Brighten Up:

Heal Anxiety, Depression and Insomnia

Brighten Up Through Optimal Wellness

Heal Anxiety, Depression and Insomnia

This six hour online self-paced, peer-to-peer learning program for individuals, families, recovery centers, group homes, people in prison, schools, employees, consumers, companies, clinics and health professionals. Those who seek to learn how to apply the principles and practices of whole food nutrition, self-care, and wellness lifestyles and to support physical, mental and emotional well-being. Each lesson runs for an hour or more (based upon participant engagement) of reading, video watching with daily application of Eating for Health™ and wellness practice guidelines.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

The aim of Brighten Up is to motivate, educate and support learners to become passionately involved in creating health, as a result of improving their diet choices and habits. When one prepares healthier, homemade meals, they build not only their self-efficacy and self-care, but inevitably share their meals and new learning with family, friends and associates expanding their circle of support and wellness community.

Please do not purchase on Apple APP Store to avoid higher charges. Purchase on Web or Android APP Store.

(BU) Brighten Up introduction from Ed Bauman (1:12 min)

Efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus in the United States have led to drastic changes in the way adults, children and teens learn, play, work, and socialize. Tens of millions of students are attending school through some form of distance learning. Parents with jobs are working at home while tending to family duties. Others have been laid off. Most of us have been severely disturbed. Our confidence and ground of being has been shaken, in many cases wounded and left without resources or skills to build mental and physical resilience. 

“It is extremely important that we acknowledge that this uncertainty is stressful. And in fact, this anxiety is appropriate under the circumstances. This is a normal reaction to our new normal.” — Roxane Cohen Silver, Ph.D., Professor of Psychological Science, Medicine, and Public Health at University of California, Irvine

Government figures show the proportion of children who arrived in emergency departments with mental health issues increased 24% from mid-March, through mid-October of 2020 compared with the same period in 2019. Among pre-teens and adolescents, it rose by 31%. Anecdotally, some hospitals said they are seeing more cases of severe depression and suicidal thoughts among children, particularly attempts to overdose. The increased demand for intensive mental health care that has accompanied the pandemic has worsened issues that have long plagued the system. In some hospitals, the number of children unable to immediately get a bed in the psychiatric unit rose. Others reduced the number of beds or closed psychiatric units altogether to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Nutrition and self-care practices, presented in the BU program can play a dramatic role in preventing the onset, and slow the progression of depression, anxiety and insomnia. Many of the noticeable food patterns that precede depression are the same as those that occur during depression. These may include poor appetite, skipping meals, and a dominant desire for sweet foods. Nutritional neuroscience is an emerging discipline shedding light on the fact that nutrition and lifestyle factors are intertwined with human cognition, behavior, and emotions. Community wellness is a cost-effective adjunct to conventional medical and psychological treatment.

“It’s extremely important that we recognize that anxiety is contagious, but so is compassion. And there are ways in which we can bring our communities together, even if virtually. We can take advantage of the technologies that are now at our fingertips. We can encourage positive community outcomes such as altruistic behavior, social cohesion, volunteerism, reaching out to those who are living alone or who are seniors.” — Roxane Cohen Silver, Ph.D., Professor of Psychological Science, Medicine, and Public Health at University of California, Irvine

Learning Objectives

  • Understanding the holistic view of depressive disorders.

  • Knowing which beverages to choose for maintaining optimal hydration.

  • Understanding the dynamic interplay of the gut/brain connection.

  • Knowing which carbohydrates to choose to provide adequate fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

  • Understanding how to manage stress and cope with post-traumatic stress triggers.

  • Knowing how to practice mindfulness and deepen your relationship with nature and spirit.

  • Understanding how to eat for health and recovery.

  • Knowing how to use booster foods to improve mood, energy and metabolism.  

  • Understanding the role food sensitivities play in balancing brain chemistry.

  • Knowing which proteins and fats to choose to stabilize your mood.

  • Understanding how key herbs and supplements support recovery.

  • Knowing which herbs and supplements to choose to optimize mental and emotional well-being.

Registration

  • To register, go to BaumanWellness.co and follow the three simple registration steps below the home page image.

  • After you have received the approval email, go to the PROGRAMS link on the left-side vertical navigation bar and select the applicable programs you want to register for.

Program Structure

A Brighten Up research report and syllabus is provided to support the video lessons, online peer-to-peer learning and provide practical information, research, self-evaluation, recipes and worksheets to track progress and challenges.

Brighten Up is integrated with BaumanWellness.co Mighty Networks online community learning site that allows self-paced learners to engage with other BU learners with the following:

  • Events — monthly Zoom gatherings

  • Chat — private online chat room with fellow learners

  • Topics — topics discussion groups around nutrition, culinary and lifestyles

There are six self-paced lessons, with the following topics:

LESSON ONE: A Holistic View of Depressive Disorders and Recovery

  • Self Healing Step One: The Right Beverages

LESSON TWO: The Gut/Brain Connection

  • Self Healing Step Two: The Right Complex Carbohydrates

LESSON THREE: Managing Stress and Working through Trauma

  • Self Healing Step Three: Mindfulness and Spiritual Practice

LESSON FOUR: Eating for Health and Recovery

  • Self Healing Step Four: Booster Foods to Boost Energy and Resilience

LESSON FIVE: Food and Sensitivity and Neurotransmitter Balance

  • Self Healing Step Five: The Right Proteins and Fats

LESSON SIX: Restorative Herbal and Dietary Supplements

  • Self Healing Step Six: The Right Supplements and Wellness Lifestyle

Curriculum

LESSON ONE: A Holistic View of Depressive Disorders and Recovery

  • Incidence, prevalence and cost of depression, anxiety and insomnia.

  • “By 2020, depression will be the second highest cause of disease burden globally by 2020.” — Pre-COVID-19 prediction by the World Health Organization (WHO) (The reality is much worse than anticipated due to the pandemic.)

  • Soaring mood disorder and suicide rates are a second pandemic.

  • Anxiety: the most prevalent psychiatric disorders; panic disorder exhausting; disabling

  • Medication effects and side effects

  • Benefits of integrative care: holistic and conventional

  • Recommended mood stabilizing beverages

  • Homework commitment: improve one aspect of your diet, lifestyle and attitude

LESSON TWO: The Gut/Brain Connection

  • Gut ecology

  • Gut/brain neurology and communication

  • How to eat for health and recovery

  • Well balanced main meal

  • Portions and proportions

  • Nutrition Heroes & Bandits

  • The right carbohydrates

  • Homework commitment: improve one aspect of your diet, lifestyle and attitude

LESSON THREE: Managing Stress and Working through Trauma

  • Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

  • Stress response

  • Emotional trauma, adverse childhood experiences and post-traumatic stress

  • Key coping practices wanted: strong mentoring relationship

  • Alcohol, drug and mood disorder downward cycle

  • Adaptogenic herbs to stabilize mood, support resilience and recovery, such as:

    • American Ginseng

    • Ashwagandha

    • Licorice

    • Tulsi Basil

  • Mindfulness practice exercise

  • Homework commitment: improve one aspect of your diet, lifestyle and attitude  

LESSON FOUR: Eating for Health and Recovery

  • Stress and eating behavior

  • Mindful Eating practice

  • Eating for Health™ and Recovery approach

  • S.O.U.L.A. (seasonal, organic, unprocessed, local and affordable) food

  • Stabilizing mood foods: wild salmon, flax, yogurt, avocado, brown rice, berries, green tea

  • Brain building salads: greens, protein, good fat, herb, olive oil, lemon vinaigrette

  • Booster food condiments: nutritional yeast, seaweed, algae, herbs and spices, bee pollen

  • Fermented food choices and applications: miso, sauerkraut, pickles, yogurt, kimchi, kvass

  • Homework commitment: improve one aspect of your diet, lifestyle and attitude

LESSON FIVE: Food and Sensitivity and Neurotransmitter Balance

  • Positive correlation of mood disorder and food and chemical sensitivity

  • Cycle of allergy and addiction

  • Eat favorite foods, energy spikes, declines,  withdrawal symptoms: craving, irritable, moody; eat or drink to feel better, cycle repeats, weight gain from stress and inflammation

  • Seven most commonly consumed, non-organic foods that alter mood, energy and brain function: milk products, wheat, corn, sugar, soy, eggs, and peanuts

  • Importance of lean protein and clean fat

  • Neurotransmitter biochemistry and nutritional precursors

  • Key amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients

  • Foods that nourish serotonin, GABA, dopamine, acetylcholine, and calm cortisol

  • Homework commitment: improve one aspect of your diet, lifestyle and attitude

LESSON SIX: Restorative Herbal and Dietary Supplements

  • Summing it up: building a nutritional program of recovery to resolve multiple nutritional deficiencies of people with depression, anxiety and insomnia

  • Triggers for insomnia

  • Foundational foods for recovery

  • Specific herbs to support the gut/brain connection

  • Specific supplements to restore energy, metabolism and support a joyful mood

  • How to build a wellness lifestyle

  • Homework commitment: improve one aspect of your diet, lifestyle and attitude