Change Your Brain Every Day - Getting Super Healthy Through the Holidays

Episode Date: November 19, 2016

You do not need to get sick through the holidays and suffer through failed New Year’s  resolutions.  Learn how to get super healthy through the holidays by using your brain and becoming a brain warrior.

Hi, I'm Donnie Osmond, and welcome to The Brain Warrior's Way, hosted by my friends Daniel and Tana Amon. Now, in this podcast, you're going to learn that the war for your health is one between your ears. That's right. If you're ready to be sharper and have better memory, mood, energy, and focus, well then stay with us. Here are Daniel and Tana Amen.

Welcome back. Today, we're talking about getting super healthy through the holidays because guess what? Warriors do not take the months of November and December off. You know, there's always a reason to hurt yourself. You know, it's Friday, it's Saturday, it's Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Oh, come on, you worked really hard all week. You know, it's Friday, live a little. Or what do you say that the number one day of the year, the number one day of the year that has the most hospital admissions for heart attacks is Christmas day, believe it or not. And it starts with a perfect storm. So Halloween. Yeah. Where candy, candy, candy, you know, let's celebrate and then Thanksgiving and then holiday parties. Well, and then you add to that all the travel schedules, the weather change, the time change,

people aren't sleeping as much, they're stressed out. As much as we like to think of holidays as a fun time, it's actually a very stressful time for most people. So put all those together and people who are vulnerable tend to get sick. But guess who the people are that usually go off their programs and are eating really lousy and drinking more alcohol. The people who do that the most are the people who are more vulnerable. So they are the ones who end up in the hospital on Christmas day with the most, with heart attacks, number one day of the year. So we don't want that to be you. We don't. We want you to be a warrior, which means if you love yourself. So this is never about deprivation. This is about developing a good relationship with food and your habits. And I avoid the things that are not good for me because I love myself.

That's really a sign of self-esteem. Right. And because you're not a four-year-old, right? Four-year-olds have tantrums. They want what they want when they want them, but adults sort of take a longer view and they go, does this serve my health? So I'm going to pick on him for a second because in coaching... You're going to pick on me or you're going to pick on our audience? I'm going to pick on them. I'm going to pick on the audience for a second. She picks on me a lot. He's the nice one

here. So I coach a lot of people. We coach a lot of people through this. We've done this program with literally thousands and thousands of people. And, you know, one thing when I'm coaching people that happens and, you know, it's adults that we coach and literally we start having to discipline people's inner children. Okay. The inner child comes out throwing these big temper tantrums like Daniel just described. And it always amuses me. Like I sit back and I'm like, would you ever let your children get away with that? But then the next logical question that I usually ask people is, what do you teach your children about peer pressure? When you talk to your kids about doing drugs that are bad for them, about avoiding situations that are harmful to them, that damage their health, about would you

follow your friends off of a cliff? Because think with me for a second, when you give up your program and treat yourself poorly and drink too much and eat food that makes you sick and end up in the hospital during the holidays, and usually the reason is I don't want to be a party pooper, right? Or something like that. What message does that send to your children? Why should they listen to your advice? Kids don't do what you say. They do what you do. So that's a really good reason to start roping in that inner child. And you got to live your message or you're not a very good messenger. Well, and the message of the Brain Warriors Way is you can be armed and prepared to take control of your health.

So let's talk about some food rules. These are the Brain Warriors Way food rules that you and I have developed over years now. And they're very simple. They're very simple and they're delicious. I mean, ultimately, we have learned getting super healthy is about abundance, never deprivation. And so the first rule is high quality calories. The quality of your food is much more important than the quantity, but they both matter. Right. It's a little like exchange rates on money, right? So which, you know, if you're thinking about calories like money, which one has the most value dollars compared to euros compared to pesos, some are going to give you more value.

OK, so like a salad that has salmon and blueberries and walnuts on it is going to maybe it's 400 calories is going to be a lot more value than a big giant cinnamon roll. OK, so you're going to get a lot more value out of that. So think high quality calories. The next thing to think of is water. Your brain is 80% water. Anything that dehydrates it decreases your ability to think, decreases your energy, decreases. Do you remember the study with the pilots? So remember the study with the pilots where they, do you want to be on that plane?

Tell them about the study with the pilots. Well, it decreased their ability, not only to focus, but to fly planes, to have the coordination. Right. They were only dehydrated by 2%, 2%. And it affected their spatial reasoning and their cognitive function. And it also, when you are hydrated, it increases your physical strength by 19%. So we want you, unless you're morbidly obese, if you're morbidly obese, it's different. You know, then just think about 100 ounces of water a day. But for most people, drink about half your weight in ounces.

So I'm about 150 pounds. So that means I should have about 75 ounces of water a day. And you're more like 120. So that means 60 ounces of water a day. But often when people get cravings, they're really thirsty that their brain misinterprets it as they're hungry. Or they're making bad decisions because when you're dehydrated, you make bad decisions. The next principle is high quality, clean protein. And this is super important because protein on a regular basis, I want you to think of protein like medicine. Okay, so we don't want you overeating it.

We want you eating small amounts of protein throughout the day, just like you would think of medicine in small doses throughout the day because what it does is it helps to balance your blood sugar. It balances the hormones of metabolism and it increases your focus again. So you make good decisions, but you got to make it clean protein. So this includes vegans. Okay. A lot of times people are like, but I'm vegan. I don't eat protein. So if you don't eat animal protein, it doesn't mean you avoid protein. So think of things like organic tofu or plant-based protein powders for breakfast, have a smoothie in the morning, things like that. And many vegetables are really very high in protein, such as broccoli and spinach. Right. And having protein at every meal helps to balance

your blood sugar. Fascinating study that I love to talk about where they took 107 couples before bedtime and they measured their blood sugar levels. And then they gave the couples voodoo dolls and they asked them to express their feelings about their partners with pins in the dolls. And people who had the lowest blood sugar levels had more than twice the number of pins in the dolls, which is totally Tana. If I don't feed her, so I need to carry protein with me. If I don't feed her, it can be dangerous. It's true. It's why I don't have a voodoo doll. So when you think of protein, fish, lamb, turkey, chicken, raw nuts, protein powders, you know, we're not really a big fan of protein bars because you just have to read the label. And if you don't understand what's in the label, on the label, you shouldn't eat.

Well, only because we have a hard time finding a clean one. We're actually working on one for that reason, but that's the only reason. So high quality protein and something that sounds counterintuitive to most people, healthy fat. Only because they have been sold a lie for so many years that fat is bad for you. Fat is not bad for you. It's sugar that's bad for you. So we want you to eliminate the bad fats like trans fats. And guess what? This idea that trans fats have been banned is a lie. So you need to to eliminate the bad fats like trans fats. And guess what? This idea that trans fats have been banned is a lie. So you need to be informed. It is still legal to put trans fats in foods. They're in most processed baked foods, as long as there is less, as long as it's one half

or less of a gram per serving. But think with me for a minute. Most things you buy are huge portions. And what the, if you read the label, it will say that it's four or five servings, even though it's like you would eat the whole thing. Which means it's two, three, four. Two to three grams of trans fats. And trans fats don't leave your cells, which is why they are so toxic. So that's why be very careful. They still contain trans fats at times. If they're processed and they contain chemicals or partially-

So if it says partially hydrogenated, hydrogenated- Avoid it. You should stay away from that. So you want to focus on healthy fats, especially those that contain omega-3 fatty acids like salmon, avocados, walnuts, green leafy vegetables. And while we're on fat, people are so freaked out about cholesterol. Oh, my cholesterol is 220. My doctor put me on a statin. We're completely not fans of statins. Cholesterol is the mother hormone. It is very important for cell function that fat is responsible for cell membrane function. And we know low cholesterol, below 160, total cholesterol below 160, is associated with depression, homicide, suicide, and death from

all causes. So we're going to talk coming up about knowing your important numbers. And we'll get more into cholesterol. Having an egg, both of us just had two eggs, is not bad for you unless, of course, you're sensitive to eggs. Egg white is not healthier for most people than having the whole egg. And very low-fat diets are not good for your brains either. 60% of the solid weight of your brain is fat. So you need fat. You actually need fat to lose fat. So it's not only good for your brain, it's good for your body. So some people will be confused because we just said 80% of the brain is water. The overall. But when you take the water

out of the brain, what's left is this big blob of fat. And so both water and fat are very important to brain function. So very low-fat diets are not good for your brain. According to a study from the Mayo Clinic, people who had a healthy fat-based diet had 42% less risk of Alzheimer's disease. People at a protein-based diet had 21% less risk of Alzheimer's disease. People had a protein-based diet, had 21% less risk of Alzheimer's disease. But people had a simple carbohydrate-based diet. Think bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, fruit juice. Sugar had a 400% increased risk of Alzheimer's disease. It's the sugar, not the fat. Okay. I'm going to just repeat really

quickly. So a healthy fat-based diet decreased their risk by 42%. Simple carbohydrates and sugar increased the risk by 400% sugar, not fat. So your diet really does matter. And getting through the holidays with the cupcakes and cakes and Christmas cookies. Oh, but guess what? They actually get to have all of that if they actually follow our recipes. Right. In the Brain Warriors Way cookbook, you have a whole section. There's a whole holiday section. But it's not made with sugar. But they won't miss it.

No, no, because it's awesome. So we actually have, just to give you a quick intro, so I have a whole section on how to do holidays and be a brain warrior and not feel deprived. But there are things in there, there's dozens of replacements for desserts and breads and things like that, pumpkin muffins, cookies, lemon bars, but they're very low glycemic and grain-free. So you're not going to make yourself sick. They're not designed to make a meal out of them, but they're not going to make you sick. You're going to still make a meal out of them, but they're not going to make you sick. You're going to still enjoy your holidays and not feel like you are depriving yourself. That's the trick.

So you have something called nutty butter cups. They're your favorite. When I got home last night, you know, I just, I wanted something sweet. And they're melty in your mouth. Yes, I could have gone to the store and got mint chocolate chip ice cream. But I'm like, I couldn't. Then I would feel awful because my system is very sensitive to dairy. And I know what sugar does to me.

And you wake up in the morning feeling hungover. And so I had two nutty buttercups. And then I didn't think about it the rest of the night. Right. It's like a little over 100 calories and they're melty in your mouth and they taste great. They taste like peanut butter cups. So the next rule is smart carbohydrates. We define those as low glycemic, high fiber.

And what we've talked about in The Brain Warrior's Way in our book together is how addictive sugar is. Yeah, it triggers the same part of the brain as cocaine and morphine, little area of the brain called the nucleus accumbens. Only sugar is actually, it actually turns on more cells in the nucleus accumbens than cocaine and morphine. Which is the little pleasure button in your brain causing you to crave more. And food companies know this and they design foods so that you will fall in love with them and want more of what hurts you. It's a war. In fact, the lowest one third of the shelves in grocery stores is called market share. Those are the highest value. Food companies have to pay the most for those

shelves. Why do you think that is? So they hook your kids. Your kids, because they'll throw temper tantrums if you don't buy them what they want. Now, people who have a sweet tooth like me, they're going to go, well, can I have artificial sweeteners in the blue pack or the yellow pack or the pink pack or all the sugar-free candies that have maltitol in them, which actually causes air pollution. Yeah, don't have that if you're going on a hot date. From the upset stomach that it causes. And we don't like aspartame, sucralose, saccharin, maltitol.

We do like stevia and erythritol, but in small amounts. Because the more you have, the more you're going to want. You still trigger your desire for sweet stuff, but they're not going to cause the same reactions. Another rule is eat from the rainbow. So that means put foods in your diet of many different colors because it boosts antioxidants and help keep your brain and body young. But not Skittles. Not Skittles. And artificial colors and dyes have actually been shown to disrupt behavior.

I have one kid that would become violent and aggressive. I had another guy whose wife had threatened to divorce him if he got aggression, again, because he got MSG. So we really want you reading food labels. Don't food does also increase symptoms of ADD? Can. Yes, it absolutely can. And then the last principle is to cook with herbs and spices. And at the holiday times, cloves are loaded with antioxidants. Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, amazing. Wars have been fought over herbs and spices for centuries. So garlic and oregano boosts blood flow to the brain.

Saffron has actually gone head to head in several studies. It actually has, tell them about the antidepressant effects of saffron. So head-to-head with Prozac, with Zoloft, with amipramine, equally effective. Curcumin decreases beta amyloid plaques thought to be involved in Alzheimer's disease, decreases inflammation, helps your mood. Rosemary, thyme, sage, enhance memory, and make for awesome Simon and Garfunkel lyrics. Ginger, cayenne, black pepper boosts metabolism, cinnamon boosts attention, and is a natural aphrodisiac for men. Not that men need much help. Not going to actually forget that. So there are so many great foods you can have using this combination. I think you've made about 400 recipes.

Yeah, my favorite book is the new one, The Brain Warrior's Way, because I intentionally made these recipes the simplest, the least amount of ingredients, the most cost-effective for people, but also including how to do this for the holidays, how to do this when you travel, how to get your kids involved. So there's really no reason not to become a warrior for your health, for your brain and your body and get your kids involved. So really what you just need to do is lose some potentially toxic foods and follow the brain warrior's way during the holidays. Make a huge difference. So our first, like seven or eight years ago, our first sort of weight loss class, brain-directed weight loss. We started it December 1st and it was called Lose Weight

Through the Holidays. Why do you have to suffer in January? Why don't you just make good decisions all year long? And the average weight loss the week of Christmas was two and a half pounds. We're really excited and no one felt deprived and that they were celebrating their religious holidays in pain. Right. So I just want to let people know they can actually go to brainwarriorsway.com and download the quick start guide. And there's a list of how to clean out your pantry and what foods to lose in addition to all the stuff we just talked about, how to fill your pantry. and there's some free recipes in there. So that's our gift to you. Go to brainwarriorsway.com. So just to wrap this up, no suffering, water, protein, and fat at every

meal. Fat actually helps you absorb your vitamins better. Don't let yourself get hungry because if you get hungry, not only are you going to be irritable, you're more likely to make bad decisions. And make sure that your plates are always colorful. Absolutely. One quick example that I just dearly love. So at Amen Clinics, we have 25 doctors who work with us. And Rishi Sood is our child and adult psychiatrist. He's also a

pediatrician in our New York clinic. And when he came to work with us, he was not healthy. But as he learned about the brain warrior's way, he said, you know, I felt like I was a hypocrite. And so I set goals. I stuck with them. I read Change Your Brain, Change Your Life and the Omni Diet, which turned into The Brain Warrior's Way. He still sticks to Tana's six-page grocery list. And over about six months, he lost 57 pounds and became incredibly healthy. I want to highlight something. He took the program and simplified it to the steps that made it easiest for him and completely transformed his life. So that's what we want you to do is you know the program and then you take those simple steps. Like he takes the grocery list and takes it to the

store and that is how it works for him because he's a busy guy, but he completely transformed his life. And his last thing he said was, we've got to be the change we wish to see in the world. It's just wonderful. And it wasn't hard. I asked him if it was hard and he said, my energy is better. And he works long hours. He's my energy's better. My mood is better. My memory is better. My focus is better. And he's a star. And which doctor are you going to listen to? One that's overweight and sort of sad and frumpy looking or one who's on fire for the message. Exactly.

So go to brainwarriorsway.com, download your free quick start guide and be a warrior this holiday. Happy holidays, everybody. Thank you.