25
2016
IS YOUR BRAIN ON FIRE: INFLAMMATION AND YOUR MIND
With the craziness going on around us recently: women committing suicide, or men bumping off their girlfriends, and mother’s killing their own daughters – makes one wonder what is it that make these people cross a threshold. What these individuals did was acted on an impulse that made them ‘lose their mind’ and some pre-mediated while others leading them to up a moment of madness. We may not cross the so called ‘threshold of madness;’ but we too reach a point of madness in our lives with our mind. I see that happening very often today with my clients-losing their cool, not being present in the moment, unusually stressed, reactive, and generally losing the plot of their lives.
Michio Kushi the father of Modern Day Macrobiotics believed in the concept of food getting you to ‘One Peaceful World’ – a Gandhian concept as well. How about using the Macrobiotic Diet Plan to get you to a peaceful world within yourself? Is it just about being thin, having glowing skin by consuming the right amount of protein, carbohydrates and fats or using foods to create a ‘fit’ mind?
What runs through your brain is connected to your second brain the enteric nervous system-these 2 brains are connected with a nerve called the vagus nerve. That ‘gut’ feeling you get is most often true, if you have a clean gut. So responses start in the gut and travel to the brain, it’s a great mind body nexus. If you have a strong vagus nerve profile you are a vagus superstar who is more connected to humanity, compassionate, magnamous, benevolent, philanthropic and our bathed in the neurotransmitter called serotonin. 80-90% of this neurotransmitter is made in the gastrointestinal tract i.e., your gut.
Is your Gut and Brain on fire?
‘Did you know that you are made up of about ten trillion human cells—but there are about a hundred trillion microbial cells in your body. By these microbial cells I mean that we are 10 percent human, and 90 percent microbes. Something you get at birth (If you were born vaginally) from your mother, and then gather as you interact with the environment: pets, people, dirt, sexual partners, what number of sibling are you [1st, 2nd or 3rd], etc. How you choose to keep your own inner ecosystem healthy i.e., these microorganisms nourished and diverse is entirely up to you. This is the key to everything in your life. Bad eating habits, depleted foods, junk that cannot assimilate, and food you are not aware off consciously that feed the bad microbes; cause dysbiosis, that is destroy the flora and fauna of your gut. This eventually leads to a leaky gut allowing toxins to escape as well. An overgrowth of unhealthy microorganisms causes them to gnaw away at your intestinal lining, allowing pathogens to enter your blood stream-causing inflammation. What is inflammation? It’s a condition of the breakdown of the body, when there is a toxic overload in the system, starting in the gut and manifesting itself throughout the body. Inflammation – is the body’s coping mechanism to outside elements that it cannot assimilate or recognize.
If this process carries on without being corrected your body can go into systemic inflammation leading to diseases of the body, mind and autoimmune conditions. Ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, major Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD), thyroid, Alzeihmer’s, Parkinson’s, food insensitivities, SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth), accelerated ageing, psoriasis, skin issues, allergies, fibromyalgia. Another thing that could affect you is an imbalance in blood sugar levels, where sugar binds to proteins and fats causing deformed molecules setting of an inflammatory response, something most diabetics, overweight people suffer with.
Pro-inflammatory triggers and how to get out
Wheat – If you are gluten intolerant- also in many sauces, and packaged foods, know to release cytokines of an inflammatory nature. Change to gluten-free flours: sorghum (jovar), amaranth (rajgeera), buckwheat (kuttu).
Wheat – Releases insulin rapidly, and today’s milk is not assimilated. Instead leaves us with un-digested protein sticking to our gut making our intestines absorb very little. Substitute with almond, soy (minimize), and nut milks.
Diary – If you are gluten intolerant- also in many sauces, and packaged foods, know to release cytokines of an inflammatory nature. Change to gluten-free flours: sorghum (jovar), amaranth (rajgeera), buckwheat (kuttu).
Sugar (includes jaggery) and refined carbohydrates – Increase the insulin levels causing free radicals to float around and damaged cells. Refined carbohydrates will raise the body’s load to absorb high glycemic (GI) foods, raising the inflammatory markers three times higher. Reach out for fruit, whole grains like: brown rice, including sweeter vegetables like pumpkin (bhopla), carrots, cabbage, onions, sweet potato and beetroot, to stave off sugar cravings.
Excessive alcohol – Inhibits the production of an enzyme, that helps convert plant based sources of omega 3 fats, into inflammation fighting compounds. Keep it minimal: three times a week not more than three drinks.
Saturated fats, trans fats and refined oils – Saturated fats from dairy and meats, will increase inflammation. Trans fats and refined oils will do the same causing oxidative damage to the cells. Use olive, sesame, avocado, ghee, coconut oil, oily fish, flaxseeds, walnuts, seeds and take a fish oil supplement.
Wheat – If you are gluten intolerant- also in many sauces, and packaged foods, know to release cytokines of an inflammatory nature. Change to gluten-free flours: sorghum (jovar), amaranth (rajgeera), buckwheat (kuttu).
Obesity and a big belly – Inflammation and weight are co-dependent; the more you weigh the higher is your inflammation; the higher your inflammation the harder it will be for you to lose weight. Keep away from processed, refined foods, eating out. Exercise and avoid everything listed above.
Colas, Aerated beverages, artificial sweeteners, additives – everything that disrupts the digestion process feeding the bad microorganisms. Reach out for a lime juice instead.
Excessive Coffee or caffeine – Inhibits the digestion process, increases acidity, first kicking up the production of hydrochloric acid, then depleting it. Less of it makes for an unhealthy digestive environment, promoting bad microorganisms. Reach out for a herbal tea instead.
Stress – Couple of things go wrong which are pre-cursors to things going haywire up there, by this I mean your mind. When you are stressed, a release of excessive cortisol and adrenaline release inflammatory cytokines (proteins) that affect the behaviour of inflammatory cells even in the brain. Biochemicals in the brain of people with disturbances, indicate inflammatory markers are high. Build in meditation, yoga, any activity that will bust stress, pranayam, exercise to release endorphins, write to release serotonin.
Include – Turmeric (curcumin), ginger, garlic, black and red chilly powder, using all the Indian spices; as they help fight inflammation. Include antioxidant-rich coloured vegetables and whole grains as they help neutralize free radical damage.
Maximize the gut microbe diversity by adding something fermented to each meal like a pressed salad, quick pickle, rejuvelac drink, kanji. These increase new vitamins (B12), enhancing the ability to assimilate foods better, enhancing digestion (inhibit growth of harmful microbes), providing beneficial bacteria.
Maximize the gut microbe diversity by adding something fermented to each meal like a pressed salad, quick pickle, rejuvelac drink, kanji. These increase new vitamins (B12), enhancing the ability to assimilate foods better, enhancing digestion (inhibit growth of harmful microbes), providing beneficial bacteria.
See our pressed salad recipe for good fermentation.
PRESSED SALAD (2-3 TIMES A WEEK)
Ingredients servings: – 1 ½ cup sliced cabbage can use raddish (mooli) or any hardy vegetable and 1/2 tsp salt
METHOD
1. Mix all vegetable with sea salt in a large bowl, and gently press and massage with fingers (like you a are making atta for rotis) into vegetables until they wilt
1. Mix all vegetable with sea salt in a large bowl, and gently press and massage with fingers (like you a are making atta for rotis) into vegetables until they wilt
3. Allow to stand with pressure on top for 45 minutes and let water release from the vegetables
4. Discard the water and rinse with fresh filter water and eat, as a side dish Pressed salad will help assimilate your entire meal and give you that quick fermentation and good bacteria. You can even save some and have it the next day with another meal. I highly recommend this dish if you are wanting to do a three day detox.