Below are 3 nutrition questions I’ve been asked over and over, many times.

I sometimes have mood swings (or feel depressed). Can foods change my moods?

Let’s first assume you’ve talked to your doctor about your moods and received a qualified medical opinion about what you need.

The answer to this question about foods and moods is a definite “yes.”

Foods absolutely can change your moods. This isn’t a vague answer about eating well and feeling better as you become healthier. That wouldn’t really be helpful here.

Foods affect moods because they change brain chemistry. This post is too brief to allow me to explain the exact changes different foods make. But if…

Peanut allergies in children have quadrupled in the last 20 years. But peanuts aren’t the only foods causing problems. Allergic reactions in kids to many foods have become epidemic.

Most sources blame toxins in foods, including growth hormones, pesticides used in farming, and additives in processed foods that were never used years ago.

In fact, those additives don’t appear in the same foods when they’re sold to other countries. Those countries simply won’t tolerate them in their foods.

But Could Something Else Be to Blame?

With that evidence, I won’t deny these possible causes behind kid’s allergic reactions. …

True story. A nutrition client of mine emailed me the morning of a recent appointment because he hadn’t kept a food log during the week.

Why? He was depressed — an ongoing problem for him — and “taking care of mental health” had been his priority that week.

I have great compassion for his ongoing depression and do understand the shifting priorities. But skipping his food log usually goes with skipping good nutrition. And doing that due to depression seemed like a ‘Gift of the Magi’ type of irony. And it misses the point.

Don’t Underestimate the Power of Food

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A woman at the Diabetes Council asked me to evaluate a compilation of tips and strategies by 54 experts on stopping binge-eating.

Most of the experts viewed binge eating from a psychological and behavioral viewpoint, and many of the same tips came up over and over.

The most common tips tended to be about eating mindfully: staying present, paying attention to the meal, not watching TV, eating while seated, putting food on a plate, slowing down, breathing slowly and deeply.

Several registered dietitians added a physiological aspect — keeping glucose levels even. They advised eating at regular intervals, eating a…

My college roommate used to turn down yogurt, saying, “I never eat rotten food.” Now, maybe there are reasons not to eat yogurt, but the fact that it’s rotten isn’t one of them.

Another term for “rotten” is fermented. Fermentation is great for the digestive system, and we’ll get to those benefits. Meanwhile, how can we know if we should eat rotten foods?

Problems with bloating, gas, acid reflux, constipation and/or diarrhea are a few signs. …

Under stress conditions, including exercise, we release the steroid hormone cortisol. It regulates a variety of body processes, including metabolism and glucose levels. It also reduces inflammation and blocks immune functions.

Cortisol promotes a feeling of well-being, and having too little brings on fatigue. In excess, though, cortisol can increase weight and blood pressure and lead to heart disease — or even depression due to brain chemical changes it induces.

Cortisol fluctuates with circadian rhythms. Highest levels occur in the morning, lowest levels in the evening.

Meanwhile, the immune response works in reverse. This is one reason it’s been suggested…

FAMILY HISTORY (Check all that apply to your family.)

— — — — — → MOTHER — — FATHER — — SELF

Hypertension ________ — ________ — ________

Diabetes: ________ — ________ — ________

Heart disease: ________ — ________ — ________

Obesity: ________ — ________ — ________

Alcoholism: ________ — ________ — ________

Hypoglycemia: ________ — ________ — ________

Partiality to starches: ________ — ________ — ________

(pasta, bread, potatoes)

Binge-eating disorder: ________ — ________ — ________

Depression: ________ — ________ — ________

Which of these behaviors do you exhibit with respect to sugar? (Check all that apply.)

Sugar cravings…

Some years ago (1997 to be exact), the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition featured an article stating that women’s protein needs had been underestimated up until then.

In the same issue, a different article discussed the higher rate of serotonin turnover in women’s brains versus that of men. Serotonin is made from the amino acid tryptophan. Amino acids make up proteins. So women need extra protein for that reason.

The same year, Smith et al. published a study in the Lancet describing the return of depression in susceptible women after rapid depletion of tryptophan. …