This week's Flash Back Friday takes us to episode 81, from March 2012 Join Jason Hartman and author of Primal Body, Primal Mind, Nora Gedgaudas, as they explore the negative effects of stress and anxiety on our brains and how nutrition is essential to a healthy brain. Nora explains how high levels of stress causes dumps of cortisol, leaving the brain “marinating” in it, and how it breaks down the temporal portion of the brain. Doctors tend to accept this breakdown as a sign of aging, but Nora says this is simply not the case. Just because something seems commonplace does not mean it is normal. Nutrition plays such an incredible role in our overall health. Our food and water sources have changed to something completely unrecognizable to our ancestors, who ingested animal fat and protein primarily and were stronger and more disease-free. When we’re stressed, we often crave carbohydrates and this comes from the body expecting it because that’s what we’re feeding it. Nora describes how sugar is like kindling for the metabolic fire, burning quickly and constantly needing to be replenished. Contrary to today’s popular beliefs and fads, the fuel our bodies are designed to run on will surprise you. Nora provides insight into how to end the cravings and rollercoaster dieting, and also explains the problems with vegan and vegetarian diets, and talks about gluten sensitivity, the rise in inflammatory issues and autoimmune dysfunctions. Nora Gedgaudas is Board-certified in Holistic Nutrition® through the National Association of Nutritional Professionals (NANP) and is recognized by the Nutritional Therapy Association as a Certified Nutritional Therapist (CNT). She has appeared as a guest lecturer on radio and television. She was host of her own top rated radio program on Voice America Radio’s “Health and Wellness” channel and her “Primal Body, Primal Mind” radio podcasts are now available on iTunes. Nora served as a trainer for the State of Washington Institute of Mental Health, illuminating nutrition’s impact on mental health for State health care workers at all levels .She maintains a private practice in Portland, Oregon as both a Certified Nutritional Therapist (CNT) and a Board-certified Clinical Neurofeedback Specialist (CNS). Nora’s ground breaking book, Primal Body, Primal Mind, currently ranks near the top of all health-related books on Amazon and in August 2011, Nora was a featured presenter at the Ancestral Health Symposium at UCLA—billed as “the Woodstock of evolutionary medicine”. Website: www.PrimalBody-PrimalMind.com