12
Health Tips
An Apple
a day keeps
the doctor away!
All too often we ‘poison’ our bodies with food we know we shouldn’t eat – and avoid what
we know we should eat. Dr Hala Najib, the resident school doctor at Emirates International
Schools tells Joanna Andrews some top tips to stay healthy.
RAISE YOUR
SEROTONIN
Serotonin is
a hormone in the
pineal gland, the digestive tract, the
central nervous system, and blood
platelets. It plays an important part in
the regulation of learning, mood, sleep
and vasoconstriction (constriction of
blood vessels). Experts say serotonin
also might have a role in anxiety,
migraine, vomiting and appetite. The
molecular formula of serotonin is
C10H12N2O.
High in Serotonin:
Chocolate:
You will be pleased
to know that dark chocolate is high
in serotonin. It lowers blood pressure
and cholesterol levels and improves
blood flow to the brain and heart. Dark
chocolate also increases the amount of
serotonin in the brain.
Leafy greens:
Energy enhancing.
Epsom salts:
Calming.
Water:
Hydration. Increases energy
and lowers stress.
Oats:
Eases depression.
Chili peppers:
Reduces
depression.
Nuts:
The American Journal of
Nutrition says that nuts belonging to
the walnut family, such as butternuts
and black walnuts contain more
than 300mcg per gram of serotonin.
Almonds, cashews, coconuts and
macadamia nuts also contain high
levels of serotonin.
Bananas:
Help raise serotonin.
Smiling:
Releases
‘
happy
’
hormones.
Walking:
Clears the mind and raises
serotonin.
Dr Hala
says...
The risks of not including enough
serotonin in your diet could lead
to many disorders, the main one
being depression. Serotonin
levels drop when we are faced
with large amounts of stress. It
causes loss of appetite, sleep
deprivation, fatigue and negative
self-perception. Once the side
effects worsen people become
more susceptible to mental illness.
