Stress Archives - Trish Tucker May

Mood Boosting: The Connection Between GABA, Neurotransmitters, and Energy

Written by trish on June 13, 2023. Posted in anti-inflammatory, Anxiety, Blog, Brain Fog, Depression, Energy, Fatigue, inflammation, Mental Health, Mood, Stress.

Neurotransmitters are secreted all through the body, in neurons of both the central and peripheral nervous systems.

I am excited to announce new functional nutrition tests. Functional nutrition tests for neurotransmitters can help support energy, mood and addictions.

This can provide valuable insights for a range of health concerns.

Neurotransmitter tests can determine whether your neurotransmitter levels are too low or too high.

GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that helps regulate GABA, on the other hand, is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that helps regulate anxiety and stress levels in the brain. Foods that are rich in glutamate, such as broccoli and spinach, can help support GABA production

Additionally, consuming foods that are rich in magnesium, such as almonds and spinach, can help support GABA function.

There are also other supporting neurotransmitters that play a role in overall brain health.

Serotonin, for example, is a neurotransmitter that regulates mood and can be supported by consuming foods that are rich in tryptophan, such as bananas and turkey.

If you are struggling with the following symptoms get in touch. It may be due to your neurotransmitters and there is a lot we can achieve with tweaks in your nutrition and lifestyle.

If you are struggling with

Mood concerns, such as depression, anxiety

Diminished energy/fatigue, Insomnia

Cognitive concerns such as forgetfulness, inattention, brain fog, ADHD, addiction, dependency, obsessions and cravings.

Chronic illness, and immune deficiency

Pain – especially chronic pain and inflammation.

Don’t struggle alone.

I have struggled with many of these, and this is why I love being a nutritionist.

Lifestyle and food as medicine is how I can help.

Stress Awareness

Written by trish on April 24, 2023. Posted in Blog, Energy, Fatigue, Gut Health, Hormones, Stress, Weight.

You must have heard that April is Stress Awareness Month, and I’m sure it’s no newsflash to you that chronic stress isn’t going to help with balancing your hormones!

Feelings of stress, overwhelm and anxiety are on the rise. Especially for women, and especially women over 40.

It’s not surprising. We are all juggling like crazy. Family commitments, a fulfilling career and a social life, whilst also trying to look good and stay healthy, can lead to burning ourselves out.

If we don’t prioritise self-care, our overall health is going to suffer.

Here are my tips to keep stress under control.Practice self-care: Make time for activities that you enjoy and that help you relax, such as reading a book, taking a walk, or practicing meditation.

Get enough sleep: Lack of sleep can exacerbate stress, so make sure to prioritize a good night’s rest.

Exercise regularly: Physical activity can help reduce stress levels and boost our mood.

Connect with loved ones: Social support can be a great stress reliever, so spend time with friends and family.

When we get stressed, tired, or even nervous, our digestion doesn’t function properly, and certainly not optimally. It’s so important to slow down chewing and eating so you can have more energy and avoid bloating.

Stress impacts the vagus nerve, a long, cranial nerve that travels from the forehead to the pelvic floor. It has a massive impact on your digestive system and your stress response. It plays a particularly key role in how we feel and digest. It also has a significant impact on blood pressure and heart rate. It affects the adrenals, kidneys, and the amount of serotonin in the body.

We know that stress causes havoc with weight, digestion, fatigue, and brain function. The DUTCH (dried urine test for comprehensive hormones) test precisely measures the main stress and sex hormones and shows how much cortisol is being produced. Suffering from consistently high cortisol levels can cause oxidative stress and DNA damage. The amount of free cortisol will impact mood and energy, and liver and kidney function. This will also have an effect on sleep. There is an interconnected response with blood sugars, insulin production, and heart rate.

Would you like to order the DUTCH test to see what your hormones are doing and how stress may be contributing to your symptoms?

Email: trish@trishtuckermay.com

How to balance blood sugar and lose weight

Written by trish on January 24, 2023. Posted in Blog, Blood Sugar, Health, Movement, Sleep, Stress, Weight Loss.

Are you looking for an effective way to balance your blood sugar and lose weight?

If so, you’ve come to the right place! As an award-winning nutritionist, I have a wealth of experience in helping my clients achieve their ideal weight and develop healthy habits.

Balancing your blood sugar is key to weight loss, as it helps to regulate your hunger and energy levels. When your blood sugar is balanced, you’ll be less likely to reach for sugary snacks and more likely to make healthier food choices. Do you want to know my top 5 tips for balancing your blood sugar and losing weight?

1. Eat a balanced diet – Eating a balanced diet is essential for keeping your blood sugar levels in check. Fill your plate with fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. Avoid processed and refined foods, and limit your intake of sugar and refined carbohydrates.

2. Exercise regularly – Exercise can help to regulate your blood sugar levels, as well as boost your metabolism and burn calories. Aim to get at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week.

3. Drink plenty of water – Staying properly hydrated is important for keeping your blood sugar levels steady. Aim to drink at least 8 glasses of water each day.

4. Avoid stress – Stress can trigger the release of hormones that can raise your blood sugar levels. Find healthy ways to manage your stress, such as yoga, meditation, and deep breathing.

5. Get enough sleep – Lack of sleep can increase your hunger and cravings, making it harder to maintain a healthy weight. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night.

By following these tips, you can help to balance your blood sugar levels and achieve your weight loss goals. Good luck!

How to support your adrenals

Written by trish on April 5, 2022. Posted in adrenal glands, Anxiety, Blog, Blood Sugar, Concentration, Fatigue, Hormones, Libido, Mood, Stress, Tips.

What are adrenal glands and where are they located?

Your adrenal glands play a very important role in maintaining your health. They are incredibly small, about the size and weight of a coin. They are located above your kidneys, just below the muscle tissue of your lower back.

What do adrenal glands do?

Our adrenal glands are responsible for many things that assist in regulating our body and hormones, including thyroid and reproductive hormones. They are also responsible for managing stress, the amount of inflammation in our body, our immune system, our blood sugar levels and the electrolytes in our blood. They influence all the physiological functions processes of the body and help stave off physical fatigue.

Signs your adrenal health needs support

When there is something wrong with our body, it will start to signal us that something needs to be addressed. Here is how your adrenal glands will signal you that something is wrong.

Your blood sugar level will either drop or spike suddenly.
Your hormones will be all over the place. One moment you are happy and the other moment you will find yourself crying over something that does not even bother you that much.
You get sick more often because your immune system will not function properly without healthy adrenal glands.
You will be stressed and it will be hard for you to manage your stress levels.
Your sex drive will decrease.
It will be hard for you to complete your daily tasks because those tasks will require a lot more effort than usual.
You will find it hard to keep yourself awake even if you know that you need to sacrifice sleep for a very important task.
You will constantly crave food, mostly salty and savory foods, and it will be hard you satisfy your cravings. You will find yourself craving them more even if you have just eaten something.
Your body will take longer to heal properly.
You will fail to find happiness or excitement in tasks and hobbies that you enjoyed before.
You may find yourself skipping meals.

How to improve your adrenal health

If you suspect your adrenal glands may need some care and attention, try some of the following tips.

Get your sleep schedule in sync:

Make sure that you get quality sleep for 9 to 10 hours. Sleep and wake up at the same times to get your body in a rhythm. It needs to follow a routine to start to heal.

Daily exercise:

Set aside at least 30 minutes a day for exercise, no matter how busy or tired you may be.

Add these to your diet:

To improve your adrenal health, add proteins, healthy carbs, zinc, calcium, and vitamins (especially C and D) to your diet. Also increase foods like coconuts, avocados, olives, chia seeds, bone broth, nuts, vegetables and fish, but make sure you do all of this in moderation.

If you would like to learn more about my tests to measure adrenal health please get in touch.

The 7 simplest ways to improve your gut health and support your hormones

Written by trish on September 21, 2021. Posted in Belly Bloating, Bloating, Blog, Energy, Gut Health, Hormones, Sleep, Stress, Tips, Women's Health.

How are you going with your September health goals?

I hosted a retreat day last Saturday. 10 ladies had fun juicing, fermenting, sprouting, eating delicious food, and learning about gut health and hormones.

The next retreat is scheduled for the 27^th November in Wales.

After that I will be doing a mini series of talks in my kitchen here in Minchinhampton.

Keep up to date with announcements in the Thriving Gut health FB group here

At the end of the day, we all committed to doing three things to support our goals. Here is a summary of those new commitments.

This may seem like a simple list but if you did all of these, I guarantee you will feel less bloated. You will sleep better; have more energy and you will feel less stressed.

What can you add?

Drink plenty of water?
Take little breaks during the day?
Deep breaths before your meal?
Chew food well?
Veggies for breakfast?
Diversity of vegetables on the plate?
Change shopping habits to include a bigger range of veg, herbs, seeds, fruit.

When you shop you are better off picking 2-3 of every type of veg rather than sticking with the basics you normally buy.

What can you add to your shopping list this week?

Buy at least:

Four green fruit and vegetables.
Two red fruit and vegetables.
Two yellow fruit and vegetables.
One orange fruit and vegetables.
One Purple fruit and vegetables.

One spice and one herb you have never tried. Choose a variety. Choose one of every veg and fruit. Think about all the colours of the rainbow. This is great preparation for the recipes that follow. Add in two types of nuts, preferably organic or in the shell. Add a new cold pressed virgin oil you have never used before.

Here is a list of foods that will support your gut health and hormones:

Protein

Chicken
Turkey
Game
Fresh fish
Eggs
Organic soy -if tolerated (milk, tofu, edamame beans, miso,tempeh, natto)
Grass fed Beef
Lamb
Pork
Venison
Veal
Liver

Oils

For dressing:

Avocado
Flaxseed
Hemp
Walnut
Extra virgin olive
Sesame

For cooking:

Avocado
Coconut
Extra virgin olive (up to 180° only)
Goose/duck fat/lard
Butter

Dairy alternatives

Almond milk (unsweetened)
Hazelnut milk (unsweetened)
Cashew milk (unsweetened)
Coconut milk (full fat)
Oat, hemp, rice milks (unsweetened)
Coconut oil (for butter)
Coconut yoghurt
Nutritional yeast flakes

(for cheese)

Organic soy milk and yoghurt

Nuts & Seeds

Coconut
Almonds
Brazils
Hazelnuts
Cashews
Macademias
Walnuts
Pecans
Pine nuts
Nut butter (not peanut)
Sesame seeds
Sunflower seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Hemp seeds
Chia seeds
Flaxseeds (or linseeds)

Fruits

All fruits, including:

Avocado
Apples
Apricots
Bananas
Berries
Cherries
Citrus
Cranberries
Kiwi
Nectarine
Orange
Peach
Pears
Pomegranate

Avoid dried fruits, fruit juice and other fruit products. Look for sulphur free dried fruits.

Grains & Pulses

Amaranth
Buckwheat
Millet
Gluten free oats
Quinoa
Rice (brown or wild)
Chickpeas, beans, or lentils
Hummus or other bean dips
Gluten free pasta (brown rice, chickpea)
Gluten free noodles (rice, soba/buckwheat, zero noodles)

Flours:

Almond
Coconut
Rice
Tapioca
Buckwheat.

It is easy to get stuck in habits of buying the same food.

What can you try this week?

In the 8-week gut healing hormone balancing program we cover this and so much more.

If you are struggling with your symptoms and want to get to the root cause – book a call here

Love Trish

5 Natural Supplements To Help You Relax

Written by trish on May 14, 2021. Posted in adrenal glands, Gut Health, Herbal Teas, Hormones, Menopause, Mood, Stress, Vitamins, Wellbeing, Women's Health.

According to the Mental Health Foundation, ‘74% of UK women have felt so stressed at some point over the last year they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope.’ Stress symptoms can severely affect our relationships, work life, and our health. To ease the strain, it’s important to find ways to relax especially during perimenopause and beyond. Stress will have a significant impact on gut health and your hormones.

The natural world provides us with many plants that are perfect for relaxation. For some ideas to inspire you, consider these herbal remedies. When introducing a new supplement to your diet always follow the stated dose.

1 . Bacopa monnieri

Bacopa monnieri, sometimes called Brahmi, is one of the principle herbal remedies of Ayurvedic medicine. According to Research from HVMN, ‘In patients with anxiety, Bacopa monnieri had an anxiolytic effect, simply meaning an anti-anxiety effect.’ Taking a Bacopa supplement has many relaxing benefits including reducing the stress hormone, and regulating serotonin.

Rhodiola

Rhodiola is a plant that grows across the mountain regions of Asia and Europe. The roots of the herb work as adaptogens, these support the body to adapt to situations of stress. For centuries people have used the herb to treat depression, fatigue and anxiety, particularly in Scandinavia. It is an excellent herb to reduce cortisol and support unwanted menopause symptoms.

One rhodiola study examined the effects of the herb on women who were suffering from long-term stress. The study participants took a rhodiola supplement over a course of four weeks. The results found, ‘significant improvements in symptoms of stress, such as fatigue, exhaustion and anxiety.’

Passionflower

Passionflower is a purple plant which comes from the Passiflora family. Studies have suggested that the herb can ease the effects of stress, anxiety and insomnia. Consuming the supplement seems to raise GABA levels in the brain, which is responsible for the relaxing effect. One passionflower study discovered that, ‘passionflower decreased anxiety and improved memory in rats.’ Passionflower can be purchased in capsule form, or you could try passionflower herbal tea.

Hemp

Hemp is a type of Cannabis Sativa plant which has a THC content of 0.3 (or less). Hemp plants are often used to make CBD oil. Due to the low THC content, CBD is not psychoactive. When you consume CBD oil you’ll experience a calming effect. Many women use CBD to sleep better, or to handle anxiety symptoms in menopause. Several studies have praised CBD as a useful supplement for stress, insomnia and anxiety. For an excellent range of CBD products, take a look at Bloom Farms Wellness.

Siberian Ginseng

Siberian Ginseng is extracted using the roots of the Eleutherococcus senticosus herb. It’s an adaptogen which can help the body to relax and combat stress. There are several other health benefits associated with the plant. It’s associated with reduced fatigue and increased energy. Evidence also suggests that the plant can improve cognitive function and boost your immune system.

The above supplements can be purchased via my website and in health food shops, and some pharmacies. With so many amazing herbal supplements, you should find something that works for you. If you take medication you should discuss any new supplements with a doctor.

If you are struggling with addiction to drugs and alcohol please consider getting in touch with https://www.okrehab.org Are partnered with over 140 clinics of this nature across the UK and abroad to help individuals break free from the shackles of addiction and find a treatment that’s ideally suited to their needs. They offer a variety of ways to assist you or your loved one in seeking out effective addiction treatment:

An over-the-phone assessment to determine if you require addiction treatment
Access to over 140+ clinics across the UK and abroad
Advice relating to outpatient, residential and home detox services
Access to detox clinics regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC)
Fast access to emergency detox treatment, is appropriate
Access to professional interventionists across the UK
Advice by staff members who are themselves in recovery
Information on both private and statutory funded addiction treatment providers

If you would like me to review your supplements and recommend something suitable please book a free discovery call here https://p.bttr.to/2MZVUKN

I have a great understanding of the journey to recovery and I welcome your call.

The Benefits of Yoga

Written by trish on March 23, 2021. Posted in adrenal glands, Blog, Blood Pressure, Bone Health, Energy, Flexibility, Health, Strength, Stress, Wellbeing, Women's Health.

Yoga, Nutritionalist
Yoga is a disciplined Hindu exercise routine that focuses on breathing, posture, and mindfulness. The practice of yoga was initially founded in ancient India and is a part of Hindu religious practices. It has grown in popularity and is now practiced by a large population of people searching for health and mental peace.
The main goal of practicing yoga is to attain “moksha,” which means “liberation.” According to many yoga gurus, there are five main goals or elements of yoga. These five main elements are:
Yoga, award winning nutritionist

Being disciplined toward attaining a goal
Controlling your body movements
Controlling your mind
Connecting with your spiritual self
Attaining the highest level of self-awareness
Yoga provides a lot of benefits to our body, health, and mind. Here are just a few of them.

It improves your body’s flexibility.

Yoga can help make you more flexible and agile, especially with regular practice yoga. This flexibility can help prevent injuries or strain and help relieve muscle and nerve pain.

It helps build muscle strength.

With regular practice, yoga can also help build muscle strength and tone. This strengthening of our muscles can also help protect us against pain and various diseases like arthritis.

It improves your posture.

Yoga can help improve your posture, preventing backaches and neck pains and strain. Young yoga practitioners have also reported an increase in height due to the improvement in their posture. A straight spine can balance your whole body much more easily than a spine that lacks good posture. Poor posture can cause your body to strain and cause you to feel lazy and tired. It also puts you at higher risk for degenerative arthritis of the spine.

It improves the overall health of your bones.

Yoga can help improve your bone strength and health and prevent breaks or fractures.

It regulates the circulation of your blood flow.

Regular yoga practice can help improve the circulation of your blood flow, especially in your feet and hands. This prevents your body from swelling or becoming inflamed. A healthy and regulated flow of blood in your body encourages overall better health. It also helps provide oxygen to your lungs and regulate the transfer of oxygen to your tissues by boosting the level of red blood cells and haemoglobin in your body. All of this can help reduce your risk of stroke and other forms of heart diseases and illnesses.

It lowers stress levels.

Yoga brings you mental peace by helping you manage your stress levels through deep breathing exercises and practiced mindfulness.

It helps maintain your blood pressure.

Regular yoga practice has been found to be greatly beneficial in maintaining your body’s blood pressure.

It helps in regulating your adrenal glands.

Yoga can help lower your cortisol levels, helping to regulate the functioning of your adrenal glands. Healthy adrenal glands can help you in losing weight and maintaining overall health.

If you would like to learn more about my 8-week gut healing and hormone balancing program, click here
Yours in health and wellness,
Trish Tucker-May