Holiday Mood and Energy Balance

Take advantage of the long weekend to recharge and relax by picking the right foods to keep you balanced the whole weekend and ready to go to work Tuesday morning!

• Start your day with a glass of green tea (decaf preferably), iced or hot. The high acid and caffeine content of coffee takes your blood sugars, mood, and energy on a roller coaster. Green tea, on the other hand, contains the amino acid l-theanine, which has a calming effect.
• Choose a high protein food, such as low fat Greek yogurt, as part of a balanced breakfast. The protein helps with the production of mood balancing dopamine, providing you with long-lasting energy for trips to the beach, barbecues, and yard work during the holiday weekend. An extra perk - the protein also helps keep you full so you don't spend your evening standing by the appetizer table at the Memorial Day BBQ.
• Take a break mid-afternoon for a pick-me-up snack. Our natural circadian rhythms cause a lull in energy during this time, but a little help from complex carbohydrates will boost the production of serotonin and get you ready for the evening activities. Try a small naval orange, which is in season and packed with immune building, stress fighting vitamin C. Pair the orange with a handful of raw walnuts or almonds for some omega-3 fatty acids, just what your brain needs to balance the highs and lows of your mood.
• Grill some chicken and add it to a bunch of leafy greens. Sub out a high-calorie, fat-loaded BBQ meal for kale and spinach marinated in lemon juice and sesame oil. The magnesium in the greens will help balance electrolytes during a hot weekend, and the B vitamins help convert your food into energy. Use the same marinade for the chicken to prevent the cancer causing heterocyclic amines from developing as you grill.
• Lounge after dinner with some sparkling water and fresh mint. Alcohol can interfere with your adenosine receptors, making it difficult for your body to truly relax. Adult beverages also disrupt sleep patterns, throwing your hormone cycle off and making Tuesday morning a real struggle.

If you find your mood is hard to balance through diet and lifestyle choices, consider using some amino acid supplements. Amino acids are precursors for serotonin, dopamine, and other mood-stabilizing neurotransmitters. Melissa and Elizabeth can help you find the right combination of supplements to keep you balanced and happy!

Glycemic Index and Label Reading

By Melissa Majumdar, RD, LDN, CPT

A while back, I received this question from a blog follower:

"Is there a way to determine glycemic index by looking at the label?"

The answer is yes and no. The glycemic index (GI) of an item has been determined in a laboratory setting by comparing the rate of glucose, or in some cases white bread, entering the blood to sugar. Much of this research has been conducted and published through the University of Sydney in Australia. Their database is online and can be a good reference, although some of their foods will differ in ingredients and processing from American food. Assigned GIs are determined by feeding an amount of food equaling 50 grams of carbohydrates to fasting *healthy* participants and measuring the blood sugar changes over time. Unfortunately, not much research has been done showing the glycemic response within the diabetic clientel. In Australia, they even put the glycemic index rating right on the front of a product!

Many factors influence the glycemic index of a food including the fiber, protein, and fat content, manufacturing and processing practices, and other ingredients. For example, even though they are both oats, steel cut oats will have a much lower glycemic index than its highly processed cousin instant oats. Keep in mind that glycemic response differs from person to person due to genetics, hormones, activity, etc. Also, if the food is eaten in combination with other foods, the overall glycemic affect changes. Take a plain piece of bread which contains mostly carbohydrates and it will register high on the glycemic index scale (slightly lower if whole grain and less processed). Add some jelly to the toast and the glycemic affect increases; add peanut butter or turkey and the glycemic index is lower. Keep in mind that a low glycemic food does not necessarily translate to a healthy food. Despite its high sugar content, ice cream has an extremely low glycemic index because the high saturated fat content slows the absorption of sugar.

In short, the least amount of processing and more whole grains and fiber, the lower glycemic index. The more protein or fat contained within the food, the lower the glycemic index. Take home message: pay more attention to overall quality and quantity of the food than just the GI. Even a low GI food eaten in larger portions has a greater affect on blood sugars than a small portion of a high GI rated food. This principle is described as glycemic load and takes into account portion size (GL = GI x amount of carbohydrates)/100. Consider carrots - they have a relatively high glycemic index but the amount of carrots it takes to equal 50 grams of carbohydrates is about 87 baby carrots, not the traditional amount eaten!

Learn more about balancing your glycemic intake with your diet by getting a personalized Nutrition Plan from an EB Nutrition Registered Dietitian!

Food Allergies: Disease in Disguise

In Office Seminar - Register NOW!

Do you suffer from unexplained fatigue, migraines, digestive problems, arthritis, depression or weight gain? Have you tried conventional approaches to treatment with limited success? Did you ever stop to think that your symptom may be the result of an allergy?! Well, it's true! In fact, an allergy can show up as almost any symptom, and if left untreated, it may lead to serious degenerative disease.

Join Melissa Majumdar, Registered Dietitian, as she helps to uncover the root cause of your health concerns by exploring what an allergy is and how it affects the body. She will explore why allergies are so common and how they relate to weight gain, depression, insomnia, digestion, addiction and body chemistry. You will walk away with valuable tools for effectively treating undiagnosed allergies to achieve optimal health! You don't want to miss this valuable seminar!

We look forward to seeing you all for the May 20th lecture on " Allergies: Disease in Disguise!"

Allergies: Disease in Disguise

Learn how to uncover the root cause of your unexplained health concerns. Determine if your well-being is being affected by an allergy in disguise! This seminar will cover:

1. The History of Allergy
2. New Definitions of Allergy
3. How to Recognize an Allergy and its Causes
4. The Secret Life of an Allergen
5. The Symptoms of Allergy
5. Addiction and Allergy
6. Digestion - The Vital Link
7. Fats, Oils and Allergy
8. Additives and Allergy
9. Testing for Hidden Allergies
10. Effective Treatment Approaches for Allergies

Where and When:
EB Nutrition, LLC
6319 Executive Blvd.
Rockville, MD 20850
May 20, 2010
6:45 p.m.