It seems like fish oil will cure anything that ails ya’ these days. And in some ways, it can – here’s how it works.

Inflammation, the current health buzzword, is both the cause of many health problems and the result of many health problems, causing more problems. Inflammation is part of the natural healing process, but can get out of whack when we don’t have all the nutrients we need to resolve the process. We get stuck in a kind of emergency state, and the day-to-day operations can falter. Resulting in chronic inflammation.

The types of fats we eat influence our inflammation, because omega-3 fats are necessary for the resolution phase of inflammation, and omega-6 fats are necessary for the start-up phase of inflammation. And we are getting way too many of these omega-6 fats in the form of vegetable oils and processed foods, and way too few of the omega-3 fats, which are found in fatty fish, flax nut/seed oils. So inflammation gets started but not finished, leaving us feeling less than our best and contributing to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, etc.

What does this have to do with depression, you ask? Here’s the longish but oh so interesting answer.

Each cell is surrounded by a membrane, made up mostly of fats along with some proteins. This barrier uses the oil and water don’t mix principle to keep cells intact in our watery bodies. The membrane of each cell is not just a fence keeping the inside parts of the cell together – it actively decides what gets let in and out, kind of like those bouncers at the door of a hot new night club. Complex neurotransmitter signals and reactions open the membrane, allowing it to activate transporters which bring in what the cells need. Or not.

Just like every nightclub needs pretty young things to make it cool and hip, our cells need pretty young nutrients to stay in business.

Interestingly, the type of fats we have in the cell membrane also determine its flexibility – saturated fats are not flexible, and too many of them can make cell membranes too stiff. Trans fats make our cell membranes unable to work properly at all, which is why eating them contributes to so many diseases. So, omega-3s are the Justin Timberlake/Katy Perry hotties, while trans fats are the creepy old guys with the hairpiece and polyester suit.

Inflammation causes the cell membranes to become too stiff, so the transporters can’t do their jobs. In the brain, this means that serotonin, and tryptophan (which our bodies use to make serotonin) can’t get into our cells. Serotonin is necessary for mood regulation, and a lack of it contributes to depression.

To bring it around, adding omega-3 fats in the form of fish oils can reduce the inflammation response in the membranes of our brain cells, allowing more serotonin and tryptophan into our brains. Which can lead to a better mood. As my family will tell you, more serotonin is good, especially for Mama. As long as I don’t dance in public.

This is a simplistic explanation of omega-3 fats and inflammation, but it gives you the general idea of what is going on inside our heads. So, like I always say, we take vitamins to make us feel better, and here’s another way those fish oils (or krill oil) can help us feel better. Start with a quality supplement that delivers 1,000 mg/1 gram a day of EPA and DHA (the best omega-3 part of the oils), higher EPA than DHA has been shown to be best for the brain. Of course, if your physician has you on a higher dose, go with that.

How do you know a quality supplement? It will have a USP label and clearly state that the oil has been purified and is free of mercury and other contaminants. And the EPA/DHA amounts will be clearly listed. If they give you fishy burps, keep them in the freezer or take them at night.

So, there you go, more incentive to take those fish oils your doctor recommends. If you eat fatty fish like salmon and mackerel at least 3 times a week, and eat at least an ounce of walnuts and pumpkin seeds every day, you may not need a supplement – just be honest with yourself about what you really eat. This is one case where a little extra doesn’t hurt, and may really help.

Note: This post is for information purposes only – if you are currently being treated for depression or are seeking help for depression please discuss this with your physician. I am not a doctor, just a nutritionist.

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Beautiful sleep

My dogs have no guilt about taking a nap whatsoever. Right in the middle of the day. Heck, in the middle of the morning. The warm spot on the couch or chair, in the sun, snoring away with abandon. And while yes, they are lazy, they are also intuitive and smart. Just like they know clothes do not make the man, they know that sleep is essential for us to function.

No significant physical change can happen in our bodies without enough sleep. There. I said it. This crazy “I only need four hours of sleep!” as some sort of bragging right needs to stop. There is no moral superiority for those who manage to get by on less sleep, and research shows time and again that they are no more productive, actually they are less productive, than those who get enough. Whew.

When I look at research about sleep, the cut-off for sufficient sleep is seven hours. That’s right. Less than seven hours a night is officially sleep deprivation. People who get less than seven hours a night get sick almost three times as much as those who get eight hours or more. Yes, that’s three times, an increase of 300%.

Why? Good question. Sleep is when our body heals itself, repairs tissue damage from the day, and detoxes itself. Sleep is when our neurons organize that happened to us during the day and file it into long-term memory. Sleep is when our stress hormones are turned off and our metabolism resets itself.

When it is dark our bodies produce the hormone melatonin, which makes us sleepy. Melatonin is also a powerful antioxidant, fighting chronic inflammation and repairing damage to our cells’ DNA so that when those cells divide they make new healthy cells. Damaged DNA leads to cells becoming cancerous. Chronic inflammation leads to heart disease and diabetes. Melatonin also helps protect nerve tissue in the brain from the protein damage that leads to Alzheimer’s Disease. It can also prevent headaches from forming the next day.

So why don’t we just take melatonin in a pill and get on with staying up half the night? It doesn’t work that way. Researchers are not sure why, but getting the melatonin in a pill helps us for only about three months, then it stops working so well. And while melatonin is a powerful hormone, it is not the only benefit of sleep.

We crave carbohydrates throughout the day when we are tired. We all know what this means to our waistlines, not to mention our blood sugar and cholesterol. The stress that causes our bodies to hold onto fat in case we need to flee or survive a famine is turned off when we are asleep. Most of us desperately need this, especially if our days allow for very little de-stress time. And our failing memories need sleep. We need to remember our stories so we can tell our grandchildren.

Our over-caffeinated, sleep deprived bodies need us all to go to bed. There is no honor in not sleeping, only a lack of creativity and good judgement. Did you know that if you get less than six hours a night you will be impaired when driving your car? It’s like driving under the influence of alcohol. Sorry if I seem a little preachy – I’ve got a bee in my bonnet.

If you think you can’t possibly leave something undone, stop it. Lots of us lead perfectly happy lives with a few dust bunnies under the couch and our clothes a little wrinkled. Look over your day, and there will be things that don’t have to be done, or at least don’t have to be done by you.

If you are trying to change your eating habits for the better, and start an exercise habit, sleep is essential. Changing our habits is hard, and tired brains do not do it well. Neither do tired bodies. And getting sick? It doesn’t help anyone.

So go to bed early tonight, and find a way to sleep as late as you need to at least one morning a week. Try to get at least 7.5 hours a night – that’s five complete 90-minute sleep cycles. A few days of this and you will be amazed at how productive you become.

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Our bodies do not like this kind of change, and we are obviously getting something we need from filling these cravings. Energy, in the form of sugar. Salt, which we need when we are stressed and anxious (our bodies use it to make cortisol). Bread and cheese, to calm us down and give us a little hit of feel-good. Shoes, well we don’t really need to go there.

The trick to changing these habits is to really nourish our bodies. We are getting plenty of calories, but not enough nutrients. And our bodies will crave more food until we have all the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants we need.

So, instead of beating ourselves up for giving in to these very strong cravings, lets try giving ourselves the nourishment we need. This nourishment comes in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, beans – you get the idea. Colorful, natural, whole and delicious foods.

After a few days of truly nourishing yourself, you will find those cravings a lot easier to shake. They will turn from strong yearnings to just habits.

Remember the other ways our bodies need nourishment: sleep, exercise, sunlight, and touch. Getting plenty of those will nourish not only your body but your soul. And our souls need nourishment, too.

So prep some salad greens, grab some veggies and fruits at the market, and plan a few home-cooked meals for the next week. Once you start thinking about food in terms of nourishment for yourself and your family, instead of the enemy of your waistline, this whole thing gets easier. If you want an easy plan, sign up for the 10 habits on the right side of this page. It will get you started  - quick and painless.

Just think how great next year will be, when none of your resolutions have anything to do with your thighs.

While talking about this to my man friend, he pointed out to me, plain as day, that I needed to get into my rhythm. Duh. And as irritating as this obvious advice was, it was more irritating because I knew it but wasn’t getting it. And irritating because he was right. Then bing! I was using the wrong word, wrong image. A rhythm is much better than a routine.

Rhythm is fun, musical, get-your-groove-on moving forward. A routine is steady, boring, old. Now if you are one of those people who LOVE a routine, who find it quick and easy and love the sameness of getting things done: Go For It. You are stronger than I.

But if you are like me, and the thought of a routine makes you feel tired, then maybe finding a rhythm will make you move. And the best way to get your groove on? Find your soundtrack. My Mom used to play Neil Diamond’s Hot August Night (on reel-to-reel no less) every Saturday when we cleaned the house. To this day I can not listen to Sweet Caroline without having the urge to pick up a dust rag and get going.

You can do the same thing when you just can’t get motivated to clean and prep your vegetables when you get home from the grocery store. Put on whatever floats your boat, and make it a habit. Then when you hear your soundtrack, you just naturally get going. Lately the soundtracks to Mama Mia and Glee’s Madonna episode have helped me prep many a salad, and even get out the door for a good walk.

The neural pathways in our brain linking an activity with pleasure become stronger, faster, when they are associated with music. Just like memories are often triggered by hearing a song on the radio. Activities can become automatic and easy when we hear the right tunes.

Cooking a quick meal can be fun with the right music, and so can anything else you need to do but are resisting. I think activating the part of our brain that processes music quiets the part of our brain that tries to talk us out of new habits. We can only process so much at one time, and the music is much more fun.

So now that I have my soundtrack, those changes I’ve been wanting to make are actually happening, and I am on my way to finding my rhythm.

Leave a comment and let us know: What’s your soundtrack for the summer? We can all use a little inspiration.

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