As we send our children back to school and wonder what is going to happen with this pandemic, we can literally slip into the emotional shadows, often with the added burdens of overeating and unneeded weight gain. What determines how resilient we are during season changes and global crises? The deciding factor is typically our brains’ supply of its most potent natural anti-depressants, serotonin. Serotonin production is stimulated by

light, so the brighter the day the more serotonin our brains produce. Exercise can also raise our serotonin levels, but it’s hard to go out and exercise when you’re depressed and it’s dark and cold outside.

Many people have discovered other ways to force a brief serotonin boost, using sweet and starchy carbohydrates, alcohol, or drugs like Prozac. But the obvious drawbacks of these strategies include diabetes, heart disease, addiction and obesity (to name only a few). Fortunately, there are much safer and more reliable ways to bring out your internal sun.

• Never skip a meal. Eating three solid meals a day helps prevent moodiness and carbohydrate cravings.
• Eat a meal before you drink any beverages containing caffeine. Caffeine suppresses serotonin and ruins your appetite for mood and appetite regulating low carbohydrate foods like protein and vegetables.
• Eat plenty of protein at every meal. For example: 4- 6 oz. dark turkey meat, a 4- 6 oz. salmon steak, three small lamb chops, a chicken breast, an omelet, a smoothie with my protein powder, or a warm beverage with my Complete Collagen.
• Eat at least ten cups of colored vegetables a day. Salads, stir-fry, sautés, juiced veggies - the amount that would fill a quart size milk carton.
• Exercise right before facing high carbohydrate hurdles like parties, potlucks, buffets, and dinners. Fifteen to twenty minutes of fast walking, or dancing to a few songs on the radio before you shower, or any other sweat-producing exercise helps to stop cravings and improves mood by raising serotonin.
• Sit near a bright indoor light source (at least 200 watts or 2500 lumen). My favorite therapeutic lamp is the full spectrum "Combo Box" by American Environmental (3000 to 33,000 lumens!)
• Check your Vitamin D levels. This sunshine vitamin also supports your mood. Look for levels between 75 and 90. Use our liquid D with K2 for better absorption.

Each of the four mood areas in your brain needs a different amino acid fuel. The lower your access to amino fuel, the more bad mood symptoms you develop. The four emotion-generators in your brain are actually called neurotransmitters. Each one powers a different emotional zone in your brain and each has a distinctly different effect on your mood.

Written by: Dr. KEESHA EWERS, Founder of the Academy of Integrative Medicine

One of the most powerful things we can do to reduce inflammation is to feed the body only what it asks for. If we feed it things it gets angry about, we wind up with inflammation and pain…and over time this can lead to autoimmune disease. So how do you know what your body is rejecting and what it wants from you? Do an IgG and IgA food sensitivity test every 9 months to keep track of your body’s requests for specific fuel (or food).

For those of us who have already reversed our autoimmunity, we know gluten is the enemy. There were many years that I didn’t eat noodles. However, these days there are non-inflammatory noodle options. One of those options is called shirataki noodles (also called miracle noodles). Following is a healthy main dish that is easy to throw together after a busy day. Shirataki noodles fill you up and are low calorie and low in carbohydrates

Autoimmune Reversing Shirataki Noodle Stir Fry

BY KEESHA EWERS

Ingredients: (Always use organic when possible)

•  1 Tsp. Organic toasted sesame or avocado oil
•  2 cloves Organic garlic, minced
•  3 Organic spring onions, diced
•  1 cup Organic broccoli flowerets chopped
•  2 Organic carrots cut in strips
•  1/4 Organic purple cabbage, shredded
• ¼ cup Organic green peas
• ½ cup chopped Organic green beans
• ½ Organic red bell pepper cut in strips (if peppers ok for you)
•  1 package Shirataki noodles
•  2 TBSP Organic almond butter
•  1 or 2 tsp sriracha sauce, depending on how spicy you want it
•  2 TBSP coconut aminos (or Braggs liquid aminos if occasional soy ok for you)
• Organic Sesame seeds for garnish
• Organic cilantro for garnish

Instructions:

1. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan on a medium heat and add the garlic and onions. Cook until the onions are translucent and then add the rest of the vegetables.
2. Next rinse the noodles and add them to the vegetable mixture when the vegetables are al dente.
3. When everything to desired tenderness add the almond butter, sriracha and liquid aminos. Stir into the vegetables and noodles to create a sauce and warm through. Serve topped with chopped organic cilantro and a sprinkle of sesame seeds on top.