Supplements that Keep My Brain Happy

(A few of my personal favorite products and I don't have any vested or financial interest in any of them. Use any & all supplements recommended here only after checking with your doctor. Supplements can interact with medication you are taking so this is really important.)

Several of you who read This is Your Brain on Joy or this blog have asked, "What supplements do you take?"

Great question; because supplements have been a huge boon to my well-being, focus, restful sleep and general joy.

Let me start with my personal routine and then I'll also give you Greg's supplement routine-- as I add a couple of supplements recommended to men to keep them feeling as frisky as an 18 year old at age 53. Okay, maybe a 35 year old.

My brain scan and brain test showed what I already suspected: I have a combination of too much anxiety (basal ganglia) and too little focus (prefrontal cortex; inattentive ADD) issues. So at night I need to calm anxiety and in the morning I need to wake up my PFC!


I keep 3 supplements in my nightstand and take them every evening before bed. I have had a problem with post-traumatic stres nightmares and with dreams of endless frustration. (Can't find a phone to call for help; find one and can't find quarter, find quarter and my fingers fall off and I can't dial.. that sort never-ending drama.) Now I not only drop off to sleep but my dreams are peaceful.

True Calm (By NOW Products. Contains GABA and other calming amino acids, etc You can order on line; I get mine at Vitamin Cottage.)
Melatonin 3 mg.
Magnesium Citrate 500 mg. -- calming & also great for headache prevention


When I wake up, I take two more supplements to help perk up my PFC before I even get out of bed.

Energize by ISatori, a company in Golden, Co. (It gives energy without jitters and I just take one tablet. Love this product. )
L-Phenylalanine, 500 mg. It supports a positive mood and is also energizing without causing jitters

(Both of the above supplements can be taken with water on an empty stomach and don't cause tummy upset.)


After breakfast, I take the following. (I put our daytime supplements in one of those "old people pill containers" once a week so I don't have to think about it daily. I put Greg's on his desk where he keeps a bottle of water handy. He will bring me his empty container because he feels SO much more energetic when he has his pills.)

1000 mg. fish oil (lemon flavored are the only kind that don't result in fish burps for me! Natrol makes a good product, available at Walgreens and online.) Excellent for heart and also mood/brain health. If I'm stressed, I'll take more during the day.

CoQ 10 100 mg. for heart heath and energy

B vitamins -- 50 mg of each B in one tab. -- for headache & PMS issues

B2- I take extra for headache prevention

L-Carnitine 500 - 1000 mg. -- I've found a liquid version that tastes fabulous (pictured above) and is much more economical. I usually put a squirt in iced tea or just swallow straight. It is great for heart health and sustained energy.



Greg takes

Fish Oil
Co Q 10
L-Arginine -- 500 mg.
Gingko -- 500 mg.
L-Carnitine 500 - 1000 mg.

During cold & flu season I add one tablet of odorless garlic to our daily routine to help ward off illness.

Melatonin can negatively affect testosterone balance in men and so Greg takes a product called Revitalizing Sleep Formula by Enzymatic Therapy. It has Valerian in it, which smells like month old dirty gym socks. He loves to catch me off guard and give me a whiff of the bottle and watch me gag. (Men are such BOYS.) Thankfully, it doesn't affect his breath...


Everybody has to find what works best for themselves. I always recommend to only add one supplement (under a doctor's care) at a time, and wait at least a week to monitor symptoms before adding another. Our hormones, blood pressure, etc. can all be affected by supplements. Men can notice a drop in libido; women may notice breast tenderness ... if a supplement is affecting your hormone balance. With each supplment you add, check to make sure it isn't affecting your blood pressure negatively and you sure don't want it messing with your libido negatively!

For aromatherapy support: I'm a bath gal, so I usually bathe each night with a natural lavender oil or bubble bath and a cup of Epsom salts. This relaxes muscles and the magnesium in the salts keep leg cramps at bay. I love C. O. Bigelow's lemon balm and it is the only lotion that prevents cracked heels for me in this dry Colorado weather. So I lather it on at night and when I wake up. Plus it smells like real lemon pie -- not like some lemon stuff that smells like furniture polish!

I like Whole Food's 360 brand of shower gels and use them for bubble bath instead. The fragrances are from natural sources and it is minimally processed. Plus a huge bottle is only $5.00. Love the lavendar scent for night time and the herbal-mint scent for mornings.


***

For a more detailed list of supplements and ideas to help other brain-mood issues (along with medications if needed) This is Your Brain on Joy is full of helpful, practical lists and information.

Sunday Comfort Supper: Mini Meatloaves w/ Spicy-Sweet Sauce, Smashed Taters & Pear-Blue Cheese Salads

It's a lazy Sunday afternoon, Greg's watching the golf channel and we just had one of our favorite Sunday "luppers" (which is a cross between lunch and supper). Pure comfort food.

Mama-Becky's Mini Meatloaves (w/Sweet-Spicy Sauce)

(Adapted from the back of the Lipton onion soup mix… for Texas tastes and moms in a hurry. I love these because they cook fast, there's plenty of sauce so they aren't dry; but the meat isn't mushy -- its nice and firm. Makes great sandwich leftovers, too.)

In a blender or food processor mix:

1 package of dry Lipton onion soup mix

2 slices of bread

2 eggs

¼ c. water

1/3 c. catsup

Blend well and pour into a big bowl along with 2 pounds of ground beef.

Work the “catsup – soup mix goop”in with your hands (take off those wedding rings first.. or it’s a big mess)

Pat into your biggest oblong pyrex pan.

Using the side of your hand, “cut” the flat loaf into 8 or so little mini loaves. It will look like little irrigation ditches along side your mounds of meat.

Bake at 375, draining off grease as the meatloaves cook. (About 30 min.)

While meat cooks put 3/4 c. catsup, 1/4 brown sugar, 1/2 c. picante sauce in sauce pan; heat and stir until sugar melts


Pour over meat loaves when they are done. Put loaves-with-sauce back in oven and turn to broil. Broil until sauce is nice/thick/caramelized.

I always serve these with smashed potatoes -- Just boil small golden potatoes (I cut them in half, do not peel) and when they are soft, drain water off and just mash with potato masher in the saucepan. Add a little butter, milk, salt & pepper (sour cream, bacon bits or chives if you are feelin' fancy) and you are done. Lots less trouble and more nutritious than classic mashed potatoes; and with the golden potatoes -- they are so sweet and rich you don't need much butter.

For some reason, everybody loves this meatloaf – even people who ‘don’t like meatloaf.” Great on sandwiches the next day so I plan on leftovers. Also can easily divide and freeze or give away to a friend in need.

I also served this today with a salad made from Lettuce wedges, Pear-apples (I get them at Sams -- a wonderful cross between the two and perfect for this salad), walnuts (toasted if you have time); and my new favorite blue cheese from Tarago River called "Shadows of Blue." (Tastes like a cross between mild blue cheese and the world's creamiest butter. Available at King Soopers in Denver which is a Kroger affiliate. In deli.)

For a dressing you can add a squeeze of lime and dash of pepper to any of your favorite Ranch Dressings. Today I used Brianna's Homestyle Asiago Ceaser Dressing. I'm a big fan of Brianna's dressings... they cost a bit more but a little adds a lot of flavor and the ingredients are pure and delicious.

What I Learned About Joy from a 100 Year Old Book

I picked up a little book at an antique store, tiny thing really. Written in 1912. Titled Just Be Glad. It has changed my life, for the much, much better.

Here's how it happened.

By late June, I was suffering burn-out after months of multiple stressors; and too often finding myself stuck on what I call Bad Thought Loops. You know, the kind of thoughts that ruin your day but go around and around in your head anyway.

Then Greg purchased me the wrong order at McDonalds. Grilled chicken instead of fried chicken snack wrap. I didn't say anything, in the way that wives cannot say anything and still yell at their mates through their eyeballs. My daughter-in-law Amy had purchased a Time Out Pad for her 3 year old son that buzzes when he's "done his time." Greg had already teasingly threatened to buy me one that morning.

At that point, we stopped at an antique store and he went one way, I went another. Tears in my eyes, I prayed, "What is wrong with me, God? I need help." And in the first booth I walked into I saw this tiny book laying by itself on a table, titled Just Be Glad.

I opened and read and began immediately to relax. I knew it was God's megaphone response to my achy-breaky brain. I found Greg, apologized, hugged, and purchased the book, promising to figure out how to get my Happy Becky Brain back as soon as I could possibly figure out how to do it.

Here's some of the gems from this fragile book (with a Merry Christmas greeting inscribed from 1915 inside!) that helped soothe, restore, re-orient my thinking, and calm my soul. I've shared many of these quotes bit my bit on facebook and twitter and the response was so encouraging (Please keep posting those!) that I decided to take some time to put them all in one place. If you or someone else needs a little re-directing to get back on the path of joy, please feel free to share this if you think it might be helpful.

1. "All things respond to the call of rejoicing, all things gather where life is a song." (the refrain in this book, repeated several times)

2. When things do not give you pleasure, proceed instead to give pleasure to your own heart and soul.
When things do not please you resolve to please yourself by being glad and you can add immeasurably to your happiness in this simple manner.

3. You must remember that the fountain of Joy within your own soul is infinitely greater than all your external sources of joy combined. But as far as we can, we should add the joys from the without to the joys from within, and in all things be glad.

4. If you have lost anything, have no regrets. Be glad and begin again. Be glad that you can begin again.

5. When fate seems unkind do not be unkind to yourself by being disheartened or dismayed. ....Before you lie vast fields of undeveloped and unexplored opportunities-- fields that you would not have known had not this seeming misfortune come upon you.

6. The heart that lives in disappointments is heavy. The glad heart ascends to mountain tops.

7. Surround us with an abundance of human sunshine, and the day's work will easily be done; we shall, with far less effort, overcome our obstacles; our troubles will largely be removed; and our burdens entirely laid aside. Every man can ease the troubles of others in this remarkable manner; and the secret is simple -- just be glad.

8. No man who acts just for personal gain can enter the spirit of joy; and yet the glad heart receives more of everything that is of true worth in life than does the person who forgets gladness in pursuit of gain for self alone.

9. Be glad for the things you have and you will find you have far more than you thought. Then you will not miss, in the least, the things you have not.

10. It is better to have attained to personal gladness than to have become the crowned monarch of a solar system. The reason is simple. The glad heart is the sunshine of all life, a benediction to every man, a perpetual blessing to everything in creation.

11. Prove that your cherished dreams are not necessary to your happiness and better things than you could dream will be yours.

12. He alone can live the best and enjoy life the most who takes for his motto -- just be glad. Though every mind in the world may give darkness; his will continue to give light.

13. Wherever you may be, add sunshine. Whatever your position might be, be a human sunbeam.

14. Do not think that happiness must keep its distance so long as you have so much to pass through. The more you have to pass through, the more you need happiness.

15. Gladness is not pure sentiment. It pays. It is not a luxury for a favored few alone. It is a necessity that all should secure in abundance.

16. Gladness is a magnet and it draws more and more of everything that can increase gladness.

To these thoughts I would add that joy is the well we must drink from to draw strength. I don't think I ever really understood that, but "The joy of the Lord is your strength," the psalmist said.

A clear vision of Joy to Come Again, helps us endure the worst of times. "For the joy set before him, he endured the cross..." Jesus clung to the joy ahead so he could endure his darkest hours.

Mother Teresa used to say, "Joy is the net I use to catch souls." Joy is irresistible and it is divine.

I wrote an entire book, with Dr. Earl Henslin, on the subject of joy and its effect on the brain. Yet I am still learning so much about joy that I don't know if I'll ever tire of its study. One of the last letters (to the Philippians) that the Apostle Paul wrote in his old age, used the word joy over 30 times. He, too, must have found the subject fascinating.

I am also realizing that taking responsibility for filling our Joy Tank is the most unselfish thing we can do. I know that my husband wants, most of all, a happy contented wife. For if he has that, the rest of the good stuff will happen naturally.

Joy is also a great clarifier when we lose our focus or feel confused. Since reading this book, when I stumble upon a problem or worry or concern... I press "pause" and ask myself, "What can I do right now that will be joy to my soul and body?" Then I concentrate on getting to a more joyful place FIRST, and the usually the answer comes, the worries melt, things get back in perspective and I have the "strength that comes from joy" to handle them.


" For the despondent, every day brings trouble;
for the happy heart, life is a continual feast." Proverbs 15:15

Texas Sheet Cake, Chocolate-Frosted Hospitality

Just been asked to bring a dessert for a bunch tonight over to our pastor's house. Since I am the token Southern Mama at our church filled with mostly native Coloradians and Oregonians, I thought I'd make my stand-by favorite chocolate cake. The famous Texas Pecan Sheet Cake. I served this once when Hugh (our pastor) came over and he said, "I don't know if this is cake or fudge, but it is sinful."

I may use toasted walnuts instead because that's what I have on hand and I am, if nothing else, the Substitute Queen. (I once made a carrot cake without any carrots. I just substituted zucchini. "Work with what you've got" is my motto.)

If you don't have buttermilk, you can "sour" regular milk by putting a T. of vinegar or lemon juice in it and let it sit for a bit, and the cake comes out great. I skip the cinnamon that is in the classic original recipe because I am just not a big fan of any spice messin' with my chocolate.


In her post, "Texas Sheet Cake: Hospitality in a 9x13-Inch Pan" (www.texascooking.com),Patricia Mitchell writes, " Texas hospitality most certainly extends into wonderful food of every description. Let there be company coming or birth, death, illness, wedding, engagement, graduation or whatever, home-prepared food in covered dishes is going to make the scene. My mother was famous for this. While she did not literally meet planes with fried chicken in both hands, the truth wasn't far from that.

Texas Sheet Cake is a perfect example of Texas hospitality translated into food. While it is absolutely delicious and satisfying to the senses, it can be whipped up -- start to finish, baking, frosting and all -- in 40 minutes or less. Ready to commemorate, celebrate or alleviate life events. It's also perfect when you want something delicious and you want it fast.

This cake, and its frosting, should be mixed by hand; you don't need to drag out your 40-pound KitchenAid mixer or even trot out your portable for this one. And by all means, get yourself one of those 9x13-inch pans with the nicely fitted plastic lids. But be sure and tape your name to the bottom so you don't lose track of it when you make this cake as a gesture of hospitality."

I actually love making this cake in the big commercial sheet pans that you can get at Sam's for a song!



Texas Chocolate Pecan Sheet Cake

2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 t.salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I omit this)
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), melted *
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canola or other vegetable oil
1 cup water
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* Some recipes omit the oil & use 2 sticks of butter instead. Paula Deen does this AND adds 1/2 c sour cream to the already sinful cake! You may want to experiment.

Preheat oven to 375 °F. Grease and flour a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.(I use a bigger sheet pan, it is up to you!)

Sift together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda and cinnamon,salt and set aside.

Stir together the remaining ingredients.

Mix the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, stirring until you have a smooth, rather thin batter.

Pour into your prepared pan, and bake at 375°F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.


While the cake is baking, prepare the frosting.
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup butter
1 pound confectioners sugar, sifted (about 4 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
Mix the milk and cocoa in a heavy saucepan (stir, stir, stir). Add the butter and, over medium heat, stir until the butter melts. Remove from heat and gradually stir in the sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add the pecans.

When the cake is just out of the oven, spread the frosting evenly on the hot cake.

Just a small piece of this with a few strawberries or raspberries will give you a treat without giving you a sugar headache. A glass of cold milk also helps. (I get shaky with too much sugar and no protein!) I make this rarely because its so tempting, but for a big crowd, its a hands-down favorite.

Spicy Maple Nut Talapia w/ Rice-Feta Pilaf

Tonight was the second time I've made this recipe I created a couple of months ago and it is just so good and easy, I thought I'd better pause to share the joy.

Interesting combination of flavors – sweet/spicy/smoky/nutty. Healthy, too!

Generously coat bottom of skillet with olive or coconut oil, heat to medium high (I usually turn the skillet up to high and then back it down a notch)

4 medium tilapia filets

In one shallow dish, coat fish with your favorite mustard – any kind: honey mustard, whole grain, Dijon, chipotle mustard, hot mustard – whatever!

In another shallow dish mix the following spices:

2 T. paprika
2 T. cumin powder
1 T. Canadian grill seasoning (or salt & pepper to taste)

Roll the mustard covered filets in the spice mixture and patting it in evenly. (Greg,Mr. MildNorwegian, found too spicy, so I just lightly sprinkled the spice on one side of his fish. But I, Mrs. Texas Hot Pepper, love that spicy-blackened style Cajun coating!)

Put in sauté pan, along with a handful of nuts (You can use slivered almonds, pine nuts, chopped walnuts,cashews or pecan.) Remove nuts as soon as they are toasted and keep warm, nearby.

Cook tilapia just a few minutes on both sides until the fish flakes, and spices are a dark golden color.

Serve tilapia over rice pilaf, recipe below. (Also good over mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes)

Drizzle fish with a little real maple syrup – to make a nice glaze. Sprinkle with toasted nuts.

My Favorite Rice Pilaf

Cook 1 package of Uncle Ben's Wild Rice (I like the quick cooking 5 minute brand) according to directions. When done, add 1/4 c. dried cranberries (I'm fond of the orange flavored ones), a few chopped nuts (any kind you like), and a couple of Tablespoons of crumbled feta or goat cheese. This is also good with white or brown rice, but I love the colors and textures in the wild rice for a fancy company dish.

Prayer of an Unemployed Man, Or Telling Mountains to Move

The way spring follows winter, there are signs of the economy blooming again. Just a few little buds peeking through the snow, but I do believe we are on our way to much better for most who have suffered job loss and worse. I hope, don't you, that we don't forget the lessons left in wake of loss (and there are always lessons in the wake of any loss). That we remember that our jobs and our savings can disappear and that we are more grateful for our daily bread. More careful with our spending. More compassionate with those who are down and out because now we realize that really and truly, most of us are just a few paychecks away from homelessness.

I found an old musty book of poems published in 1941, with the Great Depression not fully in the rearview mirror yet. One of the poems was called The Prayer of an Unemployed Man and it was if the poem's author was reaching across time, because the meaning had suddenly become unbelievably needed and relevant here in the Great Recession of 2008/2009. For those who are still waiting for a job, a house, and their bank account to have money in it again... I offer this little bit of empathy from a man who has been there. May you feel a little less alone today.



Prayer of an Unemployed Man

Here in the quiet of my room,
I come to Thee for friendship; to feel
That Someone is with me, though unseen.
All day I have seen a multitude of people,
But I am still lonely and hungry for human cheer.

No life has touched mine in understanding,
No hand has clasped mine in friendship;
My heart is empty and my hands are idle.
Help me to feel Thy presence,
So that the disappointment of this day
Shall not overwhelm me.

Keep me from becoming cynical and bitter;
Keep me warm and human, and set a new faith
Before my eyes - a new hope to live by
And a new spirit with which to overcome discouragements
Guide me to that very necessary thing
Of life - work!
Abide with me and be my friend. W.C. Ackerly


For further encouragement I would like to steer you to one of my favorite authors and wonderful friend, Patricia Raybon. First to Patricia's most recent blog post on how to remember our Source in hard times. Titled: "Fries with that?" --http://www.patriciaraybon.com/blog.htm

And if you enjoy that appetizer of her writing style, then I would love to suggest her book, I Told the Mountain to Move. It came to me in a moment of deep felt need, and shabby though I am at prayer, it taught me how to come to God with my overwhelm, and to trust. Not through sermons. But through story: Patricia's personal and vulnerable struggle to make her faith real in the muck of life's problems. You can order an autographed copy, on SALE (!) at http://www.patriciaraybon.com/disc.htm.
Tell Patricia I sent you:)

Savory Parmesan Asparagus Spears

I have fallen in love with roasting vegies using this yummy, easy technique. It brings out the best in asparagus, broccoli, carrots, onions, potatoes, green beans... just about any vegie you like can be roasted and dusted with parm and turned into a caramelized delight.

Preheat oven to 375.

On a cookie sheet or roasting pan, sprinkle about a tablespoon of Olive Oil and 1 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar. (Just eyeball it -- approximately 2 times the olive oil as vinegar)

Then roll asparagus spears in the vinegar and oil until coated on all sides. (I don't trim the ends because they make handy "holders" -- this recipe allows for picking them up and munching...as an appetizer.)


Sprinkle very lightly with salt & pepper or Montreal (or Canadian) Steak Seasoning.

Roast until asparagus begins to brown on one side, then turn them over and cook until brown on other side.

Remove from oven. With a fine grater and a hunk of good Parmesan in hand, grate a light sprinkling of cheese over warm vegies.

Let it melt and cool. I personally enjoy these at room temperature the most, but they can be served hot, warm, or cold and .... yummm.

Such an easy side dish when you are grilling outdoors in these last days of summer.