide more energy to combat fatigue, and actually help to release stored serotonin. But even though highly salted carbs, like potato chips, provide the lift you are looking for, they don't provide the nutrition your body desperately needs.

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You can boost your serotonin levels in a variety of healthy ways and become younger. You can learn how to get out of a black mood without the help of fattening foods so you can reverse your bad and often dangerous eating habits. You can also learn the tricks you need to get a better night's sleep so your brain can rest, allowing you to make better food choices the next day.

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Strategies to Create/Increase Serotonin

Tryptophan
If you are low in serotonin, tryptophan is vital because it induces the creation of this brain chemical. Tryptophan is an amino acid the brain and body needs, but cannot make on its own. The foods that are key to producing serotonin are those low-calorie foods that are high in tryptophan, such as avocados, eggs, or cottage cheese. Here's a list of foods containing significant amounts of this amino acid. Try to incorporate as many of these as possible into your diet each day:

• Avocado
• Chicken
• Chocolate(but stay away from unhealthy sugars)
• Cottage Cheese
• Duck
• Egg
• Granola
• Milk (whole)
• Rolled oats
• Pork
• Turkey
• Wheat germ
• Yogurt

Spices
While many spices can make your meals more flavorful, specific spices will act as antidepressants, naturally increasing your serotonin levels. Good choices are saffron, marjoram, peppermint, spearmint, dill, nutmeg, licorice (anise), and turmeric.

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Supplements
Many foods that are high in tryptophan do not provide significant levels in diet-size portions. You would have to eat a whole cup of granola to get the levels you need. Another way to increase your tryptophan and other serotonin-boosting nutrients without adding calories is through vitamin and mineral supplements.

Consult your healthcare provider to see which of the following supplements may be appropriate for you. Some supplements can interfere with medications you might be taking - especially antidepressants.

• Vitamin D
• Melatonin
• 5-HTP
• Vitamin B6
• Fish oils
• Magnesium
• Sceletium tortuosum
• Fucoxanthin
• Acetyl-l-carnitine
• DHEA
• Phenylalanine
• SAMe
• Tryptophan
• Saint John's wort

Increasing low serotonin levels will cause you to get more sleep which also helps restore your internal chemistry (directly influencing two key hormones: ghrelin and leptin - you can read my blogs on leptin for more information.). If you would like further information, you can read my book, YOUNGER (THINNER) YOU DIET - How Understanding Your Brain Chemistry Can Help You Lose Weight, Reverse Aging, and Fight Disease. Or you can call to make an appointment with us at PATH Medical. We include a brain "check-up" in our exam, and then we can help you by devising a protocol to balance your brain chemistry.