Your own brain thwarts diet with 'feed me' signals

Video: Foods to ‘Cure’ aches, pains, insomnia and more

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   >>> this morning on "eat smart today" the food you choose has a direct effect on your waistline and cholesterol but also impacts your mood and sleeping patterns. "today's" nutritionist is here with a revised and updated rendition of "joe bauer's food cures." joy, good morning. revised and updated because there is so much more new research.

   >> yes. and so the first book came out in 2007 and since then we've had a wealth of scientific information that really does show food is more than calories. it's nature's medicine. and in the book i show people that everyday foods can really help to manage, treat, sometimes even reverse common health conditions. it's pretty cool.

   >> fror example, you say eating the right foods can help aches and pains?

   >> yes, first, one of my top foods is ginger. ginger contains compounds that are similar to anti-inflammatory medication. relieve everyday soreness or joint inflammation that we'll suffer from. you can take a few slices and steep it in hot water for ginger tea or throw it into a stir fry or ground ginger in smoothies. it's terrific.

   >> red peppers have a tremendous amount of vitamins. one pepper gets 250 --

   >> 250% of our daily allotment for vitamin c. the reason i have it on our aches and pains table is because a study showed that people who tend to get arthritis have lower levels of vitamin c. so i say half of a red bell pepper a day going to be really good. and then pumpkin. pumpkin gets --

   >> she seems so happy talking about pumpkin.

   >> i love pumpkin. bright orange color from two potent caroteniods and helps reduce inflammation as well which means your joints are going to be happier and less painful.

   >> speaking of happy, let's talk about foods that are supposed to boost our mood.

   >> number one happy food has to be lentils. and that's because when we have volatile swings in our blood sugar , we're cranky, we're irritable and we're tired. and lentils has this winning dualal of fiber and protein which smooths out blood sugars and essentially keeps us feeling happy. salmon is another key player because it's got omega 3 fats and vitamin d. both have been linked to better moods. for people who have these types of issues, salmon at least twice a week. and oranges would be your fruit of choice because it has folate. folate is involved in making special brain chemicals to keep our regulation intact.

   >> another reason to have hopefully fresh squeezed orange juice in the morning. foods to help minimize pms .

   >> women, pay attention. first it's going to be yogurt. that's because we have research that shows women who struggle with severe pms symptoms tend to have lower levels of calcium one to two weeks prior to their period. yogurt is the top source of calci calcium. whether it's plain, flavored, traditional or greek. yogurt rocks. the next thing is almonds. almonds are rich in magnesium. magnesium has been shown to alleviate pms -induced headaches. the last thing is pineapple. pineapple has something that helps to relieve pms symptoms. it's also very juicy. when you bring water into your body it will flush water out which is great forgetting rid of water retention . sweet and delicious, helps with the cravings right around pms .

   >> it will all work well together in smoothie. almonds, how many do you need to eat to prevent the pain of pms ?

   >> a handful a day. that's all. you don't want to go overboard because you don't want to gain weight.

   >> preventing insomnia. unusual choices.

   >> when it comes to insomnia right off the bat i do have to say you want to layoff the caffeine eight hours before you hit the sack. you don't want to have a heavy fatty meal right before bed because that's going to disresult sleep for sure. we do know if you have a light p.m. snack, about 150 calories. atsz co it's a combination of turkey, milk, or cheese, together with carbohydrates you can producer is serotonin in the brain which lems you g helps you get a better night's sleep. here a scoop of cottage cheese with cinnamon or apple slices or rice cake with a spread of humus and a turkey slice. i would say within within hour. it would help. the key is get rid of that cough 15.

   >> we'll try your tips. thanks so much. joy bauer this

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