Oh, 2020, where do I even start? It was one hell of a year – in every sense. We were thrown into it without much choice but we had so much control over what came out if it. For me personally, a few of the most important things to come out of it were what I learned to help tame my mind.
One of my biggest goals over the past couple years has been to understand what my mind and emotions need to be at peace. More specifically, I would say the goal is to control my mind and understand my emotions. I’ve learned to see my emotions as messages that should be explored as opposed feelings I need to control. That said, I’ve found that taking care of my body in better ways influences them, making them more constructive and enhancing their guidance. So I’ve done a lot of self-experimentation to find what works best for my sweet little brain.
Before I dive into the things I experimented with this year, I do have three basic non-negotiables that have already proven to be the foundations for feeling my best:
- First, eating a balanced, whole food, nutrient-dense diet is the most important thing I can do. If I eat out or have processed foods regularly, my body, mind and mood drastically suffer.
- Coming in at a close second is sleep. An argument can be made that it’s number one but knowing the diet provides nutrients needed for high quality sleep, I keep it at number two. I have an Oura ring so I’ve found that keeping my nightly sleep score above 80 keeps me grounded. In addition to that, according to my Oura ring, I tend to struggle to get enough REM sleep which is thought to be when emotions are processed, so when I get sufficient REM sleep, I’ve found I feel even more emotionally stable.
- Last of the non-negotiables is movement. It doesn’t matter what it is, it can be a 30 minute walk, 30 minutes of strength training, a short mile run or a 15 minute yoga session. As long as I move my body at least three times a week in some way, my mental state is solid.
This year there were seven key nutritional and lifestyle learnings from my experimentation that I found made an impact on my mental and emotional health in addition to the non-negotiables. I didn’t quantify my nutritional deficiencies, this is purely based on my awareness of how my body felt.
Zinc
Zinc was a game changer and I didn’t realize it until, on a whim, I decided to take it out at a very inopportune time when anxiety was high. My mental state declined drastically to the lowest point it had been in a couple years. It was not healthy and it wasn’t until after I clawed my way out of the dark hole I was in that I realized the connection between taking out zinc and that feeling. After my realization, I did more research and found that zinc has many crucial roles in the brain, one of which is it being a requirement for efficient synthesis of dopamine, serotonin, GABA and other neurotransmitters, which relates directly to anxiety and depression. It was by far most impactful discovery I made this year.
I currently supplement with it but would ideally like to shift away from supplementing to more food sources like red meat, oysters, pumpkin, turkey and cheese.
B Vitamins
B vitamins, specifically B6, is also required for neurotransmitter synthesis and is involved in over 80 biochemical reactions in the body. I’ve noticed a difference in more balanced mood when incorporating more of them in my diet, especially considering they support adrenal health as well.
I’ll usually take a beef organ supplement but will also incorporate complex carbohydrates like wild rice or oatmeal for added benefit. Ideally I’d like to work towards incorporating more organ meats. I struggle with liver but have the goal of finding a recipe that makes me look forward to eating it because it’s one of, if not the, more nutrient-dense food you can eat and is an incredible source of a TON of nutrients, including B vitamins.
Water + Electrolytes
I learned a lot about water this year that blew my mind. You always hear about electrolytes but they’re crucial because for the body to properly absorb water, it needs those minerals (sodium, potassium, magnesium and chloride are big ones) to do so. Otherwise, it’ll pass right on through.
For me, I see water’s benefit it two different ways. First, from a detoxification perspective, water helps clear out toxins. In my mind I’m specifically thinking about excess estrogen, which, when can cause a lot of damage to the body when built up as well as anxiety. Water helps to flush it through the body, through the liver and out so that hormone levels are balanced and I’ve definitely noticed it emotionally. From another perspective, when your body is dehydrated, one of the symptoms can be anxiety. I’ve found that if I haven’t consumed enough water during the day and start to feel some anxiety coming on, drinking a glass of water will relieve it within 30 minutes.
My favorite cocktail right now is water with lemon, a pinch of magnesium chloride and sea salt.
Exhaustive, Weight-Bearing Exercise
The gym is my happy place but 2020 took it away from me so I had to get creative. I love the gym because lifting weights has made a huge difference for me mentally. Lifting heavy things helps me overcome other aspects of my life. I was only mildly worried when gyms closed because I had always run and thought that would be enough. What I didn’t realize was how quickly running would become insufficient. So I bought a kettle bell and a pull up bar, I did at home exercises I found on Instagram, I did sprints at tracks at high schools, I found monstrous hills for hill sprints. It was enough but when gyms opened back up and I started lifting again, it was never more apparent to me that lifting was one of the keys to me having a strong mind.
Wider Variety of Vegetables
Consuming a wide variety of food equates to consuming a wide variety of nutrients. It’s that simple. This year I started incorporating a wider variety of foods into my batch cooking and trying new things every week. Now I have about 12-14 different vegetables in rotation every week and I noticed a huge difference in my energy and mental clarity when I’m eating that variety compared to when I don’t.
Magnesium
I am beyond fascinated with magnesium. I think it’s way more important than what it gets credit for. It’s involved with over 3,000 enzymatic reactions, it’s needed for DNA production and function and modulates electrical potential across cell membranes, meaning it allows nutrients to pass in and out of the cells. And we need those nutrients to get into the cells to be of use. It’s also one of the most common deficiencies considering we have less of it in our soils these days and it’s depleted by stress, high blood sugar, elevated insulin levels and alcohol, which basically applies to everyone. I took it out for a while this year when I ran out but felt a huge difference in my energy levels and overall feeling of calm when I added it back in. Love this stuff.
There are a ton of different types when it comes to supplements so choose the one that works best for you. I’d recommend going with glycinate, citrate or malate, which have higher absorption rates.
High Quality Red Meat
This one wasn’t a make or break it but it made a notable difference to me. I usually only had steaks when I would visit my parent once or twice a year but this year I started incorporating them in my meals a couple times a week and the more I eat them, the more I crave them. I’m fascinated by the carnivore diet and think there’s a lot to it. I’ve also read about people who are eating their high quality proteins raw and are thriving because of it. I am nowhere near that hardcore but I will say I’ve noticed a difference in my vitality after eating more high quality red meat.
These seven discoveries were so fun to uncover. I can’t even begin to explain how much I enjoy seeing progress and making positive change. Next up for 2021 is below. Some of these may be trickier to measure a notable difference in how I feel but there are a couple that have the potential to be game changers:
- Regular meditation practice
- Cut out sugar altogether (I’ve been avoiding this one because of my insane sweet tooth)
- Regular fermented food intake
- Regular yoga sessions
Get ready for the disclaimers!
While I am pro-supplements, I will always advocate for getting the nutrients you need through a nutrient-dense, properly prepared, whole food diet as a foundation for good health. However, there may be need for supplementation based on deficiency, genetic and epigenetic factors and the like, especially when we consider some of the changes in food production like nutrients being stripped from our soils, as I mentioned. You also want to be careful of the quality of supplements, paying attention to how absorbable they are and any additives that could end up hurting your body more than helping.
Second, while the basic whole food diet, proper sleep and exercise framework is likely to benefit everyone, the specific nutrient content that works for me may not work for all. Each of our bodies has its own bio-individual needs based on genetics, stress, physical environment, activity levels and more, so please make sure you understand your body’s needs before experimenting!
moodybreadcrumbs 