Here's Help For The Blues

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Over the last couple of weeks I have read a lot of posts and responses from fellow Mylotters who are tired and/or feeling blue. This time of year a lot of people suffer from mood disorders rather than in the warmer months when the sun is out more. Lack of sleep and change in food habits can make for a blue mood. We have children who take a lot of our time and many work and have busy lives. But, I was wondering if some were not getting good nourishment. So, I decided to write a little bit about some minerals and vitamins , that, if not included our diets, a lack of them could make us feel tired or with out much energy. Many of us don't get restful sleep. Getting a good night sleep is very important. Without good sleep we can become cranky, get headaches, and brain function will be low. How can we work or function without it? We all know that we probably shouldn't drink more than one or two cups of coffee in early day. It's a stimulate we really don't need and too much caffeine can make us nervous and gittery. Green tea is a great substitute. It has a amino acid in it called L-theanine, which helps us feel relaxed. It doesn't cause drowsiness but can improve the quality of our sleep. To help relax muscles and nerves we need to be sure we are getting magnesium in our diets. It improves the level of energy and it is needed to activate the B vitamin complex which is used to create natural serotonin. (Serotonin is a hormone that is found in the human body and transmits signals between nerve cells. It regulates body processes and contributes to happiness and wellbeing. A deficiency leads to depression.) A good food snack choice to help with depression this time of year is cashews. They contain a large amount of magnesium and can rapidly help depression. A 1/2 cup of cashews contains 500 mg of tryptophan which is a naturally occurring sedative and mood boost. Cashews also contain vitamin b6 which is good for a mood boost as well. Chicken, fish, turkey, nuts, cottage cheese, eggs, and beans all contain tryptophan. Iron deficiency is very common. Lack of iron can cause fatigue due to a loss of oxygen being carried to the red blood cells. Body bruises is a tell tale sign of this deficiency. Iron can be found in such foods as spinach, lentils, dark chocolate, oysters, olives, pumpkin seeds, and beef. Vitamin B Complex helps with metabolism, menopause, memory, brain power and mental health. A lack of these vitamins in our diets can lead to fatigue, irritability, sleep disturbances, dementia, agitation, nervousness and hallucinations. I hope this has been helpful.