 The communities WAP studied had neither the dietary stress nor the psychological and lifestyle stress we experience today.

 The brain is connected to the body › Goes both ways › Gut issues lead to toxicity in the brain › Brain issues lead to problems in the gut

 What is a thought? What is an emotion? › Our brains control everything from body temperature and blood pressure, our senses and physical movement, to every thought, dream, and emotion. › The brain tells the body what to do. › If our thoughts are full of fears, negativity, shame, sadness, etc., what message is our brain sending to the body? What impact do those messages have?

› “Anger, resentment, unforgiveness, and a desire for revenge all trigger the classic ‘alarm triad’ response to stress, which involves adrenal gland hypertrophy (swelling), thymus and lymph gland atrophy (shrinkage), which indicates the suppression of the immune system, and gastric inflammation.” Jordan Rubin › “A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones.” Proverbs

 Name as many physiological responses to thoughts or emotions that you can think of › ie: palms sweating when you’re nervous

 “If you do not manage stress, it will completely undermine all the other positive changes you make.” ~The Paleo Approach: Reverse Autoimmune Disease and Heal Your Body

 Stress depletes nutrients  A poor diet stresses the body  Stress leads to poor dietary habits (binging, skipping meals, cravings, drinking alcohol, eating on the go, etc.)

 Historically all stress was acute › Adrenaline and cortisol did their jobs to ensure survival. No ongoing output.  Chronic stress is unrelenting › Low or high level › No big relief

 Contributes to the development of and/or worsens ALL disease.  Susceptibility to the common cold  Stimulation of immune system in autoimmune disease  Biggest predictor of cardiovascular disease  Metabolic Syndrome, cancer, depression, osteoporosis, etc.  Sleep disturbances, inflammation, bad habits, hormone dysregulation, etc.

 It’s not our lives which are stressful… › It’s the way we think about our lives which is stressful.  Are our lives really stressful or is the way we are eating causing us to feel stressed? › Have you noticed a correlation between what you eat and how much stress you feel?

1. Outward circumstances over which you have no control 2. Circumstances or influences over which you do have control 3. Inward attitudes, beliefs, and thought patterns 4. Internal physical conditions “I am convinced that we help create many of our problems though wrong thinking, poor decision making, and poor dietary choices. When these factors unite and start working together against us, sickness or death may not be far behind.” ~Jordan Rubin “The Maker’s Diet”

 Best understood mechanism is effect on the immune system.

 Prioritizes essential functions for survival › Perception, energy for muscles, prep for wound healing, etc.  Suppresses non-essential functions › Digestion, some immune functions, kidney function, reproductive functions, growth, collagen formation, amino acid uptake by muscles, protein synthesis, bone formation

 Enhances the immune system in cases of acute stress.  Spectrum of responses to chronic presence of high levels of cortisol

 Minerals via increased mineralcorticoids › Hormones produced by the adrenal glands, primarily aldosterone › Class of steroid hormones › Influence salt and water balance › Causes loss of calcium and magnesium › Causes build up of sodium, phosphorus, and potassium due to shut down of digestive function and re-absorption by kidneys. › Can lead to high blood pressure

 Magnesium › Particularly sensitive to stress › Sedative mineral which is shed during stress response. › Body can eventually lose ability to store mg › Depleted by: emotional stress, sugar consumption, excessive exercise, pregnancy, medications, frequent infections › The more mg is depleted the harder it is to handle stress. Feeling edgy? Need mg.

 Chromium › Need more for excess sugar intake and when depleted creates stress in the body › Works with insulin to get glucose into the cells. When depleted by stress more insulin is needed and blood sugar levels increase, creating a vicious cycle. › Also need zinc for insulin

 Zinc › Found in adrenal glands so when depleted by stress adrenals under-function and can’t deal with stress. › Needed for production of HCl. HCl needed for uptake of minerals.

 Vitamin D › Made from cholesterol, same as cortisol › Cortisol takes emergency priority

 B vitamins › Stress hormones speed up the metabolic processes which use B vitamins  B1 and B2 involved in energy metabolism › B5 supports the adrenal glands › B1, B6, and B12 thought to support formation of serotonin, neurotransmitter promoting relaxation.

 Nutrition to increase resilience (5 foundations of Nutritional Therapy!): › Omega 3’s › B vitamins and Minerals (bone broth, vegetables, seafood, sea vegetables, organ meats) › Balanced blood sugar › Hydration › Mindful eating  Reduce stressors › Habitual coffee and caffeine dependence › Sugar and other denatured, low nutrient foods › Allergens