If your mood is dark and your temper short – just like the days at this time of year – increasing your intake of the following foods may help boost your mood.

Grapefruit: Great for boosting liver function and easing depressing. The more toxins your liver is exposed to the more easily its detoxification systems are overloaded. If the liver is sluggish, excessive amounts of toxins find their way into the blood stream and can affect the function of the brain causing unpleasant and erratic mood changes, a general feeling of depression, `foggy brain’ and an impaired ability to concentrate or remember things.

 

Artichoke:  This vegetable is liver protective and also has a bile-producing, and bile moving effect on the liver. When bile lingers in the liver, it irritates the tissue, creating inflammation and decreasing the ability of the liver to carry out its function so you are more likely to feel tired and depressed.

 

Watermelon: Studies indicate that red-pigmented, lycopene-rich foods—such as tomatoes, papaya, and watermelon—improve liver health and a healthy liver is essential for detoxification and physical, emotional and mental health and wellbeing.

 

Sunflower seeds: Minerals are essential for the growth and functioning of the brain. Selenium (high in seafood and seaweed) has been shown to improve mood significantly. Other sources of selenium include Brazil nuts, tuna, and whole-grain cereals.

 

Oily fish/flax seeds: Fatty acids regulate memory and mood. The brain is made of 60% fatty acids. The omega 3 types (DHA and EPA) are essential to the optimum performance of your brain. Omegas are found in oily fish, for example: mackerel, tuna, herring, salmon and sardines, as well as other foods such as avocado, olives, raw nuts and seeds, and their cold pressed oils. All these foods contain good mood stimulants and it has been discovered that levels of depression can been improved by introducing these healthy fats to your diet. Omega 3 types are also excellent intelligence and memory boosters. If you don’t eat fish try some hemp or flax seeds instead.  (See the Resources Page for a high strength Omega 3 fish oil.)

 

Lentils: Excellent source of B vitamins and folate. Folate deficiency has been linked to an increased risk of depression and deficiency in B vitamins increases the risk of anxiety, insomnia and mood swings.

 

Water: The body deteriorates rapidly without water and dehydration is a common cause of tiredness, poor concentration and reduced alertness. So ensure you get your recommended eight glasses a day!

Study after study has shown that people who eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day live healthier and longer lives so make a commitment this year to eat more fruit and have at least two servings for vegetables for lunch or dinner.

This month’s case study is 40 year old ‘Suzanne’ who came to the Clinic for a New Year detox!

For the past year I had generally been feeling lethargic, my skin was dull, I felt bloated a lot of the time and I was gaining weight. I knew my diet could be better but never really got around to changing it. I worked long hours and often got home late so the last thing I wanted to do was prepare time consuming meals. A colleague at work had recently been to see a nutritionist at the Dr Marilyn Glenville Clinic who changed her diet and she was like a new person! I decided that a New Year meant a new me and I was the only person who could make the changes. I was fed up never feeling 100% healthy so I picked up the phone and booked my first appointment.

 

I spoke to a very helpful receptionist at the Dr Marilyn Glenville Clinic who explained how the clinic works and what I could expect from my first consultation. She sent a comprehensive questionnaire for me to complete and return for the nutritionist to review before meeting me.  I felt like a hypochondriac as I was going through underlining symptoms that I frequently suffered with – lack of energy, lack lustre skin, irritability, mood swings and bloating. It sounded like I was falling apart!

 

I met with the nutritionist 2 weeks later and she went through my questionnaire with me. It was very reassuring to see that she had already been through my questionnaire before meeting with me. We both agreed that the main purpose of my consultation was to generally improve my diet and I suppose give me an MOT! She explained that by addressing one key area, it can have an overall positive impact on all health aspects.   

 

The nutritionist was quite concerned by the quantity of caffeine and sugar I was consuming and the lack of fresh foods. I knew my caffeine intake had increased over the years because as my work load became heavier and I became more fatigued, the caffeine would help me through the day! The sugary biscuits and chocolate had become a daily ‘fix’ which I suppose I was addicted to. I did eat a lot of packaged foods due to lack of time. Because I was putting on weight I was choosing the low calorie/fat range of meals because I thought this was healthy. The nutritionist explained that these ‘so called’ healthy foods are in fact not at all healthy because they contain unnatural ingredients like artificial sweeteners and additives. She recommended that I try to cook from the raw ingredients as much as possible but fully appreciated the pressures of modern day living. If I was to buy packaged food like jars of curry ‘ sauce’ or soups to always read the ingredients. She said that if there were ingredients which were unidentifiable then I shouldn’t eat it! One thing that really made sense was try to think about how we evolved as a human being and this was to eat fresh, unadulterated foods – not processed foods with artificial ingredients.

 

She explained that fresh, healthy food doesn’t have to be time consuming. There are always short cuts and she gave me lots of helpful tips so I could incorporate these changes easily into my lifestyle.  

 

The nutritionist asked me to try and avoid sugar until my next appointment and reduce my coffee intake. I thought this would be incredibly hard, but after the first couple of days adjusting, it was easier than I imagined. I used some lovely herbal teas and a great coffee substitute which did in fact taste quite similar to the real thing! I snacked on oatcakes and hummus and organic dried fruit and nuts. She even gave me a simple recipe for homemade fruit and nut bars which were so easy and tasted amazing! I was eating more soups and salads with fish and beans for lunch and similar for the evening. It was so easy to put peppers, courgettes, onions and garlic into a roasting dish with olive oil and stick some salmon on top to cook in the oven. This took me the same time as it did to wait for a packaged meal to cook and it was so much cheaper, plus tasted nicer!  

  

The nutritionist explained that it’s not just about our diet when we think about detoxing – we also need to think about the products we use on our body and in our homes because many of the ingredients are highly toxic. She recommended an excellent range of natural skincare products from shampoo and body moisturiser to natural makeup. All of these natural products had been approved by Dr Marilyn Glenville.

 

I suppose I never really thought about the impact of makeup and certainly not household products on my health. The nutritionist told me about parabens (preservatives) and sodium lauryl sulphate (foaming agent) which have been linked to cancer. She explained that deodorant containing aluminium has specifically been linked to breast cancer which really worried me because I had a strong family history. The nutritionist recommended I use a natural deodorant stone which contained no harsh chemicals or perfumes and was potassium based. I was a little nervous about using this but I must say it worked as well as my usual roll on deodorant. The rose oil for my face was particularly nourishing and had a wonderful natural scent.

 

I had a follow up consultation in 8 weeks so the nutritionist could see how I was getting on with my new eating plan and new products. I told her that within a week of starring on the programme I was feeling less bloated, particularly from around my face which a lot of people commented on and by the 4^th week, my skin felt brighter and the dark circles under my eyes were fading. I had definitely lost weight without even trying and I actually had managed to give up coffee altogether which I never imagined would be possible! I had so much more energy and this helped me to feel more motivated to prepare and cook lovely meals. I can’t believe how I lived on packaged foods for so long!

 

I was won over by the natural skin and homecare products and bought some of the gift packs for my friends. I’m definitely converted and would never go back to using anything with harsh chemicals. It has definitely taught me to read labels – not just on food but on what I’m using on my skin and in the house.

 

I am so pleased that I decided to book the consultation. I usually suffer with the ‘January blues’ and dread the first few months and now I feel motivated and ready for the year ahead. My colleagues and friends have noticed such a difference in me too. Thank you so much to my nutritionist and all the team at The Dr Marilyn Glenville Clinic for their help and support and for changing not just my health but my attitude and awareness.

 

Marilyn’s Comment

 

Suzanne has come on such a long way from when she first came to the clinic. Her diet had gone from containing highly processed foods, lots of caffeine and sugar and very little fresh foods. She now eats well and enjoys it and feels the health benefits by doing so. This is such a rewarding story because unless she had taken the initiative to book the appointment she would probably still be feeling sluggish, demotivated and have dull skin. Suzanne is now a different person, not just in her health but in her attitude to what she puts in her body and on her body!

 

 

If you would like to find out more about our clinics and the products mentioned, then please see the Resources Page.