Low Serotonin?

Can't concentrate? Feel tired? Not sleeping well? Craving carbs (sugar, alcohol, fruit, chocolate, crackers, chips, bread, etc)? Not waking feeling happy and rested? You my friend may have low serotonin levels in your brain.  
Serotonin is responsible for communicating the various needs of the brain cells between the body and the nervous system. Serotonin is one of the major neurotransmitters that affects mood. Our lifestyles today are not ones that leave us with healthy levels of serotonin in the brain. A rush of serotonin stored in our brain is released every time we;

• eat man made carbohydrates
• eat a low fat diet,
• take over the counter or prescribed medications (yes even the anti-depressants)
• drink soda, drink coffee, tea
• eat sweets
• drink alcohol
• are stressed
• smoke cigarettes

This is problem!  It's a problem because it can lead to insulin resistance, weight gain, diabetes, and can set up a vicious cycle of addiction.  All of the activities above either cause a rush of insulin into the blood stream or increase adrenaline which wastes away lean body mass and prevents your body from storing fat in the fat cells.  Muscle and fat cells, with open insulin receptors, are required for insulin to store excess sugar the brain can not immediately use.  If  you want to feel good, loose weight, and stop the noise in your head telling you to crave certain things (mine are coffee, chocolate, and wine) you need to boost the Serotonin in your brain.  

Here is a list of ways to start;  (courtesy of Dr, Diana Schwarzbein - author of The Schwarzbein Principle)

• Eat a diet that includes proteins, real fats, non starchy vegetables, and carbohydrates (notice carbs are listed last, they should be the smallest portion of your diet and consist of fruit and whole grain)
• Take B vitamin, calcium, and Magnesium supplements (At least the RDA)
• Take 250-300mg of St. John's Wort starting once a day and building up to 3xs a day
• 1,000mg 2x's a day of essential fatty acids (Here we go again, I recommend Fish oil or flax seed supplements.  You probably get enough Omega 6's but not enough Omega 3s)
• 25-50mg of 5-hydroxy -tryptophan at bedtime (5-HTP available over the counter)

Ok so I have started the fish oil and the St. John's Wort and will start the other vitamins next week.  My goal is to give up caffeine, wine, and chocolate by April 1st and not feel horrible.  If you read my 28 day cleanse posts you know I felt awful during the whole cleanse and I didn't even give up the morning coffee. So I'm hoping for the best and giving this a shot.  (P.S. I'm putting my husband on this regimen also and for those of you who know him you know it's probably a good thing)