by Ali Miller
Rubor (redness) and calore (heat) occur from increased blood flow to the area of injury when the immune system delivers its natural fighters. Resident immune cells in the GALT (gut associated lymphoid tissue) are also stimulated to battle the invader. In this process, tumor (swelling) occurs as fluid leaks from the blood vessels into the tissue space to protect the injury or insult from spreading. Dolor (pain) occurs when increased fluid in the tissue causes increased pressure on the nerves. Finally, functio laesa (loss of function) occurs where the inflamed areas have reduced functionality to promote healing.
A healthy and balanced body is capable of shutting off the inflammatory response; however, in an unbalanced state, the inflammatory response may perpetuate, leading to chronic, asymptomatic inflammation that can wreak silent havoc or cause painful flare-ups.
So, what happens when the injury isn’t something traumatic like a car accident? What if it is a food you are eating? A corn chip? A piece of whole wheat bread? A salad at a restaurant? What happens when your body responds with inflammation based on your diet, and how does that impact your mood and your mind?
Inflammation and Anxiety
Before discussing what to remove from your diet, I’d like to empower you with an understanding of the role of inflammation and the gut on the brain. Throughout this book I will reference the brain-gut axis, which is essentially the communication loop between these two areas of the body.
The past decade of psychology and neurology research has correlated the presence of inflammatory chemicals in the body with mood instability, depression, and anxiety. There is a chicken-egg relationship in that those who have anxiety, brain fog, and racing thoughts have a higher amount of inflammatory chemicals in their body. They get a surge of excitatory neurotransmitters in response to the inflammatory chemicals, further perpetuating feelings of anxiousness or panic. This creates a chronic fight-or-flight worried mode.
To add insult to injury, in response to dietary inflammation, the gut can drive swelling or bloating in the belly as well as reduce digestive function, causing bowel irregularity and limiting the production of feel-good neurotransmitters. In a healthy gut, over 90 percent of the brain’s serotonin, a key anti-anxiety compound, is manufactured, but in a gut that is inflamed and damaged, production of serotonin is hindered—limiting an individual’s ability to respond to stress.
Anxiety is also connected to gut inflammation via the concept of leaky gut. I will speak more on this in Chapter 4, Repair GI Lining, but here’s a basic rundown.
When the gut is inflamed, the barrier lining of the gut, which is supposed to keep food particles in and absorb nutrients, doesn’t stay tight. Food particles that are too large cross into the bloodstream and drive immunological response as well as inflammation.
In this scenario, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of the individual is permeable to more food compounds during consumption, which activates an individual’s immune system into overreactivity due to excess foreign invaders (antigens) in the bloodstream. The immune system responds to these particles as if there is a high pollen day, but instead of histamine alone, it produces a whole gamut of inflammatory chemicals. Also, when very large particles cross the gut lining into the bloodstream, they have the potential to also cross the blood-brain barrier and directly drive mood disturbances.
The Top 5 Inflammatory Foods
Now that you understand how inflammation is a root cause of anxiety, let’s get back to that question of what happens when inflammation is in response to a food consumed rather than an injury. Could something you are eating be driving inflammation, reducing healthy neurotransmitter production, and promoting leaky gut? The answer is YES! This section will start with stripping away the top five drivers of inflammation in the diet: gluten, corn, soy, sugar, and dairy.
Remember, food is a double-edged sword; it can provide nourishment as building blocks for brain and mood health, as well as destroy brain and body function. Although I will highlight the removal of inflammatory foods, I ensure you that the anti-anxiety diet provides ample replacements to satisfy your palate and support optimal function in your body. The recipes provided in Chapter 9 will support your brain and provide compounds to balance mood while curbing cravings and satisfying your taste buds.
Food became complicated and more of a driver of disease when mass production and packaging started all the way back in the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries. The more people separated themselves from food production and small-scale family farms, distancing themselves further from the hunting and gathering tradition, the more convenience drove nutritional deficiency, obesity, and inflammatory conditions.
The Standard American Diet (SAD) is predominately made up of carbohydrates and devoid of healthy fats, nourishing proteins, and antioxidant-rich, non-starchy veggies. This diet, which is high in carbohydrates, especially those from refined carbohydrates such as flour-based foods and added sugars, causes the body to become familiar with carbohydrates as primary fuel and drives imbalanced metabolism with inflammatory reactions, such as excessive insulin and imbalanced satiety signals.
Beyond carbohydrates and excessive sugar, the SAD diet is loaded with toxic additives and chemicals that hinder our metabolic processes, which distresses the liver and kidneys and reduces production of essential mood stabilizing and anti-inflammatory compounds. This leads to chronic illnesses such as neurological disorders, hormonal imbalance, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, behavioral conditions, and cancer.
When the body is overwhelmed with an excess load on metabolic detoxification pathways and not supported with adequate nutrition to fuel them, toxins are stuffed into storage packages—fat cells! Medical research now shows that our fat cells are functioning as endocrine cells (a type of hormone) and interfering with our metabolic pathways, causing irregularly elevated blood sugar, decreasing calorie-burning activity, and promoting additional fat storage versus burn. This creates a vicious cycle of fat cells telling the body to make more fat.
Eating a diet comprised of whole, unprocessed foods is a great place to start to reduce inflammation and resolve anxiety. These five foods are the primary focus of REMOVE.
Gluten
Gluten is a protein found in various grains of wheat (spelt, kamut, triticale, etc.) as well as in barley, farro, and rye. The rise of gluten intolerance has been dramatic over the past decade, and the even more severe celiac disease is now said to affect 1 in 133 Americans according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Although wheat is not genetically modified like other pro-inflammatory crops such as corn and soy, wheat has been hybridized many times to selectively increase yield, resistance, and calorie density. Wheat available in the grocery store in whole wheat or white flour (as well as their respective food products) comes from the most commonly available crop, short dwarf wheat, which is significantly higher in gluten and gliadin, the primary inflammatory compound in gluten.
Gliadin is not easily digested or broken down by enzymes in the digestive tract and can cause havoc to the body, leading to fatigue, acne, loose stools, constipation, depression, anxiety, joint pain, and more. Beyond the inflammatory response, gliadin plays a role on opioid receptors in the brain that can lead to addictive tendencies and mood disturbances. Gluteomorphin proteins, found in gliadin, have highly addictive effects and have been hypothesized as drivers of inflammation in the blood-brain barrier, contributing to anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia.
Pain, weight gain, addictive tendencies, and mood disturbances are compelling enough responses to a food for me to rule it out of a balanced diet, but there’s more: Refined grains can play a negative role on gut bacteria and the microvilli that line our intestines. The combination of gluten as an abrasive sticky protein (the Latin translation of gluten is “glue”) and lectins found in all grains create wear and tear on the gut lining, which can contribute further to intestinal enteropathy, or leaky gut. One easy way to end this vicious cycle is to remove gluten and gluten-containing prod
ucts.
On your anti-anxiety diet, you will discover if you have gluten sensitivity during the 12-week removal of all grains, and you will fill the void with more nourishing alternatives that can satisfy your sweet tooth and your need for that nice chew or crunch!
Corn
Most corn is made from genetically modified organism (GMO) crops. The two main GMO corn crops are Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt endotoxin) corn and Roundup Ready corn. The Bt GMO crop was designed to kill a susceptible insect; a part of the plant that contains the Bt protein must be ingested by the crop pest. Within minutes, the protein binds to the gut wall and the insect stops feeding. Within hours, the gut wall breaks down and gut bacteria invade the body cavity. The insect dies of septicemia as bacteria multiply in the blood after the colon explosion…yuck! Increased exposure to this gut wall–destroying protein can play a role in increased food sensitivities as a primary contributor toward leaky gut.
The other GMO corn crop, Roundup Ready, is able to withstand higher amounts of the herbicide glyphosate, the active ingredient in the agricultural chemical RoundUp. Research has identified glyphosate as a neurotoxin and endocrine disruptor that throws off neurotransmitters that regulate mood and stress response as well as cause nerve damage, diabetes, and hormonal imbalance. Both the Bt endotoxin or RoundUp GMO corn disrupt the gut bacteria balance, impair digestion, and direct damage to the intestinal wall, which can lead to immune activation and increase allergies and food sensitivity. Unfortunately, according to FDA.gov, 88 percent of the corn on the market is GMO, and this means a majority of the products that contain corn as an ingredient are likely to have a residue of these chemicals.
If you are able to find certified organic corn or organic blue corn and their products, keep in mind they still create inflammation in the body due to the plant’s composition. Corn is high in linoleic acid, a type of polyunsaturated fat known as an omega-6. One important element in controlling inflammation is ensuring a proper ratio of omega-6 fatty acids, which are pro-inflammatory, to omega-3 fatty acids, which are anti-inflammatory. Because these fatty acids fight each other for a place within the cells, the goal is to reach a ratio as close to 1:1 as possible so inflammation levels can be regulated. Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition hypothesizes that hunter-gatherers were at a ratio of 4:1 or even 3:1, whereas modern society tends to trend at a 25:1 ratio.
PUT THE FRIES DOWN!
The primary source of omega-6 in the diet is fried and processed foods. Frying oils are generally vegetable, meaning corn, soy, or canola oil. These oils are all high in omega-6, and they are significantly processed from a grain to a clear odorless oil that has a high smoke point to withstand frying temperatures. Industrial oils are extracted using solvents and bleach, then they are degummed, winterized, and deodorized, all steps involving toxic chemical ingredients and creating oxidative damage.
An anti-anxiety diet is geared toward an increased intake of omega-3 rich foods, including wild-caught fish, leafy greens, nuts/seeds, pasture-raised eggs, and grass-fed meats. The diet is devoid of processed foods that are extremely high in omega-6 fatty acids, with corn and soy being the primary contributors. By making an effort to eat whole fruits and vegetables in their natural state, you take steps toward decreasing inflammation in your body.
Soy
Soy is also predominantly GMO, with 93 percent of soybeans as a GMO crop, according to FDA.gov. A majority of the GMO soybeans produced are also RoundUp Ready, bearing similar consequences to that of corn in regard to glyphosate toxic residue. Beyond its role as a neurotoxin and endocrine disruptor, glyphosate kills plants by interfering with the production of the essential amino acids phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan. All three have influences on mood stability and anxiety, tryptophan being the most well-known as a precursor to serotonin. These amino acids cannot be made by humans; only plants and microorganisms can make them, and animals get them by eating these plants.
Common processing byproducts of soy, such as soy protein isolate and partially hydrogenated soybean oil, cause inflammation via oxidation and trans fats. Additionally soy has goitrogenic effects, which can work against the thyroid, driving reduced thyroid function or hypothyroidism.
Structurally, soy may be unfit for human consumption due to its high phytate concentration. Phytates are components of plants that can block nutrient absorption, driving nutritional deficiency. Traditional soy as consumed in Asia is fermented or aged to reduce phytate concentration. Some sources of traditionally prepared soy, including tamari (gluten-free soy sauce), tempeh, natto, and miso paste, when organic, are okay in moderation and have some unique benefits due to isoflavones and probiotic synergy from fermentation. However, soy in processed foods is not fermented. It is raw or heated, which does not break down the phytates. This means consumption of soy foods can deplete your body of mood-stabilizing nutrients such as magnesium, zinc, and calcium.
Sugar
Sugar may be the most addictive inflammatory food that you will remove. Brain scans demonstrate that people who eat a lot of sugar and high-glycemic food show similar addictive patterns to those who take cocaine. Carbohydrates stimulate serotonin and endorphin release, which aids in a feel-good signal in our brain. The intake of simple or refined sugars accelerates this process, which leads to a rapid pick-me-up or “sugar high”; however, just as rapidly as we get a kick, we notice an almost more dynamic drop or slump in energy levels and mood. This can truly create a vicious cycle of excessive sugar intake, such as a candy bar after a high-carbohydrate lunch, then a soda as a pick-me-up following the candy bar, and so on.
Often the sugar train can traverse peaks and valleys of energy and mood, with anxiety present on either end. A sugar high can include symptoms of brain fog, fatigue, and blurred vision; often, confusion can drive anxiety and panic, along with the feeling of loss of control. On the other hand, a sugar low or blood sugar crash can include symptoms of shakiness, tension, and irritability, which can drive panic-like reactivity. Withdrawal from sugar has proven to be as destructive as blood sugar highs, with studies showing that a diet of binging on sugar followed by restriction creates a state that involves anxiety and altered brain chemical balance.
Refined sugar and excessive carbohydrate intake is also linked to obesity, hypertension, hypoglycemia, depression, headaches, fatigue, nervous tension, aching limbs, diabetes, acne, IBS, skin irritation, stiffening of arteries, advancement in cognitive decline, violent behavior, and more. Although often referred to as “empty calories,” sugar is anything but neutral. Sugar quickly dissolves into the bloodstream and shocks the pancreas, which taxes the glucose-insulin response, leading to excessive insulin production. In our body’s attempts to lower blood sugar levels, excess energy is stored as fat driven by inflammatory insulin. Over time, excessive sugar drives glycation, which is the coating of sugar that can build up on cells and nerves, creating plaque and creating havoc. These advanced glycation end products (AGEs) play a role in Alzheimer’s, cognitive decline, neuropathy, cardiovascular disease, aging, and diabetes. In fact, the primary blood lab marker of diabetic control, HgbA1c%, looks at how glycosilated or coated red blood cells are in sugar.
Dairy
Dairy has two primary irritants: lactose and casein. Most adults are lactose intolerant because they do not have the enzyme lactase, and therefore can’t digest milk sugar lactose. This can cause GI discomfort, bloating, and irritation, triggering inflammation. This can be easily addressed with taking lactase enzyme in a digestive enzyme formula or consuming raw milk, which has not lost its enzymes through heat processing. Difficulty digesting casein, the primary protein in dairy, can cause a lot more drama in the body. Those with low stomach acid, poor digestion, and inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract will react more adversely to casein.
Studies have linked casein consumption with opioid activity–induced mood disturbances and antioxidant depletion in those with autism and ADHD, which negatively impacts mental health. Like gluten,
casein has morphine-like influence by producing casomorphines, which drive addictive tendency and mood disturbance. Finally, for those with celiac disease, casein can lead to inflammation by cross-reacting with gluten or being mistaken by the body as gluten. Also like gluten, regardless of the casomorphine property, the large particle size of casein can often cross a leaky gut and the blood-brain barrier to influence brain function.
Dairy, like soy, has some health-redeeming properties, which come down to quality of source and how the dairy is processed. Ghee or clarified butter is free of casein and lactose, as the process of slow cooking and clarifying removes these compounds. This is a great fat to use in cooking and, when sourced from grass-fed cows, can provide a variety of nutrients, including vitamins A, D, and E, and conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs), a healthy fatty acid that can help burn visceral fat and build the immune system.
Grass-fed whey is a bioavailable protein that is easy to absorb. Whey is the opposing protein to casein in dairy, so it is free of casein and will likely be free of lactose as well. A quality whey, such as the Naturally Nourished grass-fed whey, will be low-heat processed or non-denatured. This will allow it to maintain active immunoglobulins and antioxidants, such as glutathione, which actually reduce inflammation. If not sure if you tolerate dairy, try to eliminate all forms for the first 12 weeks on the anti-anxiety diet; however, you may consider bringing back casein-free options such as ghee and grass-fed whey at week 7, beginning with Phase 2 of the diet. If you choose to reintroduce dairy products, be sure to add one food per week to distinguish reactivity, if any.
Most processed foods contain gluten, corn, soy, dairy, and/or sugar, but foods and food products are not the only sources. Encapsulated medications or supplements, cosmetics, and even detergents can contain these inflammatory ingredients. Become a label reader and focus on local, non-GMO, pesticide-free whole foods. Stock your home with toxin-free natural products and remove items with inflammatory ingredients, like those found in fried, processed, mass-prepared foods. Here is a chart of some common sources of inflammatory foods to remove from your diet: