Brain Fuel

Neurotransmitters are the natural brain chemicals responsible for everything you do, think and feel. To ensure that you have enough of this “smart juice”, it is important take in enough of necessary nutritional raw materials to make it. Not having enough of these psychological building blocks stunts your ability to effectively function in the world. Without this baseline you start your days with a deficit of the resources needed to feel good, be focused and get what you need done, done.

Life’s Leggos

Amino acids are the building blocks of almost everything in your body…including your brain chemicals. When you run low on any one of these raw materials, it affects how you feel, focus, sleep and adapt to change.

The body’s limits

Luckily foods high in protein have all the amino acids your body and brains need to function optimally. Where you run into trouble is when you stay stressed out for longer than 20 minutes. While you are perfectly designed to deal with being chased by a bear or fending off a foe for short bursts…it’s when the physical or psychological stress consistently lasts longer than 20 minutes that things start to go wrong.

Running On Empty

Longer term high stress results in the depletion of the very neurotransmitters designed to help us deal with stress,..which creates a vicious spiral downwards: More stress=less stress coping brain chemicals, less stress coping brain chemicals= less ability to deal with stress and so forth.

Re-Fueling

Again, food protein provides a nice balance of all the amino acid raw materials needed to replenish brain chemical supplies. Unfortunately proteins contain too many different amino acids to help re-balance tweaked whacked out brain chemistry quickly. The reason is that amino acids compete with each other for access to the brain. When there are too many different amino acids competing for absorption no individual one gets in more than any other. This makes it difficult to correct brain chemical imbalances from diet alone.

Fortunately, the same world which often sets us off balance, also gives the technology to re-balance. By using individual amino acid supplements it is possible to replenish where we are deficient. By re-balancing our brain we eliminate “false” moods and allow ourselves to focus on the actual issues at hand. Amino acids are also relatively inexpensive and easily available online and at most health food stores. They are also relatively safe, with a few exceptions of specific disease and anti-depressant contra-indications.