Know Your Z-E-B-R-A's, A Key Element Of Fixing Mood & Sleep
- evacupuncturist
- Aug 11
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 12
Longtime followers will know the ZEBRA mnemonic cold by now, (technically THE ZEBRA, which includes self-care, hormone balance, exercise), for the root cause "ground up/sleeves rolled up" approach to fixing mood & sleep, the focus being on nutrient density, robust digestion and, alas, biochemistry:
Zinc and other minerals key to neurotransmitter & mitochondrial function (& commonly missing in U.S. diets)
Essential fatty acids
B vitamins (normally produced by "gut buddies" in a healthy gut; or absorbed in stomach)
Rebalancing gut flora
Amino acids (plasma more reliable than urine here)
Self-Care ("Take Care")
Hormones
Exercise
But how to know, sort of, "where you are?"
Channeling Chris Kresser here: "Test, don't guess."
Your GP or other HCP is unlikely to be much help here, unless you've got a real winner!
DIY is pretty much the way to go (unless you are in NY sometimes also NJ, RI, MD where DIY has been shut down by... you guessed it... the hospital lobbyists in Albany. Or Trenton or Providence or Annapolis). And here are the most affordable & reliable options I know of to date.
Pssst... NY, NJ, RI maybe MD folks. Sending kit to a work or relative or even weekend get-address seems to work pretty reliably.
Quick table of rough consensus of desired levels of aforementioned:
Nutrient (or Hormone) | Desired Range (or Threshold) | Top Dietary Sources | Possible Signs Of Deficiency | DIY Testing Option Links (all at cost; i.e. no markup) |
Zinc (serum); Zinc (RBC) | 90-110 9.0-14.7 (mg/L) | Oysters, organ meats, green pumpkin seeds | Impaired sense of taste or smell, impaired immunity, slow healing, impaired sexual function | |
(low Alk Phos rough guide) | 42-107 | N/A | N/A | |
Copper | 90-110 | TK | TK | |
Magnesium (RBC) | 5.2-6.5 | Dark leafy greens (esp chard), oatmeal, buckwheat, lima beans, | Muscle spasm/tightness, constipation, depression, hypertension, arrhythmias, personality changes | |
Selenium | 110-150 | TK | TK | |
Iodine | (RDA 150 mcg) | Dairy products (I can explain), seafood, seaweed, eggs | Decreased sweating, tender breasts, fibrocystic breasts, Mittelschmerz (mid-cycle menstrual pain), luteal ovarian cysts, BPH symptoms; hypothyroid signs/symptoms: lateral 1/3 eyebrow loss, dry skin, coarse hair, brittle nails, constipation, fatigue, low body temp, weight gain, diffuse hair loss, puffy eyes, hoarse voice | UltaLabs, ZRT Labs (dried urine) available via Vita Living, HRT.org |
Omega-3 (as % of total) | >4% (>8% for optimal CV health) | EFA deficiency generally: dry skin, poor wound healing, increased risk of infection, increased risk of CVD & inflammatory diseases | ALA: flax, walnuts, mackerel, sardines, anchovies, herring, salmon, also the products of O3 fed animals (Conversion to EPA/DHA dependent upon B3, B5, B6, C, biotin, zinc, magnesium & slowed by insulin, alcohol & age) | |
Omega-6 (as % of total) | 32-38% | (see above) | LA: mostly seeds & nuts (Conversion to GLA/DGLA & AA dependent upon B3, B5, B6, C, biotin, zinc, magnesium & slowed by insulin, alcohol & age) | |
6:3 ratio | 3.4-10.7 | N/A | N/A | |
B6 | 12-50 | Neurologic symptoms (irritability, depression, seizures), oral inflammation ("strawberry tongue"), impaired immunity, elevated homocysteine | Animal livers, eggs, cheese, avocado, sweet potato, cauliflower | |
B9 (folate) | 11-25 | Anemia, fatigue, low methionine, elevated homocysteine, impaired immunity, CVD, increased cancer risk | Dark leafy green, vegetables, beans, legumes | B12+folate: LabCorp, Access Med Labs |
B12 | 500-1,500 | Anemia, fatigue, low methionine, neurological symptoms (numbness-tingling, memory loss, depression, memory loss, dementia), impaired methylation/elevated homocysteine | Meat, eggs, diary, shellfish | |
or Methylmalonic Acid | <300 | N/A | N/A | TK |
(or Homocysteine as overall methylation measure) | 4-7 | N/A | N/A | |
Vitamin D | 50-80 | TK | TK | |
Estradiol | reproductive years: >200; perimeno: 100-350; meno: 50-100; men <39 | N/A | N/A | TK |
Testosterone | men 500-1,000; women >25 | N/A | N/A | TK |
Dhea (-S) | men 150-500; women 100-380 | N/A | N/A | TK |
Cortisol (a.m.) | 10-18 | N/A | N/A | TK |
Progesterone | women 1-20; men <1.4 | N/A | N/A | TK |
Insulin (fasting) | 3-5.5 | N/A | N/A | TK |
Insulin (2 hrs post prandial) | Vastly superior measure but requires precise planning | N/A | N/A | TK |
free T3 | 3.2-4.2 | N/A | N/A | TK |
free T3:reverse T3 ratio | >20 | N/A | N/A | TK |
How/where to test for gut flora balance
GI Effects
How/where to test for amino acids sufficiency/insufficiency
And rather than doing these tests all a la carte, it's kind of easier (& super fascinating) to get them pretty much all in one place (or 2-3 places if you want to know EVERYTHING): NutrEval ($439) is my pick, although it doesn't include iodine (or hormones) or details of microflora mix.
11 Essential Amino Acids (Includes arginine & taurine as essential; Mnemonic: PVT TIM HALL; S indicates sulfur-containing) | Desired Plasma Level (micromoles per dL) | Top Food Sources | Super Important For |
Leucine | 12.2-28.1 | Meat, eggs, diary, soy, nuts, seeds, legumes, pulses, brown rice | Muscles, Relaxation |
Isoleucine | 6.79-14.67 | Meat, eggs, diary, soy, nuts, seeds, legumes, pulses | Muscles, Relaxation |
Valine | 18.5-38.7 | Soy flour, raw brown rice, fish, beef, lamb, chicken, almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, peanuts, sesame seeds, lentils, chick peas, raw lima beans, mushrooms, soybeans | Muscles, Relaxation (including nervousness & insomnia) |
Lysine | 15.9-31.1 | Beef, lamb, dairy, beans, Brewer's yeast, mung bean sprouts | HSV Control |
Tryptophan | 2.64-7.09 | Dairy, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, seafood, poultry, oat bran | Serotonin & Melatonin Production |
Taurine (S) | 3.79-9.19 | Scallops, mussels, oysters, shrimp, squid, octopus, eggs, dairy, dark meat poultry | Production of GABA & bile; heart health, blood glucose control |
Arginine | 5.9-13.0 | Nuts, seeds, chocolate, chickpeas, coconut meat | Detox of ammonia (urea cycle), production of collagen, elastin, hemoglobin, insulin, glucagon, CV health |
Phenylalanine | 6.09-12.02 | TK | Thyroid Health |
Threonine | 6.6-14.09 | TK | Calm, Focus |
Methionine (S) | 2.7-6.0 | TK | Methylation, Mood |
Histidine | 6.4-11.7 | TK | Allergic Response |
5 "Conditionally Essential" Amino Acids (e.g., become essential under conditions of emotional stress, heat stress, physical stress (illness, surgery), metabolic disorders including compromised liver-pancreas function) | Desired Plasma Level | Top Food Sources | Super Important For |
Glycine | 6-9 | Meat, fish, dairy, nuts, seeds, legumes, gelatin, collagen | Gut Lining, Relaxation, Glutathione Production |
Cysteine (aka Cystine) (S) | 5.7-14.1 | TK | Glutathione Production |
Glutamine | 37-88 | TK | Gut Lining, Excitation, Glutathione Production |
Proline | 16-50 | TK | Bones |
Tyrosine (derived from Phenylalanine) | 6.5-16.5 | TK | Precursor to thyroid & adrenal hormones & to dopamine |
5 Non-Essential AAs | |||
Serine | 2-5 | N/A | TK |
Alanine | 19.45 | N/A | TK |
Asparagine | 3.5-8.3 | N/A | TK |
Aspartic Acid | <0.4 | N/A | TK |
Glutamic Acid (aka Glutamate) | 1.7-17.8 | N/A | TK |
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