If your child is challenged with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, chances are you have both doctors and educators demanding you put your child on medication. Take heart. There are natural ways to help your child.

First and foremost, diet plays a crucial and primary role in managing your child’s health and symptoms. Diet management is simple, but overarching. Your child needs the healthiest possible diet, but then again, don’t all of us?

Diet

The healthiest possible diet consists of 80% raw, fresh, organic produce – more vegetables than fruit. This means salads, chopped up veggies to snack on, carrot slaw, coleslaw, kale salad, spinach salad, apple salad, fruit salads, smoothies and more. Whole foods are both nourishing and healing. If you eat meat, be sure it is organic. If you eat dairy, choose goat or sheep milk and cheese. Be sure to include healthy fats in the diet like coconut oil, avocados, and flax seed oil or a high quality, beneficial fatty acid supplement. Make sure your child’s diet is high in B vitamins or supplement B complex. Of course choose a whole food vitamin if you are supplementing – never synthetic.

If your current diet resembles the American Standard Diet, you’ll be focusing more on what not to eat that what to eat. To begin with, eliminate all artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives. No BHA, BHT, MSG, trans fats, GMOs, high fructose corn syrup (or any corn syrup), and seriously limit or eliminate all sugars except raw honey. Never, under any circumstances, feed your child artificial sweeteners. It wouldn’t be a bad idea (at least in the beginning) to eliminate gluten as well. After several weeks on a really clean diet, you could add it back in and monitor results.

If your child has any known food allergies, completely eliminate offending foods.

Detox

Children with ADHD often have issues with heavy metals and other substances they need to detox. For children, it is best to work with a knowledgeable health care provider who practices chelation therapy and detoxification protocols.

The proper diet (as mentioned above) provides on-going detoxification the natural way. Make sure your child’s diet includes fresh garlic, onions, and cilantro – all of which aid in detoxification and chelation.

Sleep

Adequate, quality sleep is essential for ADHD challenged children to maintain impulse control and focus. Do you know how many hours your child requires? Do bedtimes in your home allow for this much sleep, including wind down time to fall asleep?

• Age 3-5 years: 11-13 hours
• Age 6-13 years: 9-11 hours
• Teenagers 14 and up: 8-10 hours

If your child has difficulty sleeping, again, this is another area where B vitamin supplementation may help.

Exercise and Earthing

Hyperactive children need to run and play. The more they exercise, the better they sleep and the more control they have over their bodies and their attention.

While skateboards, roller skates, bikes, trampolines, and the like will all be great aids for these kids, don’t forget that lack of impulse control leads to risky behaviors. Increased supervision may be required.

Encourage contact with the ground. Barefoot in the grass, laying in the grass, connecting with the earth – however it is done can help. (see below).

Unconditional Love and Positive Regard

Identify and celebrate your child’s strengths and unique abilities. Your child needs to develop a healthy self-esteem and there is little to no chance this will happen through the school system.

Throughout this child’s formative years, the message from most of the adults in his or her life will be one of disappointment, disapproval, and possibly disbelief ADHD is real.

Your unconditional love, respect, and appreciation will provide the emotional foundation your child needs to develop a healthy sense of self.

Conclusion

ADHD is caused by poor functioning of the frontal lobes of the brain. Everything that can be done to improve gut health, hormonal balance, and overall health, will help control symptoms. Grounding or Earthing may help as well.

Recommended Supplements:

• Vitamin B Complex

Further Reading:

• 80% Raw Food Diet
• Mental Health, Physical Health & B Vitamins – Nature’s Valium
• Bouncing Off the Walls
• Nutrition needs For Your Children
• 5 Simple Ways to Encourage Your Kids to Eat More Fruits & Veggies
• Artificial Food Dyes and Kids: Not a Good Mix

Sources:

• Children and Sleep – National Sleep Foundation

I know most of my posts have to do with emotional health and feeling good. This week I wanted to share with you a secret (I’ve been writing a book!) and offer you a sneak peek. One of the things I have been writing about is food. We all need it for energy; the brain the body need fuel to function. Simple enough, right? Sure, but if we know food is about function, why is there is so much food addiction?

For those of us who work with food and wellness, it’s no surprise our society is more overweight than ever before (I’ll be writing more about this soon). Even though we have more information and knowledge than ever before, food allergies and sensitivities, and emotional disorders ranging from depression to ADD are on the rise. What gives?

We are hungry for and actually starving for a nutrient dense diet.

Some many clients that would be considered obese laugh when they hear they are actually starving. How is that possible? Think about this scenario. A person who is always hungry, looking for something – even after they eat. The question is, what are they eating? The state of our food is embarrassing. The nutrient load is incredibly low, our grocery aisles are stacked with GMOs (mostly in packaged foods), and hybridization has left us with strange fruits and veggies. Who needs an orange the size of a head? And then there are the chemicals in and on our food. All of these things together don’t allow for the brilliance of our inner systems to actually absorb food. Instead they respond as if the food we eat is foreign and potentially harmful.

Many people say, “I can’t afford to eat organic” or “I don’t have time.” Well, I agree, it’s challenging at times, but can we really afford not to? After an incident with a walnut ladden russian tea cake over the holidays, my niece recently discovered she is highly allergic to tree nuts. Overloaded and overstressed, her little system started to shut down and go into shock. Real food does not do this. Our body is looking for the real deal. Nutrient rich, whole, natural foods click into our cells’ receptors like a lock and key, nourishing us on a deep level. At the very least, buy organic fruits and veggies on the dirty dozen list. You can download an app to help you remember which ones to avoid. For more insights on eating a nutrient rich diet, follow Chris Kressor. His weekly emails are full of insights and new science on eating for health.

We Are Hungry For Connection

So lets’ say you are eating right and you are still hungry. You buy all the right foods, you eat well, and are taking care of yourself, and still you find yourself plowing through nuts or a bag of pita chips when you know there isn’t any way you could need more food. It’s all about connection, baby. Food is one of our very first comforts. Think of a nursing babe. Not only is feeding one of the first things we do, but it’s one of our first ways of communicating. Early on, we form a strong association between physical and emotional nourishment. Food is delicious, delightful, and we need it. And, food can also be soothing when we would rather not face a situation or feel an emotion. Food is an effective distraction. But, using it as a crutch just leaves us empty.

I found that when I really understood what was motivating me to eat, I was no longer inexplicably hungry all the time. Explore your own relationship with food and emotion with Karen Koenig’s the Food Feeling Workbook.

So, next time you go for a second helping or midnight snack when you know you don’t need it, ask yourself, “What is it that I really want?” It could be touch, or a good chat with a friend, or even confronting something you’ve been avoiding. Feed yourself with the love that you need and deserve.

We Are Hungry For Happiness

You’ve got a gut feeling, turns out that’s not just a phrase, there’s a real gut-brain connection. Scientist are now confirming that our brains are more influenced by our bodies than we had thought. There was a misconception for years that our brain’s emotional chemistry–the happy hormones like dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin–was made in our brain (because that’s where it is found), but it turns out this is untrue. These hormones are born and bred in our tummy, well, our intestines, actually.

There’s a lot going on in our gut. If we don’t have the healthy bugs (you know, probiotics) in our gut we not only can’t digest and absorb the nutrients from our food, but our bodies also can’t create those happy hormones for good emotional health. So if the environment in your gut (your gut’s microbiome) is not a friendly place for the good stuff to grow, you may suffer from mood swings or even weight gain.

Taking a daily probiotic is one step toward good gut health. Eating a nutrient rich, low carb diet, like a paleo diet, is another way. Robb Wolf came up with the paleo diet after a number of near death health issues. He found that what he was eating was actually killing him.

Think you might have gut issues and want to explore more? Find a functional medicine doctor in your area or follow Robb Wolf who co-founeded the paleo movement with Mark Sission, biochemist and biologist.

We Are Hungry For Safety

When we have fear in our bodies, our sympathetic nervous system has two options: fight or flight. If we cannot escape the situation, we have to fight, or so our body thinks. Of course, this reaction is instinctual. We don’t actually know this is happening; it’s hardwired into our bodies. So, when we feel afraid, we seek protection. Sometimes we arm up by getting the hockey stick out; other times we do it with food. Taking on weight creates a layer of “Don’t look at me,” or “I can’t feel what you said,” or “I don’t need that kind of attention.” It’s your bodies way of trying to help. Sometimes help is not helpful. In reality, the weight gain causes a loop of self loathing and frustration, not to mention health issues. If you don’t feel safe, rather than run, call up a good therapist and start sharing. If you don’t feel that brave yet, start with a friend or a journal. Let it out before it eats your aliveness.

We Are Hungry For Satisfaction/Reward

Weight is also wait. When we are overweight, we are actually putting something off. What do you want that you are afraid of stepping into? Don’t delay. Do the thing you are denying yourself – right now. It’s amazing how we can sabotage ourselves from getting the exact thing we desire. Just decide to stop waiting and start living now. You don’t have to do everything at once, but take just a small step. Send one email, spend five minutes on the treadmill, skip dessert. You get the picture. This is your life. Start living it fully.

You don’t need to radically change your diet or lifestyle overnight, but you deserve to know that you can set yourself free. Here are a few places to start:

• DO: Shop from the perimeter of your grocery store – where the real food lives
• DO: Eat less processed, boxed, or packaged foods
• DO: Eat up your connection to friends, family, and fun daily
• DON’T: Skip a daily dose of healthy probiotic with bifidus on an empty stomach.
• DON’T: Stuff your underlying issues around body image, safety, and old tapes of fear.
• DON’T: Waste one more day weighting/waiting…

This is your life, my friend. Go live it.

So, turns out that what I have known intuitively to be true my whole life is now scientifically validated. A few days ago I caught the tail end of an interview about widows and widowers on NPR.  I was about to change the station when I heard scientist Nicholas Christakis (professor at Harvard Medical School) say, “We find emotions are being spread like any other virus.” Oh yeah. You know it. Brilliant. But I’m not the only one who has experienced this. You have, too.

“Everyday interactions we have with other people are definitely contagious, in terms of happiness,” says Nicholas Christakis, a professor at Harvard Medical School and an author of the study.

It’s like this: you walk into a room and before anyone says a word, you immediately catch the vibe of the room. Maybe you feel comfortable. There’s a warm and welcome feel. Or you experience judgment, or catch a sense of worry. Maybe it’s not that clear for everyone, but haven’t you ever had that gut feeling before a meeting starts like, “Yes, this is place I want to be,” or “Hell no, how do I get outta here?”

If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the beyond amazing film called Flight of the Butterfly (if you are in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metro area it is part of OmniFest at the Science Museum, a series of five large format films on until February 19th). In the film, there is shot of a single monarch butterfly, thousands of feet above the ground, migrating for the winter months. This fragile creature uses her antennae, a complex navigation device, to gauge and track the exact placement of the sun. She picks up signals from her environment and is so innately tuned in to what her antennae are telling her that they alone will guide her 2500 miles from where she was born to a single hilltop in Mexico where she will hibernate along with millions of other monarchs who all made similar journeys.

In case you didn’t catch that, a butterfly, thousands of feet above the ground, uses subtle clues from the sun to make her way thousands of miles from her birthplace. So, that makes me wonder. If this tiny insect is picking up on signals, and these signals are what guide her, are we so different? What signals are we getting, and how do they affect us? What if we could spread happiness or laughter or peace? What if it passed between people just like a disease?

It turns out our vibes and signals are not only present in our interactions with friends and family members, but are also in our environment. We catch the signals from our greater community just like a monarch butterfly catches signals from the sun. If that is true, that we can catch these signals from our environment, then does that mean that they have form, like a virus, or energy, or the rays of the sun? What if happiness is a physical element that exists outside of our body? Is it made of atoms? Does it have a cellular structure? How does it pass between one person and another?

We don’t know how, just yet, but scientists are theorizing it has to do with mirror neurons. When you smile at someone their mirror neurons activate and they automatically smile back. Ta da! A smile infection. Dr. Emma Seppala, social connection genius, explores this process in her work as the Associate Director of the Center for Compassion at Stanford.

It turns out that we are built to catch other peoples’ vibes. Not just the sense of the room, but we are highly tuned into the five people we spend the most time around. This is not necessarily our five emotionally closest people, but the ones we are actually around the most. Think work environment! The health, attitude, financial stability of those five people are a strong predictor of our own health, weight, lifestyle, and wellbeing. Even our earning potential is related to the average income of those five people. Interesting, right? So, could their influence on us (and our influence on them) be more than peer pressure? Could it be actual transmission?

Yes. And, it doesn’t stop at transmission by proximity.

According to Christakis, this effect extends beyond people within that small radius; it reaches out into our network. “When one person becomes happy, the social network effect can spread up to 3 degrees — reaching friends of friends,” he says. So, your happiness may, indeed, result in a ripple that puts a smile on the face of Kevin Bacon (you know, we’re all only 6 degrees away from Kevin Bacon….or anyone else, for that matter!).

So what you are feeling and experiencing RIGHT NOW is not only affecting you, but your community and all those people’s peeps, and those people’s people’s peeps as well. Whew.

Here is my question and challenge, for you. Do an experiment this week to see how your happiness or lack of it changes the people (and things) around you. Don’t say anything or even tell anyone you are doing it. Whether you take on smiling at strangers, giving compliments, or talking positively about yourself and others, spread the love and let’s see what happens. Keep asking yourself, “What vibe am I spreading?”

Relationships are hard work. Sometimes they suck. But sometimes (most of the time, hopefully), you wouldn’t want to be with anyone else. Everyone faces the same difficulties from time to time. Arguments can happen. They’re normal, but they shouldn’t be tolerated.

That’s why I want to talk to you about how marathon running can help your relationship. Whether it’s the strongest it’s ever been or you’re nearing a divorce, marathon running, as a couple, could be the best thing you could do for your relationship. Literally, the best thing.

Getting your spouse to run will be half the battle, and convincing them can seem as plausible as convincing them you’re a witch with eight toes and can fly on a broom. But it must be done.

Here’s a list of reasons why marathon running can help your relationship:

1. You’re in it together

Cheesy or not, it’s true. You’re not alone, and you’re not just  friends. You’re with someone you’ve dedicated your life to – someone who understands you. Someone who feels the same as you do about them.

You’re going to experience some rough patches, times when you want to rip your partner to shreds. It’s all part of the journey, the journey that you will be embarking on together. Together is the key word here. You’ll both smell worse than the breath of a dog after eating its own excrement, but at least you’ll smell like it together. That’s all that matters.

Put all that behind you, and it can be fun. You’ll each have your own goals. You’ll be more empathetic with one another. If nobody can be bothered to cook or clean, it won’t result in a fight. But it will result in  “put your feet up and watch TV for a while.” When times get tough, you’ll begin to appreciate one another more. Who needs conventional counseling when you can run a marathon?

2. Anger outlet

Being angry is never a good thing. It sucks, and it’s the root of all evil.

Imagine this. You’ve had a rough day. Your boss is annoyed that you didn’t finish your report on time. Your friends don’t have time for you right now. There’s absolutely nothing good on TV for you to watch. You just got a bill from your credit card company that seems like someone’s playing a nasty trick on you. As you can imagine, you’re having a bad day.

Now, DO NOT let your anger get the better of you. Go for a run with your partner.  Discuss your feelings. Use this as an opportunity to show a bit of that good ol’ emotion. You’ll feel resoundingly better afterwards, and you probably won’t even care what your boss has to say. You could even turn it into a game: just don’t get fired.

3. The marathon itself is worth it

The training is just the start. The 26.2 mile race is just a distant thought. But when you’ve done the training, you’ll know you’re ready for the marathon. The journey with your partner only gets better from now on.

Not only will you be running alongside your partner, but also the thousands of other runners in the race. Not to mention all the people watching – chanting your name as you run past them.

The excellent thing about this is that your partner feels the same. You’ll be running together and get to experience the same emotions. Nothing says, “true love” more than enduring torture together and getting through it. Just remember that it gets easier. Not only the running, but being a couple. Because being with one person can be hard sometimes.

And, just a warning: crying like a baby at the end is not uncommon.  I don’t care how much of a man (or woman) you are. Don’t hold back. Don’t be emotionless. If you cry, you cry. If you’re a “man,” you may feel your masculinity take a hit, but who cares? Don’t try and please other people. If they mock you, then stuff ’em.

4. Sharing travelling experiences

We know marathon running is a continuous, never-ending sport. If you’re lucky, you’ll be 90 before you consider taking a much needed break. You don’t just run one marathon and stop there. That’s not how it works. If you’re a serious runner, you’ll run as many different races as you can. This means you’ll have to travel. A lot. To other countries, states, and cities.

But it doesn’t stop there. You’ll be with your partner the whole time. Providing the plane or car doesn’t crash in the process, you’ll find yourself traveling the globe in search for the best marathons. And you’ll run them together. Sure, it can be expensive, but so can any other hobby. The experiences are ones you’ll never forget.

Just don’t spend your days away from home cooped up in your hotel room. Get out. Experience the culture. Do something you’ve never done before. Go skydiving. You only get one opportunity. Don’t waste it. Do something fun with your partner. It’ll be worth it.

Conclusion

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Marathon running is, in time, going to be something that couples participate in to grow, heal, and strengthen their relationships. Think outside the box. Make your spouse read this article, from top to bottom. It could be the start

Have your spouse read this article, from top to bottom. It could be the start of something great, even if you feel your relationship is as healthy as it will ever be.

Further Reading:

• Running Without Knee Pain
• BikeRiding – Life without a Car

This”Natural Flavor” Is Not So Natural

Even if you’ve never had a college course in chemistry, you’re likely familiar with the acronym. MSG stands for monosodium glutamate. In the modern era, this food additive is found in nearly every processed food, and you may not realize it due to its many, many names.

The Origins of MSG

According to the FDA, MSG has been used “throughout history”. If by throughout history they mean in Japan for the last hundred years, then yes, but recorded history goes back 10,000 years, not only one hundred.

Kombu dashi is a traditional Japanese broth that has been made for centuries. In 1908, chemist Ikeda Kikuanae isolated the ingredient in kombu dashi’s sea kelp that gave the dish its flavor- MSG. The product that ultimately originated from Ikeda’s work was patented in the U.S., France, and Japan. In Japan, he dubbed the flavor enhancer umami, which means tasty. When Ikeda partnered up with the Suzuki Chemical Company, umami was marketed under a different name, Ajinomoto, which means the essence of taste.

Initially, the Suzuki chemical company struggled to turn a profit selling MSG. For the first four years, MSG was unprofitable in Japan. Ultimately their marketing strategies shifted from targeting food manufacturers and restaurateurs to housewives. This shift in marketing turned a profit for the company. Over time, MSG became a commonly used household ingredient in Japan. Restaurants and food manufacturers later adopted its use and the flavor enhancer came into widespread use throughout Asia and the Western world.

What is MSG?

Monosodium glutamate escaped extensive testing because it is derived from an amino acid, glutamate, one of the building blocks of protein. There are twenty such amino acids; many of which our bodies can produce on their own, while some of them our bodies cannot.

Our bodies naturally produce glutamate. The body not only uses glutamate as a constituent of protein, it also uses it as a neurotransmitter. Our bodies manufacture just enough of the amino acid at a time to maintain brain function. Too much is toxic to our nerve and brain cells. The excess of free glutamate in MSG causes excitotoxicity, a pathological condition that excites nerve cells and brain cells to the point of death.

How Much Is Too Much?

That is what the debate is all about.

MSG is often found in foods that have been heavily processed. Even if MSG is not listed on the label, it is often a by-product of processing food. Enzymes added to processed foods will break down the proteins until MSG or the free form of glutamate is created in the food. Anything hydrolyzed creates the same cause and effect. Health conscious consumers, who are trying to avoid MSG, must take care to learn the different names of ingredients that are high in MSG if they wish to avoid it. MSG is even found naturally in some foods.

Glutamate/glutamic acid comes in a bound form and a free form. The free form of glutamate or glutamic acid is found naturally in small amounts in foods such as cheese, dairy, tomatoes, fermented soy products and seaweed. The bound form of glutamate has not been known to cause adverse reactions in people, except in rare circumstances.

The majority of MSG in the American diet is not of natural origin. The majority of MSG that Americans consume is added to processed foods or created as a by-product of the processing itself. It is also found in much of the food that is served in restaurants. The amount of MSG is particularly high in low-fat foods, canned goods, soups, and gravies.

Until recently, the easiest way to avoid MSG was to avoid processed foods, but in the late nineties, MSG became even harder to avoid. In 1998 the EPA approved the use of sprays containing free glutamic acid to be used on fruits, vegetables, and other plants. Consumers have no way of knowing how much spray has been used, how much free glutamic acid the plant has absorbed, or how much is left as residue on the plant. The spray most commonly used is AuxiGro. At present, consumers can avoid MSG sprayed produce by buying organic produce, but the industry has been requesting permission to use MSG sprays on organic produce as well. So far, organic produce is not sprayed with MSG.

How much is too much MSG? Our research and experience recommends that all MSG that is not of natural origin be avoided.

How Bad is MSG?

MSG sensitive individuals can experience these symptoms within an hour of consuming only three grams.

MSG Side Effects

• Stomach cramps
• Nausea/vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Migraine headaches
• Heart palpitations
• Rapid heartbeat
• Sharp rise in blood pressure
• Rapid drop in blood pressure
• Blurred vision
• Joint pain
• Stiffness in joints
• Achiness all over body
• Dizziness, & loss of balance
• Light headed
• Depression
• Frequent need to urinate
• A numbing or burning sensation in the mouth
• Swelling of the face
• Pain or tightness in the chest
• Shortness of breath

In studies with lab animals, research has conclusively confirmed that consuming high doses of MSG causes lesions in the hypothalamus. What is the hypothalamus for? The hypothalamus controls vital functions like heart rate, breathing, body temperature, appetite, thirst, and sleep. The hypothalamus also influences emotions and impulses like anger, fear, love, compassion, empathy, depression, and libido.

In studies with lab animals, young animals that were fed diets high in MSG showed numerous health problems. These problems persisted throughout the animals’ life. Problems like obesity, malformed organs, abnormal reproductive systems, infertility, unprovoked rage, overt aggression, antisocial behavior, impaired cardiovascular responsiveness, and high triglycerides, cholesterol, and VLDL. Many of these animals also showed signs of an impaired immune system. These animals showed abnormal hypothalamic function. These results were duplicated in many different animals, not only with lab mice.

MSG also forces the pancreas to release insulin. This causes the blood sugar to drop and typically makes one very hungry. This is why it is commonplace for individuals to become hungry only an hour or so after consuming foods high in MSG.

MSG also wrecks havoc on our hormones and causes sleep disorders and strong PMS symptoms.

What the Food Industry Does Not Want You To Know

Although the FDA requires that the ingredient monosodium glutamate be listed on food labels, it does not require ingredients that contain MSG to be listed as MSG. If we are to avoid MSG, we must avoid the following ingredients as well. The food industry does not want you to know about these ingredients…

Ingredients That Always Contain MSG

• Ajinomoto
• Autolyzed yeast or autolyzed yeast extract
• Calcium caseinate
• Calcium glutamate
• Gelatin
• Glutamate
• Glutamic acid
• Hydrolyzed oat flour
• Hydrolyzed plant protein
• Hydrolyzed protein or
• Hydrolyzed anything else
• Magnesium glutamate
• Monopotassium glutamate
• Plant protein extract
• Sodium caseinate
• Soy sauce extract
• Textured protein
• Torula Yeast
• Umami
• Vetsin
• Yeast extract
• Yeast food
• Yeast nutrient
• Or anything enzyme modified

Ingredients That Usually Contain MSG

(or MSG is created during their processing)

• Artificial flavors and flavorings
• Barley malt
• Bouillon
• Brewer’s yeast
• Broth
• Carageenan
• Citric acid, citrate
• Cornstarch
• Enzymes
• Enzyme modified ingredients
• Malt extract
• Malt flavoring
• Malted barley
• Maltodextrin
• Monoammonium glutamate
• Natrium glutamate
• Natural flavors and flavorings
• Oligodextrin
• Pectin
• Powdered milk
• Protease
• Protein-fortified ingredients
• Seasonings
• Soy protein
• Soy protein concentrate
• Soy protein isolate
• Soy sauce
• Spices
• Stock
• Ultra-pasteurized ingredients
• Whey protein
• Whey protein concentrate
• Whey protein isolate

Unfortunately, this is not an exhaustive list. MSG is truly one of the best-hidden ingredients on the market. As you can see, it has many guises. Consumers are given other information such as cholesterol, calories, and sugars. But the degree of neurotoxicity (the amount of MSG) is mysteriously hidden on the label.

MSG does not change the actual taste of foods the way substances that are sweet, salty, bitter, or sour do. Instead it alters the taste of food by stimulating the sensation of taste. It is added to foods in the hope that consumers will become addicted. It is added to foods in many different ways, listed as many different ingredients, in the hope that we will not take the effort to learn its many names.

Neuroscientists overwhelmingly agree that MSG is toxic. It kills neurons by exciting them until the neurons die. MSG is an excitotoxin, so it is toxic for everyone, some more than others. Newborns are four times more sensitive to MSG than adults, and individuals with Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, or multiple sclerosis are more sensitive than people without neurodegenerative diseases.

Anyone who is sick and trying to heal naturopathically (which, incidentally, is the only way to actually heal), will have to stop eating MSG. Any parent with a child who exhibits behavior problems needs to find those hidden sources of MSG in their child’s diet and get their kid off of MSG (and every other additive). You’ll see a difference in two weeks or less. The bottom line is this: do you want to eat a food additive that kills your brain cells in addition to doing other damage throughout your body? Do you want to feed it to your child, ever? For any reason?

The FDA assures us that MSG is safe, but a neurotoxin, in any amount, is never fit for human consumption.

Sources:

• Names of ingredients that contain processed free glutamic acid (MSG) – Truth in Labeling
• Colbert MD, Don. The Seven Pillars of Health. Lake Mary, Fla.: Siloam, 2007.
• Dr. Russell Blaylock: Excitotoxins, The Taste That Kills – lecture – YouTube 
• Blaylock MD, Russell. Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills. Santa Fe: Health Press, 1997.

What is confidence? It seems that for some people their level of self-doubt is almost non-existent, especially in comparison to the rest of us on planet Earth. Where does it come from? Is it genetic, like a chiseled jaw line? Or, something more random than that, a trait that some people have but others don’t? Just the luck of the draw? What if confidence isn’t inherited or the whim of fate?  Can it be fostered and grown? Is there something you can do to create or build and grow confidence? Is there a formula?

I have a friend who, for as long as I have known her, just exudes a level of boldness and inner self-worth that leaves me in utter awe. She is a marvel. Nothing seems to shake her, make her question herself or waiver–even when being challenged. After several years of friendship, and a few glasses of wine, I broke down and asked her, “What is your secret? How are you so confident and sassy? Do you not truly care about what others think about you?”

Her answer was simple, clear, concise and confident (naturally).

“Of course, I care what others think about me, who doesn’t? But, I care more about feeling good than pleasing others.”

Great perspective, right? Isn’t this the point of view we all want? Most of us “know” that this way of seeing the world is powerful and freeing, and we want it for ourselves, but why is it that when it comes time to live it, everything changes? It seems like at that moment when we want to choose ourselves and be bold, we cave and choose to please others, look good, or just hide out. I see choosing yourself over others as a move of confidence.

Then, I think, there are two questions: Can we grow confidence and self-esteem? And, if we can, how?

Confidence = the familiarity of repetition.

Confidence = the power of habit.

Confidence = feeling and living your best self.

Repetition is one way to build confidence. Being persistent, practicing consistently, and not accepting “no” are key to the confidence building strategy that Dr. Ivan Joseph shares in his TED Talk, “The Skills of Self Confidence.” Just like anything else we are good at, being confident takes practice. Nothing comes overnight. It takes dedication, discipline, and consistency to build a new skill or behavior. Think about learning a new language–whether that be French or HTML—you can’t really cram for it. It’s the slow and steady, daily attention to learning new vocabulary and grammar, and then practicing using it, that wins in the end.

“We can use decision-making to choose the habits we want to form, use willpower to get the habit started, then – and this is the best part – we can allow the extraordinary power of habit to take over. At that point, we’re free from the need to decide and the need to use willpower.” -Gretchen Rubin

If you’re not already familiar with Gretchen Rubin she is a the thought leader on happiness and habit. Rubin has studied how habits are formed and also how they are maintained. It’s not just about just desire, although it starts with there, it’s actually about what makes it stick.

The New Year is a time when many of us think about and make resolutions for new ways of being or new habits. I started to think about what I want most in this new year and it’s not all the material things or the possessions or more shoulds. I want to do things that are fun and exciting, things that make me feel amazing. Having goals and making New Year’s resolutions are not about setting unrealistic and rigid expectations for the future that you may never meet, failures that make you feel like shit. They are about bringing a new way of being or a new lifestyle into your life, moment by moment, changes that increase your joy, your aliveness, your presence.

We often think too radical–that change happens all at once. Sure, we may have an “aha” moment that immediately opens up a new perspective, but moving it from an insight into a new way of being, forming a new habit or a new neural pathway, is a slow and consistent process. Confidence isn’t talent, genetics or a special secret knowing, it’s simply the result of starting and building a habit, skill or knowledge.

“Women applied for a promotion only when they met 100 percent of the qualifications. Men applied when they met 50 percent. Evidence shows that women are less self-assured than men—and that to succeed, confidence matters as much as competence.”

Katty Kay and Claire Shipman talk about women and confidence in their book the Confidence Gap. They discuss how women have more self-doubt whereas men’s level of inner self-talk seems to differ.

Confidence is where your deepest desires and strengths meet. Confidence is really about feeling amazing and not being so hard on yourself–having compassion for your weaknesses while you focus on what you are great at.

What if you gave up fear, doubt, and those negative internal thoughts for belief, power, fun, and whimsy? What if you were able to be in your dream–to own it, revel in it, and build it–not allowing what others think to affect how you live your life or make your decisions? What if you allowed yourself to feel good and enjoy? How much goodness can you stand?

What could 2015 be like for you if you resolve to be your most risky and awesome self? I think true confidence is about faith.  Faith and belief in ourselves enough to trust our intuition and creativity and to live a life with awe and wonder.

With a new year comes a reset button. The slate is wiped clear and we step into a fresh dream of how our ideal life could be. This year I will… (fill in the your desire here). By January’s end our resolutions are gathering dust. You may find yourself snoozing instead of hitting the gym, or you start to give in on that 2 glass of wine rule and have an extra one before bed (just this one time…right?)

But some people seem to have so much more staying power. You know, “Perfect Patty”, your co-worker who seems to be on a roll with her daily lunch of healthy salads and taking the stairs. What actually makes the difference to those who keep on track with a new goal and are successful?

When our shiny new resolutions begin to slip, it’s easy to think things like, “What is wrong with me? Why can’t I do it? Do I just need more will power? Do they just want ‘it’ more than I do? Do they have more support?  What if I had more money to hire a fancy personal trainer? Or an assistant to manage my crazy schedule? THEN I will be successful!”

I work with people to make lifestyle changes, and when we are successful, these changes make big positive impacts across their lives, deepening a sense of purpose and building a strong foundation to go forth and be even more awesome. I want to make that difference with people so, of course, I am always nerding it up on new brain science around habit, routine, structure, and what we are now finding about why we do what we do and why we don’t. Here is what I found.

Willpower Is So Yesterday

Put down the bat of self disapproval and shame. Turns out, what was once thought of as low will or being lazy is just lack of planning. Planning can be packing our lunch the night before rather than in the a.m. as we rush out the door. It can also look like a new schedule or bringing the gym shoes to the office so we have no excuses. We are either setting up our environment for success or we’re just mindlessly going with what was already in play. We can plan and create an atmosphere that is physically conducive to making the changes we desire.

Make a Plan for Success and Failure

Plan for what will you do when it fails. When you oversleep (or umm push snooze 5 times), or you have a sick kid, or a deadline that is dropped in your lap, what is your plan for that? What we often define as failure (relapse, falling off the wagon, repeating old patterns we are comfy in that cause us to feel miserable) are all part of what being successful looks like. It teaches us how to dust ourselves off and keep going. Most of life will not go as planned, so having the “oh sugar backup” is where it’s at to getting our well-deserved success.

Track It To Change It

Powerhouse digital companies know this about us, we need a lot of cues to change our behavior, so they are coming up with resources to help us win. Seems everyone is wearing a smart device that measures, track, time and measure our efforts. Tracking can be helpful to show us how we are failing and well, that’s successful. We no longer use the power of will but now can use consistency and accountability.

Remember, a new habit is new and you are in fact learning. There is a curve to this, so allow for it. We can measure it with complicated technical devices or use a pencil and paper, it really doesn’t matter. The key is consistency. How you create the consistency is what will bring you the results you desire.

Again and Again

So if it’s not really willpower, then what is it? Turns out it’s simple, a matter of repetition. We are what we repeatedly do, says Aristotle. What we all want is to turn our new habits into automatic action without thought. What can I do to have automaticity alive and well in my life? According to top scientists and the wisdom of sages throughout history, it’s all about consistency.

Let It Sink In

Give it time. How much time? How much time does it take before a new habit becomes hardwired? Some say a mere 21 days. I have read and heard everything under the stars from the range of 21 days to 180 days. So what is the magic number, really? And why? When you are giving everything you’ve got to making change, it would be nice to know when you can expect your payoff. Just like everything else in life, it depends on the individual and the depth of dive or habit complexity for you. Simply adding a fruit to your daily diet maybe be child’s play for some, while exercising consistency could take a bit more effort. So allow for your own timing to come forth and enjoy the journey.

How To Make It Stick

Plan it. Measure it. Then repeat it and let it sink in. Soon you will have a new habit you don’t even have to think about. Now that is awesome.

Further Reading:

• Keeping Your New Year Resolutions
• Beat Unhealthy Habits and Live Better in 2015
• Developing an Attitude of Gratitude Can Help You Live a Longer, Happier Life
• What to Expect When You Hire a Personal Trainer