#079 Mindful Eating - how to fuel your mind with Karen Mayo

by Dr Ruth Allan | Released Mon 04 Sep 23

Karen Mayo joins Dr Ruth Allan on Episode 079 of her show 'Brain Health: Unchaining Your Pain.' Karen Mayo is an Integrative Nutritionist of Amen Clinics New York and an Award-Winning International Best-Selling Author of “Mindful Eating” Thirty Days to A Whole New You

She has authored two more books and you may have seen her a couple of times on the Dr. Oz Show or The Jack Canfield Show. Karen appeared on the TEDx stage “Mindful Eating with Mayo”  and she has taught at Columbia University

Karen Mayo makes the complexities of nutrition accessible by zeroing in on the essentials and offering practical suggestions you can immediately implement into your daily routine

In this episode we talk about the importance of mindful eating and how to fuel your mind appropriately based on the different parts of your brain that may be struggling. Karen shares the story of how she supported her nephew who was diagnosed with ADD to achieving straight A's in school, and what to do to support your children who may be experiencing behavioural or cognitive challenges

I loved this episode as nutritional is foundational for me in the context of brain function and it's where I started my brain health journey. We had so much to talk about and it was so interesting for me personally taking Karen's mindful eating challenge with chocolate before joining the show to see how it changed my relationship with food!

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Listen to Episode 079 from 04 Sep 23

Disclaimer: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute, or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

Connect with Karen Mayo

• Instagram | Karen Mayo's website | Amen Clinics | +1 914 5891833

Connect with Dr Ruth Allan

• Arrange a consultation
• Learn about the Wellbeing Warrior Academy and how we can support you, your family and your organisation in taking charge of, and optimising your brain and whole body health to live a healthier, happier life

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• Episode 057 'Food for the brain' with Patrick Holford
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Discussed in this podcast

• 3.07 - What Karen is passionate about: creating and being helpful for others and serving others
• 4.29 - Go for Stupid: no question is a silly question and push the boundary of possibility
• 5.49 - Optimal brain health for Karen: food, play, supplements and a good balance of family and faith around you
• 6.55 - Karen's journey to becoming an integrated nutritionist, starting life on a farm
• 8.00 - Karen's nephew's health journey who was diagnosed with ADHD: what she did to support him in getting straight A's and on the honour roll
• 11.00 - Ruth's daughter's journey to enhance her health following birth by C-section
• 13.08 - Nutritional deficiencies: Vitamin D, B and magnesium trifecta of vitamin deficiencies
• 14.15 - The food desert: where our food is nutritionally barren
• 15.30 - Magnesium: often the last resort for supporting heart health, when it should be the first!
• 16.30 - Children's brain development and how to support them: putting mushrooms sun side up to allow them to absorb vitamin D
• 20.15 - What happens when children are eating the wrong food: and how to help them (avoid sugar, do physical exercise, Omega-3 and Vitamin D, hummus, proteins, nuts and seeds)
• 21.30 - Managing the Automatic Negative Thoughts (ANTs) in your head
• 24.20 - Supporting children where their pre-frontal cortex is low (e.g. with ADD): high quality protein, beans, nuts and seeds, complex carbohydrate, spinach, broccoli, eggs, fish, chicken, turkey
• 26.00 - Busting the fat myth: your brain is 60% fat!
• 29.45 - Karen's tricks of the trade to getting her nephew change his eating habits: get him involved in cooking
• 31.10 - Feeding the soldiers in your gut
• 34.40 - Challenges in your deep limbic system, particularly for children and how to support them: physical activity, quality food, vitamin D, acupuncture, neurofeedback, creating support groups
• 38.00 - Getting your amino acids: chicken, egg, fish
• 40.45 - The Five Pillars of Brain Health challenge with Karen
• 44.38 - The art of mindful eating with Karen: what it is and how to do it
• 46.39 - Ruth challenges on mindful eating with chocolate!
• 50.10 - Karen and Ruth's addiction to chocolate coated coffee beans
• 51.46 - Key activities to help you focus on mindful eating
• 53.00 - The benefits of mindful eating and changes that you can experience
• 54.30 - Easy foods to swap and add to your diet
• 55.41 - Karen's advice for anyone struggling with their cognitive performance to improve it

Please note this show is for educational purposes only. If you need professional support to optimise your brain and whole body health, please contact us directly or speak to a healthcare professional you can trust.

DISCLAIMER: Please always seek the advice of your general practitioner or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Disclosure: All items marked with a * are hyperlinked to an affiliate program. Dr Ruth Allan takes part in several affiliate programs, designed to provide a way for her to earn fees by linking to other company websites. You are not charged any extra by using these links.