Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health issue in the US, with approximately 42 million people affected. Next to depression, anxiety is one of the leading sources of unhappiness, life dissatisfaction, and human suffering. 

On today’s Broken Brain Podcast, our host Dhru talks to Dr. Kristen Allott, a naturopathic physician, national speaker, and pioneering advocate for the use of whole foods nutrition in the treatment of mental health disorders. Dr. Allott is passionate about achievable results. With more than a decade of clinical experience, she has refined her expertise on how to promote increased mental functioning by treating the physical causes of mental health, fatigue, and sugar cravings. 

Dr. Allott regularly presents at psychiatric nurse practitioner conventions on non-pharmaceutical interventions for mental health. Additionally, she consults with the Court Improvement Training Academy (CITA) in Washington State to develop the Protein for All Project to optimize brain function in the high stakes environment of Juvenile and Family Court System in the State of Washington. She is also the co-author of the book Fuel Your Brain, Not Your Anxiety: Stop the Cycle of Worry, Fatigue, and Sugar Cravings with Simple Protein-Rich Foods.

In this episode, Dhru and Dr. Allott talk about the spectrum of anxiety, how diet can cause anxiety and panic attacks, and how managing blood glucose and nutrition are powerful tools for feeling better. Dr. Allott shares what she’s seen in her clinical practice helping those with anxiety and panic attacks. Her nutritional advice may sound counterintuitive. She and Dhru discuss why it’s important to stay open to different options, especially if trying all the “right” things hasn’t been working for you. Sometimes forgetting the rules is the best thing we can do for ourselves. 

In this episode, we dive into:  

-What exactly is anxiety? (2:56)

-How what and when we eat impacts the brain and can cause issues like anxiety (8:52) 

-The evolutionary drivers of anxiety (12:37) 

-Modern day factors that are hacking our brains and making it difficult to function in our day-to-day lives (15:09) 

-Why the food we eat is such an important factor when it comes to how we experience anxiety (23:02)

-Anxiety and sleep (36:51) 

-How eating protein before bed may help with anxiety and PTSD nightmares (42:12) 

-How intermittent fasting affects our decision making (53:14) 

-How much protein we should we be eating (1:01:36) 

-What you can do if you sense a panic attack coming on (1:07:26)

For more on Dr. Kristen Allott you can follow her on Instagram @ProteinForAll, on Facebook @ProteinForAll, on Twitter @ProteinForAll, on YouTube @ProteinForAll, and through her website https://www.kristenallott.com/. Get her book, Fuel Your  Brain, Not Your Anxiety: Stop the Cycle of Worry, Fatigue, and Sugar Cravings with Simple Protein-Rich Foods at https://www.kristenallott.com/fuelyourbrain.

Also mentioned in this episode:

-https://www.proteinforall.org/

-Dr. Kristen Allot’s Newsletter - https://www.kristenallott.com/subscribe

-How to work with Dr. Allot if you are in the State of Washington - https://www.kristenallott.com/clinical-2020

-Levels Health - https://www.levelshealth.com/

-Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future, by Peter Thiel - https://www.amazon.com/Zero-One-Notes-Startups-Future/dp/0804139296

-Lunchtime Leniency: Judges’ Rulings Are Harsher When They Are Hungrier - https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/lunchtime-leniency/

For more on Dhru Purohit, be sure to follow him on Instagram @dhrupurohit, on Facebook @dhruxpurohit, on Twitter @dhrupurohit, and on YouTube @dhrupurohit. You can also text Dhru at (302) 200-5643 or click here https://my.community.com/dhrupurohit.

Interested in joining Dhru’s Broken Brain Podcast Facebook Community? Submit your request to join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2819627591487473/.

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