Each week, holistic nutritionist Joy McCarthy tells us about a common health problem she's seen in her practice and how she came to a solution.

This Week's Client: Claire, a school teacher, single mom and self-professed chocoholic

The Problem: Claire was eating chocolate every evening, but it wasn't good quality, 85 percent dark, organic chocolate, her poison was processed chocolate bars such as Kit Kat and Snickers. She was desperate to kick her habit but felt she was literally addicted admitting that she was binging on these sugary treats after dinner.

Thus, she came to see me as she realized it probably wasn't a good thing that should couldn't go a single night without chocolate. And, of course, there was the fact the extra calories weren't doing her waistline any favours.

Does Claire's problem sound remotely familiar? I know I've been there, particularly during that time of the month. And it's not surprising to me as chocolate is one of the most common foods that women find themselves "addicted" to and want to break. So the question is, why are we so addicted to chocolate?

• Chocolate contains a component called theobromine which has a stimulating effect, but to a much lesser degree than caffeine, some find this addictive.
• Serotonin-connection: Foods with sugar give us an initial happy-high similar to that of serotonin. However, it's short-lived.
• Magnesium-deficiency. Dr. Natasha Turner, ND and women's health expert advises that when her patients experience chocolate cravings she has them supplement with magnesium.
• Craving sweets, especially chocolate is a sure sign you are an "emotional eater". If this describes you then read what Deepak Chopra advises for this, after the jump

These little chocolate covered bites of deliciousness are always such a hit at parties. Guests understandably think you slaved in the kitchen all day when you present them with an oh-so-fancy tray of these. But let me tell you, they are as easy as boiling water, if you have the right ingredients. Good quality ingredients are absolutely essential to making them memorable. If you are struggling with what to give your Valentine this weekend, why not surprise him or her with something sweet and homemade?

Chocolate is one of my favourite foods and we go waaay back. We've actually been best friends since childhood and I'm not alone. I once read an article that said women prefer chocolate to sex!! I thought that seemed like an outrageous statement at first, but apparently there are scientific reasons behind our love of chocolate. Not that I'm encouraging chocolate over sex of course - the two are equally important for Valentine's Day.

Not only does chocolate protect our DNA, it has these health benefits:

• Brain happy hormones: It stimulates endorphin production, which gives a feeling of pleasure and it contains serotonin, which acts as an antidepressant.
• May lower "bad" estrogen: That's Fit.ca columnist and naturopath Dr. Natasha Turner spoke about this benefit at a seminar I attended a few months ago. This is important for women with estrogen dominance, a very common health problem
• Heart Health: Dark chocolate contains flavanoids, antioxidants which protect the heart from free radical damage. In fact, some studies say dark chocolate contains nearly eight times the amount of antioxidants than strawberries!
• Lower blood pressure: These flavanoids also help to lower blood pressure through the production of nitric oxide which balances certain hormones in the body.

Recipe after the jump.

Do you find yourself eating mindlessly or shoving cookies into your mouth every chance you get? According to Judith J. Wurtman, author of The Serotonin Power Diet, it doesn't have to be that way. Here, she offers her opinions and tips on how to eat to turn off your hunger.

Q: What role does serotonin play in how and what we eat?

A: It plays an extremely important role. The most important and overlooked thing is that serotonin will shut off your appetite. When it's working properly, it makes you feel satisfied. You can eat less food than you would like to eat, and you can decrease your portion sizes if you need to lose weight, but triggering serotonin will make you feel full. My co-author, Nina T. Frusztajer, and I use this example all the time: You go to a restaurant for dinner, and you're very hungry, and while you're waiting for dinner to be served, you munch on some bread and a little salad. Twenty minutes go by before your dinner arrives and when it finally does you say, "Gee, I'm not hungry anymore." It's not from the roll or the bit of lettuce, it's because once you digested those carbohydrates your brain makes new serotonin and sends a message that you're not that hungry. It's a natural appetite suppressant.

Natasha Turner, N.D. is a Toronto-based naturopathic doctor. She is the founder of the Clear Medicine wellness boutique and author of the bestselling book The Hormone Diet.
Each week in her column for That's Fit.ca, Dr. Turner advises readers on how to remedy common health issues as well as improve their overall health.

Have you ever gone from one room to another, only to stop and wonder what you were going for in the first place? How many times have you known the word but just couldn't quite grasp it? How many times has someone's name been at the tip of your tongue? Is that what happens to all of us? Or is there something we can do to prevent this nervous system demise?

Your brain is made up of an intricate network of wires (neurons) that connect with each other via chemical messengers. Communication is a complex process. There are many factors involved, such as the integrity of the fatty coating (myelin sheath) around each neuron (which insulates the neurons and aids in signal transmission), or the chemical messenger levels in the end of one neuron and receptor endings on another. Even your mood or emotional state on any given day can affect your concentration and memory. It is well established that chronic anxiety or depression dramatically reduces your short-term memory and ability to focus.

Now, let's devise a simple plan to keep your brain working optimally...

How often do you come home late from work or after an evening of socializing with friends and stare into your fridge, hoping a magnificent meal will jump out at you? And when it doesn't, you end up eating a bowl of cereal right before bed. Sound familiar? (Don't worry, I used to do this, too.)

Unfortunately, you may be sabotaging your weight loss goals with this seemingly innocent habit. The reasoning behind this is simple: You eat a high-glycemic carb like a bowl of cereal and you increase your blood sugar levels. Insulin has likely been working hard all day long to balance your blood sugar from the sandwich you had a lunch or the muffin from breakfast and it might be getting a little tired. Not to mention the fact that at nine p.m. your metabolism is slowing down and you are likely not going to be hitting the gym to work off those excess calories. So what does insulin do with this excess sugar in your blood from that bowl of cereal? Well, it may store it as fat, sabotaging your weight loss or maintenance goals.

Now, ideally you don't want to scarf down an entire meal right before bed, but if you are hungry when you get home and it's after nine, there is a fabulous little snack you can eat that has some great benefits -- a simple, yummy smoothie.

Smoothie Benefits:

• Stabilizes and balances your blood sugar.
• Contains tryptophan, a precursor to serotonin (a brain-happy neurotransmitter responsible for keeping you calm, relaxed and getting you in the mood for sleep).
• Lowers your stress hormone cortisol (especially if you've been working late). Cortisol is a hormone that will shuttle glucose to the blood stream and may cause you to feel more hungry. By eating a balanced snack with carbs, protein and good fat, you can help lower your cortisol output.
• Tastes yummy!

Get a delicious smoothie recipe after the jump

Elizabeth Somer is a registered dietitian who has written nine books about what we eat and how it makes us feel. Her latest book is Eat Your Way to Happiness. Here, she discusses which foods do the best job of making us feel happier.

Q: Which foods make us happiest?

A: First, let me say that it is a style of eating, not just a few foods, that will stack the deck in favor of feeling great. You can't toss a few blueberries into an otherwise junk diet and think you will boost your mood!

I outline the 10 secrets of happy, skinny people in the book, which include eating the 1,2,3 breakfast, focusing on "real foods," cutting back on the quick fixes such as sugar, and keeping both lunch and dinner light. If you are following those guidelines, then sprinkling that eating plan with a few super mood foods ( I mention 12 in the book, along with a few of the following) can give you an even greater bang for your buck.

3 happy foods after the jump

Natasha Turner, N.D. is a Toronto-based naturopathic doctor. She is the founder of the Clear Medicine wellness boutique and author of the bestselling book The Hormone Diet. Each week in her column for That's Fit.ca, Dr. Turner will illustrate a health issue she commonly sees in her practice, and advise readers on how to remedy the problem as well as improve their overall health.

This week she discusses the connection between carb cravings and depression.




Recognizing depression is the first necessary step to recovery. The symptoms, however, may vary and be experienced repeatedly over a few days, weeks, or months at a time, including:

• changing sleep patterns-oversleeping or insomnia
• early morning waking or an inability to sleep in regardless of bedtime
• weight gain or loss
• loss of appetite or increased cravings for carbohydrates or sugar
• repeated negative thoughts
• increased use of alcohol or drugs
• failing to find enjoyment in previously enjoyable activities
• loss of motivation and withdrawal from friends and family
• poor concentration-an inability to watch TV or read
• mood swings
  
• some individuals may also experience heightened anxiety
• chronic low energy
• sensitivity to rejection or paranoia
• poor memory
  

The most common form of depression, atypical depression, appears with mood swings, weight gain, carbohydrate cravings, fatigue, lethargy, and increased sensitivity to rejection.
Treatment for depression is typically through the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) medications like Prozac or Zoloft. But these drugs often have side effects, including sexual dysfunction, increased appetite, intensified carbohydrate carvings, and/or weight gain.

Mastering Mood Swings

Thankfully there is hope for natural mood relief.

Many of us are experiencing the signs and symptoms of a hormonal imbalance right now and don't even know it.

By ignoring these symptoms, we could be affecting our ability to lose weight, aging faster and welcoming life-threatening diseases, according to naturopath Dr. Natasha Turner, author of The Hormone Diet.

Dr. Turner shares some key warning signs of a hormone imbalance and offers advice on how to tackle the problem head on.