Wednesday’s were once highly significant days of the week for me. It was the day I would treat myself to a shot in the arm. Back when I was a full time party girl I didn’t just frequent the bar, I was also a regular at the lab. I found a place in town with $25 B complex shots. I got the idea from my dad. He worked for a record label and always mentioned that a lot of artists would have doctors meet them on the tour to revive them with B complex shots. If it worked for the likes of Tom Petty and The Rolling Stones surely it would make all the difference for me. It was mildly effective. I didn’t realize that at the time. I thought it was wildly effective simply because my baseline for feeling good was incredibly low and heavily altered. I felt it was a godsend but it was just a band-aid. Nothing more than a short cut to caring for myself. Pseudo heath. I wanted to be the kind of person who was glowing and healthy and well, happy.. but that is not where I was. I was at the bar and it went on like that for years. Band-aids everywhere. Tequila shots to drowned out my anxiety. B shots to balance out the tequila. Make up to cover my inflamed complexion. Coffee to give me the energy to keep doing it all. Later I learned that B vitamins are water soluble… oops. All that drinking I was doing was leaving me too dehydrated to absorb the needed amount of those quick fix shots. I honestly thought I was so clever.. and I can be but, not so much as to trick my body out of its needs. Drinking regularly tanks our B-6 and B-12 levels specifically. Bad news considering they plays vital roles in the production of brain chemicals that effect our moods. The consequences have psychiatric manifestations beyond depression. Operating in a B-12 deficit can lead to memory loss, hallucinations, and even dementia. A lack of B6 is common in depression due to decreased serotonin levels in the brain. All of this because alcohol makes our guts inhospitable. Incapable of absorbing the nutrients in our food. Our digestive systems crave B vitamins as much as our brains do. Don’t forget the two are in cahoots. So, if you are here I am going to assume you want to balance out your mood and your guts. Natural chemistry to the rescue! After taking booze out of the equation you could go get a B complex shot, add a supplement to your daily routine OR you could make sure it shows up on your plate. Seeing as how you gotta eat anyway - try packing more of these into your diet. You will legitimately be happy that you did.

• Eggs (tell me you saw that coming..)

• Leafy greens (kale, spinach, chard, broccoli, arugula)

• Legumes (beans, lentils)

• Seeds and Nuts

• Fruits (avocado, banana, citrus)

Check it out.. I did it all in one move!

Day 189: Kitchari with kale and zucchini, avocado, lemon, seeds (chia, hemp, sunflower and pumpkin), sunflower sprouts and one egg, sunny side up.