1. Is depleted brain chemistry the problem?
 

4 Sensitivity to emotional (or physical) pain; cry easily
4 Eat as a reward or for pleasure, comfort, or numbness
4 Worry, anxiety, phobia, or panic
4 Difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep
3 Difficulty with focus, attention deficits
2 Low energy, drive, and arousal
4 Obsessive thinking or behavior
4 Inability to relax after tension, stress
3 Depression, negativity
4 Low self-esteem, lack of confidence
4 More mood and eating problems in winter or at the end of the day
3 Irritability, anger
4 Use alcohol or drugs to improve mood
 

Total Score ____________ If your score is over 10, please turn to chapter 1.

2. Are you suffering because of low-calorie dieting?
 

4 Increased cravings for and focus on food; overeating
4 Regain weight after dieting, more than was lost
3 Increased moodiness, irritability, anxiety, or depression
3 Less energy and endurance
3 Usually eat less than 2,100 calories a day
3 Skip meals, especially breakfast
3 Eat mostly low-fat carbohydrates (bagels, pasta, frozen yogurt, and others)
2 Constantly think about weight
2 Use aspartame (Nutrasweet) daily
2 Take Prozac or similar serotonin-boosting drugs
2 Have become vegetarian
3 Have decreased self-esteem
4 Have become bulimic or anorectic
 

Total Score ____________ If your score is over 12, please turn to chapter 2.

3. Are you struggling with blood sugar instability and stress?
 

4 Crave a lift from sweets or alcohol, but later experience a drop in energy and mood after ingesting them
3 Dizzy, weak, or headachy, especially if meals are delayed
4 Family history of diabetes, hypoglycemia, or alcoholism
3 Nervous, jittery, irritable on and off throughout the day; calmer after meals
3 Crying spells
3 Mental confusion, decreased memory
3 Heart palpitations, rapid pulse
4 Frequent thirst
3 Night sweats (not menopausal)
5 Sores on legs that take a long time to heal
4 Crave salty foods
4 Often feel stressed, overwhelmed
4 Dark circles under eyes
4 More awake at night
 

Total Score ____________ If your score is over 12, please turn to chapter 3.

4. Do you have unrecognized low thyroid function?
 

4 Low energy
4 Easily chilled (especially hands and feet)
4 Other family members have thyroid problems
4 Can gain weight without overeating; hard to lose excess weight
3 Have to force yourself to do even moderate exercise
4 Find it hard to get going in the morning
3 High cholesterol
3 Low blood pressure
4 Weight gain began near the start of menses, a pregnancy, or menopause
3 Chronic headaches
3 Use food, caffeine, tobacco, and/or other stimulants to get going
 

Total Score ____________ If your score is over 15, please turn to chapter 4.

5. Are you addicted to foods you are actually allergic to?
 
 

3 Crave milk, ice cream, yogurt, cheese, or doughy foods (pasta, bread, cookies, among others) and eat them frequently 
3 Experience bloating after meals
4 Gas, frequent belching
3 Digestive discomfort of any kind
3 Chronic constipation and/or diarrhea
4 Respiratory problems, such as asthma, postnasal drip, congestion
3 Low energy or drowsiness, especially after meals
4 Allergic to milk products or other common foods
3 Undereat or often prefer beverages to solid food
3 Avoid food or throw up food because bloating after eating makes you feel fat or tired
4 Can't gain weight
3 Hyperactivity or manic-depression
3 Severe headaches, migraines
4 Food allergies in family

Total Score ____________ If your score is over 12, please turn to chapter 5.

6. Are your hormones unbalanced?
 

4 Premenstrual mood swings
4 Premenstrual or menopausal food cravings
4 Irregular periods
3 Experienced a miscarriage, an abortion, or infertility
4 Use(d) birth control pills or other hormone medication
3 Uncomfortable periods cramps, lengthy or heavy bleeding, or sore breasts
4 Peri- or postmenopausal discomfort (e.g., hot flashes, sweats, insomnia, or mental dullness)
3 Skin eruptions with period
 

Total Score ____________ If your score is over 6, please turn to chapter 6.

Note: Some men experience male menopause as a result of hormonal imbalance. Men, please see the box on page 79 if you are experiencing weight gain and emotional stress.

4 Often bloated, abdominal distention
3 Foggy-headed
2 Depressed
4 Yeast infections
4 Used antibiotics extensively (at any time in life)
4 Used cortisone or birth control pills for more than one year
4 Have chronic fungus on nails or skin or athlete's foot
3 Recurring sinus or ear infections as an adult or child
3 Achy muscles and joints
3 Chronically fatigued
4 Rashes
3 Stool unusual in color, shape, or consistency
 

Total Score ____________ If your score is over 13, please turn to chapter 7.

8. Do you have fatty acid deficiency?
 

4 Crave chips, cheese, and other rich foods more than, or in addition to, sweets and starches
4 Have ancestry that includes Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Scandinavian, or coastal Native American
3 Alcoholism and depression in the family history
3 High cholesterol, low HDL levels
4 Feel heavy, uncomfortable, and clogged up after eating fatty foods
4 History of hepatitis or other liver or gallbladder problems
4 Light-colored stool
4 Hard or foul-smelling stool
4 Pain on right side under your rib cage
 

Total Score ____________ If your score is over 12, please turn to chapter 8.