 Welcome to the Dr. Gundry podcast. So if you're anything like me and you swear by chocolate as a mood booster, you may actually be on to something. That's right. My guest today says that certain foods like dark chocolate can actually balance our brain chemistry to make us feel happier and more relaxed. But she also says that there are some nasty foods out there that can do quite the opposite. In fact, she says that it may be the cause of negative emotions that can even lead to anxiety disorders. She's Liana Werner Gray, a certified nutritionist and three-time best-selling author. She's also got a brand new book out called Anxiety Free with Food, Natural Science-Based Strategies to Relieve Stress and Support Your Mental Health. And Liana joined me back on episode 48 to share her amazing story of how she healed herself from cancer through food. Today she's back to discuss how food once again proves to be one of the best tools we have for living healthy, happy, and long lives. So she and I are going to discuss the relationship between food and mood and identify which foods are working for you rather than against you. Liana, it's great to have you back. Thank you so much, Dr. Gundry. I'm so happy to be back. And you've got a big fan base who viewed our podcast. So I know they're excited to hear from you again just as much as I am. Okay, so the past year has been extremely stressful for most of us. So it seems like the timing of your book, Anxiety Free with Food, could not have been better. What made you want to write this book in the first place? Well, after I wrote the cancer book, I was experiencing anxiety. I was experiencing more anxiety in my life than what I thought was normal or healthy. And so I was curious as to where this anxiety was coming from. And I thought, is this anxiety coming from a mental imbalance, emotional imbalance, spiritual imbalance, or physical imbalance? And I just had a feeling that it was something physical. So I went and did a blood test and the results came back and I was shocked. Sure enough, I was deficient in one of the nutrients that if we're deficient in, researchers say that we will have anxiety. So I was deficient in omega-3 fatty acids. And so I started to take supplements, fish oil supplements, and started to eat more good healthy fats, more wild salmon, more wild fatty fish, some avocados, hemp seed, chia seed. And then within three days of incorporating more healthy fats, I felt way different. My anxiety levels went down. I couldn't believe it. And obviously, I've continued to keep my omega-3 fats level at a really healthy level. And so I thought, wow, if it's this simple to fix a physical anxiety like this, I said, this is going to be the next subject I want to learn more about, write more about it. And then I started researching more of what other nutrients we could be deficient in that lead to anxiety. And it was just so fascinating to see that some foods are actually proven to be angiogenic foods and some foods are proven to be angiolytic foods. And I just thought I definitely want to put this in a book and tell everyone about it. Good for you. You know, I've long talked about the brain-gut connection as it relates to emotional health. So in your opinion, how are our emotions linked to nutrition? Well, food and mood are directly associated. And I actually have 26 pages of end notes in the book. I have so much science studies and research in the book. So PLOS won. They published a study that said consuming trans fats can increase your risk of depression and anxiety as much as 48%. So that's one example of eating bad fats and how that can affect our mental health. And eating certain foods can also link to brain fog. And there's some disturbing research that I included in my book that shows that certain foods, especially trans fats, link to murder, which I know sounds really dramatic and crazy, but there actually is science on this. And it's also connected to agitated mood and aggressive behavior. It leads to so much inflammation in the brain. And so when we eat something, if it is anxiogenic, which means that it's an anxiety-causing substance, then that is going to trigger anxiety immediately. But then the good news is we can eat something that's anxiolytic, that is an anxio-reducing substance, and we can start to relieve anxiety immediate. And so science tells us that, in fact, there are certain things that change our mood instantly. And a lot of people are eating these foods all day, every day, and not realizing that it's affecting their mood so much. And then also there's a lot of research that shows that deficiencies lead to anxiety. So certain nutrients can relieve anxiety like magnesium and omega-3 fats. Yeah, magnesium is really one of the most deficient chemicals in our diet. And it is so great at helping with anxiety, helping with mood. And you're right, there are a number of studies that I've alluded to showing the benefits of omega-3 fats on anxiety. But something you mentioned about trans fats, I talk about trans fats a lot in my new book, The Energy Paradox. But one of the most fascinating studies, and you're probably aware of this, and if you're not, you need to be. There was a famous study in the Appleton School System of Wisconsin a number of years ago where they took junior high school, middle school students, and they had an organic café in town start making their breakfast and lunch and delivering it to the schools. And then they would train the parents to try and duplicate this for the evening meal. And what they did was they tracked behavior and trips to the vice principal's office and truancy and school performance on tests. And they found that when they switched over to this system that everything got better. Less truancy, the vice principal got bored, he didn't have to beat up anybody. Grades got better. And then they were so excited that the poor café said, look, this is great, but we're tired of doing this. They decided to go with a big institutional company, a food service company, and they guaranteed that everything would be the same as soon as this big company came in, and I won't mention names, everything returned back to normal. The truancy increased, the discipline problem, and the school test scores went down. And it's a perfect example of food and mood and behavior that you stress in your book. Yeah, I believe it. It's, that's wild, it's wild, and it's very empowering to see a study like that because we know we can have a lot of control in our own hands on how our mood will be. So, okay, what are some of these anxiety inducing foods to avoid? So, the top angziogenic foods to avoid, I have a list in the book, and these are the number one worst, you could probably guess what it is, is refined sugar. So refined white sugar corn syrup. That is the number one angziogenic, angzioproducing substance on earth, and it's very neurotoxic, and it's something that people are eating a lot of all the time. And then also on this list are trans fats, so they're the fats that are found in fast foods, they're the bad fats. And hidden chemicals in foods, and this includes preservatives, additives, any ingredients that people cannot pronounce that are created in a lab, those are proven to be neurotoxic, as well as refined carbs also can cause anxiety, and processed meats and farmed fish. That's a good list. Now, a lot of people say, no, no, no, trans fats, the government banned trans fats. There are no trans fats anymore. What say you about that? I didn't know about that. I think the World Health Organization really did try to replace the trans fats, but I do think it's still in our food system. No, you're absolutely right. In fact, the way our law was structured that if there is a half a gram of trans fats in a serving that you do not have to list it on the label. And yeah, you don't have to put it there. Plus, if you use institutional foods or big containers that go to fast food restaurants, then you don't have to worry about the trans fat content at all. You don't even have to list it. That's our law. So you're right. There you are everywhere. And yeah, we just don't know about it anymore. That's crazy. That's hidden. So you mentioned sugar, and you're right. Sugar is the big Satan in all of this in so many ways. But for a lot of people, sugar addiction is real and difficult to overcome. What kind of tips you got to help people out? Well, I can relate to this because I was a huge sugar addict, and this is how I led to having the tumor in my throat many years ago. And I used to binge eat on sugar, so I can totally relate to people who are very addicted to sugar. But first of all, we want to have a mindset of, OK, I know refined sugar and white sugar corn syrup is not good. So the end goal is to just never eat it ever again. And that might sound really crazy to people, but I do not believe there's a balance when it comes to eating refined white sugar. And we just don't need it anymore because we have an abundance of natural sugars that we can eat that are much healthier than refined white sugar. So for people, if they have a sugar craving, I use in my practice the last 11 years with working with people is the replacement therapy. So if someone has a craving for something, let's say gummy bears or chocolate or cookie dough. And this happens where human beings, we love pleasure and we love the feeling that these foods give us. So it's not realistic to say, you know what, never eat this food again, but that would be ideal. So rather than that deprivation approach, say, OK, here is what you can eat. So if you have a craving for cookies, for example, you can make them yourself at home. And that's why I have so many recipes in my book. So you could make some cookie dough with tiger nut flour, which is Dr. Gundry approved. Yes. You bet. You bet. And then you could use a monk fruit. And I use other sweetness as well, like honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar. Those are proven not to be neurotoxic like refined white sugar. So this is a bridge that can help people cross if to get away from refined sugar. And that's the first step. So every time you have a craving, think, OK, how can I make this at home using wholesome ingredients? Or what products can I buy that are much safer that don't use refined white sugar or corn syrup? And that's why I'm always promoting and posting about so many different brands because it helps to know the brands so that you have a go to when that craving just hits and strikes. And so this replacement therapy can help you to never eat white sugar ever again. And that's the first step. And then after that, as your body starts to get really healthy and balanced out and as you start to nourish your body properly with all these nutrients, your sugar cravings will balance themselves out. And you won't be able to eat as much sugar as perhaps now. Like when I first started this transition, I would eat 20 chocolate balls a day. And now I couldn't even do that if I tried because my cravings have completely changed. So the body does get healthier and balances itself out. Wow, 20 chocolate balls a day. It healed my body and it helps me to not eat processed chocolate with all the refined sugar ever again. Great. All right, so where does alcohol fit in all of this? It's also addictive. So what do you do about alcohol? Yeah, that is a great question. And I was so curious about whether alcohol does help with anxiety or makes it worse. And after all the research, I ended up putting it in the controversial list. So I have in the book the definite angiogenic foods proven and then the controversial list. So alcohol is on that because it is more of a bio individual approach. So for some people, it can relieve anxiety and stress and really help to boost the mood. But for others, it can trigger anxiety, especially if they have certain issues in their gut. So it really is a bio individuality. But I found some very interesting research and actually majority research said that people who drink in moderation, if having wine, champagne, tequila, vodka, having one or two glasses can actually help with mental health versus not drinking at all and versus drinking three or four drinks. Yeah, I agree with you. Those sorts of alcohols have a hormetic effect where none is not very good. Some is good and a lot is really bad. And you have to hit that Goldilocks effect to find the right balance. Okay, so let's talk about the good stuff. Nobody wants to talk about the bad stuff. So what are some of the best foods from your research for reducing anxiety and improving mood? You've already mentioned a couple, but I'm sure there's a host of them. Yeah, I have a top 10 list in the book and it starts with dark leafy greens, also walnuts are on the list, turmeric, wild salmon, avocado, olive oil, broccoli and broccoli sprouts, coconut oil as well, cacao is number nine. And number 10 is ginger. Aha, all right. And in your book, I know you like to really back all these recommendations up with hard research and I congratulate you on that. It's not just, oh, have some ginger, it makes you feel good. Yes. Thank you. Yeah, ginger is an anti-inflammatory and inflammation is in fact one of the causes of anxiety. So having some ginger tea in the morning or at night time before bed can really help to drain out that inflammation, help to get circulation going, help the lymphatic system. Yeah. Now how do these foods, how has your view changed compared to your first, your other book, Cancer Free with Foods? Well there are some similarities of the list actually, but this anxiety list is more focused on the good healthy fats and magnesium. So those are the two main components in nutrients that can help to reduce anxiety is the magnesium and the omega-3 fats, whereas the cancer one had a lot more foods with antioxidants like blueberries, also garlic and mushrooms and the anxiety list also dark leafy greens is number one, but number seven is broccoli and broccoli sprouts, whereas that was number one for the cancer book because of the sephorophane, which sephorophane, there's a ton of studies on that for killing cancer cells. Yeah. Okay, so you and I are both huge fans of leafy greens and they're good in so many ways. What do you do for people who either don't like the taste of leafy greens or they've got such IBS or leaky gut that leafy greens just tear them apart. What's your solution here? Well some hacks is people could do some liquid chlorophyll and drop that in water, that way then they're getting some green and they're getting their cells more receptive to this is what greens, receiving greens, so hopefully one day they can start eating dark leafy greens and also supplements is a great way to get some dark leafy greens in and that's another great hack or a smoothie or a green juice and you can really disguise the taste of dark leafy greens in a smoothie. So if I make a smoothie for you guys it would taste so delicious, it would be creamy and fruity with some frozen blueberries and you would not taste the greens, so that's a great way to just get them in there. And I know you've got some recipes in the book that do just that. Yes, a ton of recipes, over a hundred recipes about sneaking all of these really good healthy foods in for anxiety in our foods. Now we've mentioned supplementation just now and we've talked about magnesium, so what are the best supplements to help calm the mind? Well I have an entire chapter on supplements for anxiety, Dr. Gundry. So when I started researching this book I started taking all of them. I was taking so many supplements, I was doing a human experiment and then I decided to formulate my own. So I put together my favorite top ten ingredients for anxiety and so in this is actually some dark, with the dark greens, the spirulina and the chlorella and so I've been taking these every day since. The top ingredient is ashwagandha. So this really helps to calm the mind but also gets us really energized as well. So it's really good for cognitive performance. So yeah, these are my official favorite. How could they not be? I formulated them. Exactly. Well, good for you. Yeah, it's interesting, I have never recommended a supplement to a patient that I haven't tried on myself first and if a patient asks me what I think about a supplement and I don't know much about it or I haven't tried it, I say just wait, I'm going to try it on myself and I'll get back to you. And of course everything that I make is what I've made based on my research. So good for you. Thank you. Well and you're a good doctor. That's what the good doctors do. Yeah, I often say how many of, to my patients who are on 10 prescription meds, how many of your physicians have actually put themselves on those 10 prescriptions to see what might happen? Yeah, exactly. No, they wouldn't want to do that. No, we know how problematic they can be. All right, so we mentioned tiger nuts. We talked about tiger nuts the last time. Your book contains tons of delicious recipes for mood-boosting foods. What would be one of your favorites and please tell me it might be a low-lectin food? How's that? Yes, of course. I looked, I looked in my book to find all the low-lectins and lectin-free anxiety recipes for you, Dr. Gundry. So the cookie dough is probably my favorite one made with the tiger nut flour and we love tiger nut flour because it's lectin-free and it's a prebiotic starch so it's great for gut health and gut health is connected to anxiety. So having a great cookie dough recipe on hand that, that way will help you avoid eating processed cookies. If you never eat a processed cookie again because you have this recipe at home I would be so happy to be a true come true. So that one's great. And then also the master green smoothie and the crusted chicken made with tiger nut flour and that's what I made for you last time, Dr. Gundry. Yeah, that's right. You did the one. And then also the chocolate recipes are really good. The hot chocolate, just boiling some water with some cacao powder and you have a delicious healthy hot chocolate and then you can add different flavors to it. And of course the pasta-raised meat recipes as well. So the beef tacos, the beef burgers are delicious and also the egg omelet formula I have so people can make a delicious egg omelet and add some things to it. Some vegetables, some dark leafy greens, some turkey, so delicious. Some secret ways to get these good foods into you. Now speaking of ways to do this, you say one of the best ways to find success with this diet and really any diet is to use the food upgrade approach. So what did you mean by this? So this is the approach that I use to break my addiction to fast food and sugar. And so the food upgrade approach is a great chapter in the book. Some people go straight to that chapter and start there. And this is really for people who struggle with addiction or cravings. And so one example is, okay, what is your biggest obstacle food? For some people it could be candy, it could be chocolate, it could be cheese. Let's say for example it's gummy bears, okay? So let's start with gummy bears. So what do you do? Okay, at craving strikes I really need to have gummy bears. So you start this thought process, this mindset of, okay, can I just kill that thought and it's gone and go about my day? Great, that's the best way to do it. But for some people are not able to do that, so then it's like, okay, I'm going to have gummy bears anyway, I'm set on it, what am I going to do? So there are, you could buy smart sweets for example. It's sweetened with stevia and they don't have any corn syrup, any white sugar. It's a remarkable product by a very young lady. So that would be a product that you could buy or you could make it at home and I have a recipe for elderberry gummy bears in this book and that way you've got your own homemade gummy bears made with fruit, just fruit puree and they're delicious. So that way you're fulfilling that craving and that's one way to do the food upgrade approach and you can do that with every single food. So the idea is that all of your food eventually is upgraded and you're not eating from the old age food or the food industry that created all of these really toxic foods and you're eating all these new upgrades. Yeah and that's important because for any successful program it cannot be about deprivation. That will always, always fail. So that's good, giving people choices of the things, what I talk about having you eat the food you love that loves you back is what drives me. I love that. All right now I ask everybody if listeners could make only, only one change to their diet, what would that be? I would say cut out the refined sugar, that is the worst one. So start with that and then add in a green drink every day whether it's just the liquid chlorophyll in water or a greens powder in water or a green juice or green smoothie. Have one of those every day as your foundation. Well very good. All right well it has been great seeing you again last time it was in person but hopefully next time it'll be in person again because you always bring us great things to try and eat and I'm disappointed that you can't pass one of your cookie doughs through the screen to me. Yes but where can listeners find all about you, where can they find anxiety free with food? That's available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, any bookstore really around the world and you can find me at online at lianawernergray.com on Instagram or my website and are you on Instagram? I am on Instagram at lianawernergray.com so L-I-A-N-A and then wernergray.com No hyphen in the Instagram account. Aha very good that's right. Okay well it's great seeing you again I wish you much success with this because we've got anxiety everywhere that we need to combat and this is a great way to do it. Thank you so much Dr. Gundry. All right take care. Okay it's time for our audience question. Raven's Roll Top on Instagram asks, if the genetic diversity of seeds has been greatly reduced because of modern farming practices does that mean our ability to have a diverse microbiome is also reduced? Do we limit the types of bacteria by eating less diverse food? That is a great question and it actually goes even beyond the genetic diversity but we quite frankly, unlike a hunter-gatherer who may encounter and eat 250 different plant species on a rotating basis and those plant species may be very different from one season to the next, studies with hunter-gatherers such as the hadzas or the aboriginals in Australia have shown that their gut microbiome number one is wildly more diverse than a typical Westerners and number two that their microbiome changes dramatically with the seasons depending on what compounds that they are eating and how quite frankly those compounds were grown whether they were grown in six feet of loam organic soil or whether they were grown like we do in basically dead soil and I go into a lot of this and why it's so important in the energy paradox. So you're right our current farming practice have basically produced a barren desert in our soil and a barren desert in the soil of our intestines and you're going to learn all about how you got to have good soil to keep your roots happy. So thanks Ravens Roll Top, that's a great question. And now it's time for the review of the week. This week's review comes from Howard Cohen who watched my interview with Dr. William Lye and said great interesting video with hundreds of mindset expanding well presented facts especially good for people like me who are rethinking about how diet affects health. Thank you doctors, Gundry and Lye. Well thank you very much it's why we do this as you know I'm open to other people expressing opinions that I either agree with or may not even agree with some parts of it but I want you to have the ability to get facts presented to you in a timely fashion and you know we'll let you make the final decision. So thanks a lot Howard Cohen for liking that podcast. Now it's time for the review of the week. This week's review comes from Courtney Chapitel who watched my interview with Dave Asprey and said you guys are two of my favorite people to listen to and learn from. Thank you both for all the insights. Dave, reading your book now, Dr. Gundry can't wait for your new book with lots of clapping hands. So well thank you very much Courtney. Dave and I always have a good time when we get together. He likes to give me some fun bio hacks that I might not be aware of and luckily for me I give him a couple of bio hacks that he's not even aware of. So thank you for watching that and keep watching because every week I'm going to bring you something new because I'm Dr. Gundry and I'm always looking out for you. Before you go I just wanted to remind you that you can find the show on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts because I'm Dr. Gundry and I'm always looking out for you.